Kōrero: Peacekeeping

New Zealand has been involved in peacekeeping since the 1950s. The country has sent soldiers and police overseas to keep the peace by patrolling troubled areas, clearing mines, building houses, destroying weapons, protecting civilians and training local troops and police, among other things.

He kōrero nā David Capie
Te āhua nui: Farewelling New Zealand peacekeeping troops going to former Yugoslavia

He korero whakarapopoto

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Peacekeeping is when countries send military or police personnel to places that have had a war or conflict to try to keep the peace. Peacekeeping missions are usually led by the United Nations or other international organisations.

New Zealand’s involvement in peacekeeping

New Zealand has been involved in peacekeeping since the 1950s. It is in New Zealand’s interests to help keep other countries stable, and being involved in peacekeeping is also good for its relations with its allies.

Peacekeeping during the Cold War, 1950s to 1980s

Between the 1950s and the 1980s – a period called the ‘Cold War’ – New Zealand sent troops to:

  • Kashmir, a region which India and Pakistan were fighting over
  • the new state of Israel and its environs
  • the Sinai region between Israel and Egypt.

Peacekeeping in the 1990s

After the Cold War, most conflicts were within countries (civil wars) rather than between countries. In the 1990s New Zealand was involved in more than 20 operations to support peace, including:

  • clearing mines in Afghanistan
  • overseeing elections in Cambodia
  • providing aid and assistance in the former Yugoslavia during a civil war.

Peacekeeping in the Pacific

New Zealand was also involved in peacekeeping closer to home. Soldiers or police were sent to:

  • the island of Bougainville, where there was fighting between Papua New Guinea forces and groups that wanted to become independent
  • East Timor, which voted in favour of independence from Indonesia in 1999, leading to conflict between pro- and anti-Indonesian forces
  • Solomon Islands, where there was internal violence
  • Tonga, after riots in 2006.
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

David Capie, 'Peacekeeping', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/peacekeeping (accessed 20 March 2024)

He kōrero nā David Capie, i tāngia i te 20 o Hune 2012, updated 1 o Hune 2015