Ryan Bridge: We shouldn't ignore conflict

I’m as guilty as the next Kiwi of complaining about the tyranny of distance, but the fact is we’re bloody lucky to live far across the ocean and out of harm’s way. 

We’re at least 10,000 kilometres away from the nearest nuclear weapon launch site, whether it’s China’s Jingxian Province or the United States' Pacific Coast. 

That doesn’t mean we’re immune to threats and fallout from conflict, nor should we ignore them.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters this week remarked he’d never seen such an uncertain geostrategic circumstance as the one we’re currently living in. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published its yearbook Monday with a warning that the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is increasing.

Most of the nine nuclear armed states are either upgrading or replacing their stockpiles. 

Over the next few years, it estimates the rate at which new nuclear warheads replace old ones will accelerate to the point where, for the first time since the Cold War era, we’ll have an overall increase nuclear weapons. 

No matter how far from the frontlines we may be, and how safe we may feel as a consequence, it doesn’t mean we don’t or shouldn’t care about the rest of the world.

We Kiwis love travelling the globe and experiencing all the complexities and differences it has to offer. In doing so, we learn to appreciate our own backyard that wee bit more. 

This Matariki weekend I'll be taking a moment to be grateful that when I look to the night sky, I'll see stars rather than incoming missiles and drones. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
World's a bit of a mess at the moment, isn't it,
to say the least. And I'm as guilty as the
next person of complaining about the tyranny of distance in
New Zealand. But the fact is we're bloody lucky to
live this far across the ocean and out of harm's way.
We're at least ten thousand kilometers away from the nearest
nuclear weapon launch site, which is good to know. Put
that on your list of things to be grateful for

(00:21):
this morning. Whether it's in shinjog In Province in China
or the Pacific coast of the US, doesn't mean we're
immune to threats and fallout from conflict, nor should we
ignore them. And Foreign Minister Winston Peters certainly isn't. This
week he said he had never seen such an uncertain
geostrategic set of circumstances as the ones we are currently

(00:43):
living through. And that's Winston. We had a report out
this week said that for the first time since the
Cold War, we are replacing old warheads quicker than we
are getting rid of them. So, in other words, for
the first time, there will be an overall increase in
nuclear weapons. This is in the coming years. No matter

(01:04):
how far from the front lines we may be and
how safe we may feel as a consequence, it doesn't
mean we don't or shouldn't care about the rest of
the world. We love traveling us kiwis. We love exploring
and experiencing all the complexities and all the difference that
the world has to offer, and in doing so we
lend to appreciate our own backyard, just at a week

(01:25):
bit more so, this Martialiki weekend, I'll be taking a
moment to be grateful that when I look up to
the night sky, I will see stars rather than incoming
missiles and drones. For more from Early edition with Ryan Bridge.
Listen live to News Talks it be from five am weekdays,

(01:45):
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio