In a move likely to have few or no ramifications for what is increasingly becoming a volatile world, the Clutha District Council decided on Thursday to retire its nuclear weapons free zone policy.
But before the Russian nuclear fleet gets ready to glide up the Clutha River and destroy Clydevale, the area is still a no-go for atomic ammunition.
National legislation has always made the whole country, including Clutha, a no-go for the weapons since 1987.
The policy was up for review as the council worked its way through all the policies it had on its books.
Cr Gaynor Finch, who was on the council in 2010 when the policy was introduced, said back then a petition was sweeping the country for councils to introduce a nuclear-free policy, so the council went along.
But as was pointed out on Thursday by council senior policy analyst Ye Miao, the policy was already covered by the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act, introduced in 1987.
This Act already declared the territories of New Zealand to be a nuclear-free zone. So there was no legal effect for the council to make a separate declaration.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said yesterday that in 2010 he was not part of the council and was taking a rest from local politics at the time, and ‘‘did not have a clue’’ why the policy was introduced.
But he admitted he would sleep easier knowing the area was still safe from nuclear weapons — not that he got any sleep with the impact of water changes hanging over the district.
