6. Nuclear Weapons—Weapon Status of Visiting Foreign ShipsDr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) to the Prime MinisterNuclear Weapons—Weapon Status of Visiting Foreign Ships6. Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM (Green) to the Prime Minister: Will he make public the official advice if any he has received on the weapon status of the American UK Chinese and French military ships scheduled to visit New Zealand in November; if not why not?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): I am advised that it has not been standard practice to release such information. However the member like any other member of the public is welcome to request advice under the Official Information Act. Any request will be handled in the usual way and treated with careful consideration. I am not going to pre-empt that process today. In addition I would note that the member's question refers to ships visiting in November from the United States the United Kingdom China and France. If the member is referring to the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th commemorations I would point out that neither the United Kingdom nor France is actually sending a ship. They are contributing in other ways which we very much welcome.Dr Kennedy Graham: In light of the continued non-disclosure policy on nuclear weapons maintained by the United States and its likely refusal to permit boarding for inspection does he agree that although the advice of New Zealand officials may reflect a sound pragmatic expectation it does not give irrefutable confirmation that no nuclear weapon is on board?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I think it does give irrefutable evidence and that is because the advice that was prepared and given to me to enable me as Prime Minister to sign the approval declaration came not only from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of Foreign Affairs but also from the Attorney-General and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. They use a wide range of information sources. I notice that in this morning's newspaper one of the activists who had swum out in I think 1983 was saying that even he would not bother donning his swimming togs because he accepted that the ship was neither nuclear-armed nor nuclear-powered.Dr Kennedy Graham: When he cites the advice given to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in respect of the US vessel scheduled for November is he confident that he has met the requirements imposed on him by section 9(1) of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Disarmament and Arms Control Act to have regard to all relevant information and advice that may be available" or does he acknowledge that there are experts outside the New Zealand Government who may have other views?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly I have not seen a single person who has raised a contrary view that the USS Sampson is anything other than non - nuclear powered and non - nuclear armed. If the member can point to somebody that would be interesting. Of course there will always be people around the world who are conspiracy theorists and if that is the line he is pushing today he might have to put himself in that category.Dr Kennedy Graham: If the Prime Minister cannot categorically confirm that there are no nuclear weapons on board the US nuclear-capable vessel why has he given clearance for the ship to visit New Zealand despite the pride that New Zealanders have in our longstanding nuclear-free tradition?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Act spells out very clearly the obligations on me as Prime Minister. I received advice in relation to the Act from the Attorney-General. I am not in the habit of signing declarations that would put me in breach of the law and that would result in my failing to fulfil the obligations required of me as Prime Minister under the Act. I am totally confident that I have met the requirements of the Act.Dr Kennedy Graham: Does he agree with the New Zealand Prime Minister of 31 years ago that "Nuclear weapons make us insecure. … We all of us know that it is wholly without logic or reason to possess the power to destroy ourselves many times over; and yet in spite of that knowledge the nuclear powers continue to refine their capacity to inflict destruction on each other and all the rest of us."; if so will he follow that lead and stand up for a nuclear-free New Zealand?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes. I should remind the member that at the invitation of President Obama I have been to a number of the nuclear security summits that he has held and that is reflecting the credentials of New Zealand. One of the very very first statements I made a decade ago when I became the leader of the National Party—in Opposition in 2006—was that we would be observing New Zealand's nuclear-free status."