The Week of Peace Action: Soldarity & support needed

Kia ora friends,

It was great meeting lots of you last month at our planning meeting at Trades Hall. Thank you for being involved. We have a huge line up of events for the Week of Peace – our response to the government’s planned week of war-making from 13-20 November. Details of the events are listed below & can be found on our facebook page. We writing to ask for your continued work on this issue in the lead up to the Week of Peace Action with these small jobs:

1. Please join in the events as you are able.
2. Would you please inform & invite your wider membership/supporters to the Week of Peace events?
3. Would you please share and retweet our social media messages during the Week of Peace?

4. Would you please send a speaker to talk at our Blockade of the Arms Trade on Wednesday, 16 Nov? The blockade begins at 9am at Silo Park, and will move to the Viaduct Events Centre by 10am where we hope to remain for the day.

5. If you are part of an organisation that issues media releases, would you please issue a media release leading up to and/or during the Week of War reflecting on the relationship of war & military spending with the issue(s) you specifically work on? Some points to consider:

• The government and all Parliamentary parties are supporting the expenditure of $20 billion on new weaponry for the NZ Defence Force. This includes the purchase of new Navy frigates and offensive cyberweapons.
• The NZ government is currently contracting with nuclear weapons producers Lockheed Martin and Babcock in contravention of the 1987 Nuclear Free Act.
• The NZ government is currently engaged in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Serco to run the Wiri Men’s prison. Serco is another company involved in the production of nuclear weapons.
• NZ weapons company MAS Zengrange, one of the 80+ members of the weapons industry lobby group, has shipped its mortar firing systems to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Countries.
• The NZ Navy has invited 33 Navies, including the US, China and Russia, to "celebrate" its birthday. This large scale public event is being held to bolster the Navy’s "recruiting, retention, relationships and reputation."
• The Navy wargames, called "Operation Mahi Tangaroa", are happening in the Hauraki Gulf from 13-16 Nov. These may include live firing, and are being conducted in the migratory pathway of Bryde’s whales