McDowall JamesDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. ACT acknowledges the efforts by the Government in this space in particular New Zealand's representation at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons despite the outcome—which has been canvassed here today—as a result of Russia's behaviour there.We support New Zealand's principled stance on nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction more broadly as an important part of our independent foreign policy. As a country we of course have to be realistic—optimistic but realistic. Our leverage and voice is not as great as we would like and our principles while positive and well respected can only get us so far especially in such turbulent times. We're actively hearing in the media at the moment of potential false flag events undertaken potentially by Russia specifically the use of dirty bombs as a pretext for the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. As an aside a couple of years ago one evening I stood by the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima which if you look at the mangled exhibition hall it really is a time capsule into the hell that is brought about by nuclear weapons. The museum nearby shows plainly just how it indiscriminately targets civilians and how they bear the brunt of it and how their lives are changed for ever.We obviously can't ignore the elephants in the room: Russia being number one; talk of another North Korean nuclear test; the status of the Iran deal; and China's intentions whatever they are on Taiwan and their general lack of transparency around their nuclear weapons programme. There are tough questions that we face; most pressing: what are the consequences if Russia actually does use a technical nuclear weapon in Ukraine? The region could spiral out of control. This is one of the risks with asymmetrical warfare: it could result in a situation where a nuclear-armed State fights a conventional war but always has the desperate option that they can turn to if it doesn't go their way. We should always be cautious about State actors not playing by the rules—for instance using nuclear threats—despite being signatories I might add—and clearly violating the Geneva conventions in their actions. Russia has continually used cluster munitions white phosphorus and thermobaric weapons in Ukraine and the prospect of them using a tactical—or battlefield—nuclear weapon is extremely concerning.Tactical nuclear weapons sometimes called on-battlefield as I said while they have a smaller yield than strategic nuclear weapons would—the types that are mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)—they're still nuclear and violate first use. So it'll be an utterly disgraceful situation if it gets to that.Speaking of which as we've seen in the media Russia has continued with its planned nuclear tests which includes an ICBM and a submarine-launched ballistic missile and while announced and notified it comes at a strategically complex time and just not an overall wise thing to do.The briefing discussed issues around transparency and accountability with China's nuclear programme as I mentioned. In that discussion there was a note about the age of the warheads and the modernisation projects. The issue with stockpile stewardship is that it can be pitched as a means to ensure warheads are stored safely but ultimately they're going to be retrofitting warheads into newer and longer-range delivery systems. So it's always things to worry about.A note in acknowledgment to our friends in the Five Eyes: like it or not however we want to look at it New Zealand indirectly has a nuclear deterrent so we have to tread carefully and be respectful and realistic when we confront our allies on this issue—especially with what the likes of Russia China Iran and North Korea are doing. We're confident that we can continue with New Zealand's principled approach to non-proliferation but we do need to commit to our nuclear-armed partners to maintain our alliances in spite of this key difference. We have to leverage our stance carefully to be an example amongst our allies that they can all look to.Ultimately it is difficult to imagine a world that is free of nuclear weapons when there are bad actors at present threatening to use them unilaterally. The review conference obviously didn't produce a solid or desirable outcome which is a reflection on the sad state of affairs of the world of late and it also just wasn't all that unexpected. It is good that the United States has expressed a willingness to reach out to Russia and also to China in negotiating a new bilateral arms control framework to replace the New START Treaty. And you know hopefully we'll see some progress there. But who knows how that's going to evolve with the Ukraine situation?So the door is still open for some traction and we just encourage the Government and the Minister to keep up the good work despite all the difficulties. Thank you.