NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

NZ celebrates global cluster bombs ban

By Laura McQuillan
NZPA·
31 Jul, 2010 09:06 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

A Wellington woman who led the push for an international ban on cluster bombs is celebrating today as her dream is realised.

The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions came into force today, two years after being adopted internationally, and six months after it received its 30th ratification.

Human Rights Watch arms division adviser Mary Wareham said today the ban was "a victory for the campaign", in which New Zealand was "involved from the get-go".

But there was still work to be done on ridding the world of the bombs which had a massive impact on civilians -- especially children -- with states like the USA and Israel yet to sign up to the convention, she said.

Cluster bombs, which can contain hundreds of "bomblets", pose risks to civiians both during and after attacks. Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians, many of them children, long after a conflict is over.

The bombs have been in use since the 1960s, dropped on countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, with a lasting legacy in places including Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The US and Britain also dropped the bombs over Iraq in 2003.

But it was Israel's use of cluster bombs against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 that was the catalyst for talks to ban the bombs.

In the final 72 hours of the war, when it was clear a resolution would be reached, the bombings by Israel left more than one million unexploded cluster munitions, which were still affecting the Lebanese people today.

More recently still, both Russia and Georgia dropped cluster munitions during their 2008 conflict.

New Zealand was involved in the idea of a ban from the beginning - part of "the core group", alongside Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Norway and Peru, Ms Wareham said.

One round of talks was held in Wellington in February 2008, followed by the negotiations of the final convention in May 2008, and the first signing in December that year.

The New Zealand Parliament passed the Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act in 2009, and the Government quickly ratified the treaty.

In February this year, the treaty finally received its 30th ratification, making it a binding international law fronm today.

Though 108 countries had now signed up to the ban, only 38 governments had ratified the convention, which banned them from using or producing cluster munitions.

UN Security Council permanent members USA, China and Russia, along with Israel and India, were among the states yet to sign the treaty.

The five states were also yet to sign the 1997 Ottawa Treaty banning landmines -- another convention led by New Zealanders.

But the Obama administration was currently reviewing the landmines ban, and it was hoped they would make swift steps on both treaties, Ms Wareham said.

Disarmament Minister Georgina te Heuheu said the convention coming into force made today "a landmark day".

"New Zealanders should be proud of the leading role their country has had in bringing this ban about," she said, calling on states which had not yet signed it to do so as soon as possible.

"Many thousands of civilians are injured or killed in the course of normal daily activities by these weapons. Particularly tragic is the fact that around one third of cluster munitions casualties are children," Mrs te Heuheu said.

New Zealand kicks off global celebrations of the ban at Wellington's Civic Square at midday today, followed by a screening of Ms Wareham's short documentary, Cluster Bombs: Banned in New Zealand.

- NZPA

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Opinion
|Updated

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

Premium
CartoonsRod Emmerson

Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27

New Zealand

Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1

Watch

Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
New Zealand

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

Hungry and exhausted, AFP journalists document Gaza war
World

Hungry and exhausted, AFP journalists document Gaza war

Diogo Jota's grieving widow's heartbreaking tribute to late husband
Sport

Diogo Jota's grieving widow's heartbreaking tribute to late husband

Opinion: The rise and fall of open-plan classrooms in NZ schools
Opinion

Opinion: The rise and fall of open-plan classrooms in NZ schools

'Continuation of a witch hunt': Trump on Epstein documents
World

'Continuation of a witch hunt': Trump on Epstein documents

Nathan Limm: Kelly Jackson is the Silver Ferns' best choice for captain
Nathan Limm
OpinionNathan Limm

Nathan Limm: Kelly Jackson is the Silver Ferns' best choice for captain



Latest from New Zealand

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
Opinion
|Updated

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

Want to have your say on our stories? Here's how.

22 Jul 09:16 PM
Premium
Premium
Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27
Rod Emmerson
CartoonsRod Emmerson

Rod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of July 21 - 27

22 Jul 08:02 PM
Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1
New Zealand

Sky NZ CEO on the decision to buy Three and Disco for $1

Watch
22 Jul 07:57 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search