This is also a pioneering country in the defence of pacifism and nonviolence: it was the first country in the world to give the vote to women; to be declared as a country free from nuclear weapons after a civil campaign led to the US withdrawing their bases; to have given equal civil rights to ethnic minorities even before the start of the 20th century; and to have been pioneers in the defence of the environment, since the times of Rainbow Warrior.
The proposal for the World March to officially set off from here has been very well received by associations and institutions, and there are already teams working in Auckland, Wanganui and Wellington to make the start an event with global repercussions.
People such as Helen Clark, former Prime Minister and current Director of Development Projects at the United Nations and the Mayor of Wellington, Kerry Prendergast, are among the political personalities and diplomats that are giving their backing to the March, alongside artists, professors, journalists and associations such as The Peace Foundation (promoter of the March in NZ), Greenpeace and Amnesty International, among others.
Among the events programmed for the kick off are a visit to the Chatham Islands, where the Morihori people, from whom Gandhi learned active nonviolence principles, will offer the base team their hospitality and a blessing ceremony. From the north of the country, in Auckland, until the official start at the Gandhi Monument in Wellington, activities and marches for peace have been organised that will start before the arrival of the international team and will culminate on the 2nd of October, in which we expect a wide range of individuals from across the world to support the official inauguration events with their presence. |