New Zealand
New Zealand is one of six governments that led the Oslo Process in 2007-2008 to establish an international agreement to tackle cluster munitions (the other Core Group members are Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Norway and Peru). In May 2007, the Minister of Disarmament (and also Defence!) Hon. Phil Goff announced that New Zealand would host a crucial Oslo Process meeting.
The Wellington Conference took place from 18-22 February 2008. A total of 106 governments attended, as well as civil society participants from around the world making it the largest disarmament meeting ever convened in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s engagement on this issue is led by our Geneva-based Ambassador Don MacKay, who is known for his leadership on the recently concluded Disability Rights Convention. In May 2008, Ambassador MacKay played a crucial role in the negotiation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions by chairing complex discussions concerning the definition of a cluster munition.
In November 2008, the honorable Georgina te Heuheu became New Zealand’s Minister for Disarmament & Arms Control, but she did not attend the Oslo Signing Conference. Instead, Ambassador MacKay signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on New Zealand’s behalf on 3 December 2008.
New Zealand Defence Force personnel have experience in the humanitarian clearance of unexploded ordnance including landmines and cluster munitions. In 2007, two dozen NZDF personnel returned from an assignment in Lebanon where they helped clear unexploded cluster bomblets.
For more information on the government’s actions, check out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website including on the Wellington Conference.