Next generation steps up to keep knowledge alive of nuclear testing veterans

A new generation has taken on the decades-long cause of pushing for recognition for veterans exposed to nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The New Zealand Nuclear Veterans’ Association held a reunion in Palmerston North at the weekend where it appointed new committee members.

The association represents a group of Kiwi sailors unknowingly exposed to radiation when they witnessed British nuclear testing in the Pacific in the late 1950s.

The New Zealand Navy sent two naval frigates, HMNZS Pukaki and Rotoiti, to observe at Christmas Island part of Kiribati, where Britain was testing hydrogen bombs for Operation Grapple.

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When the bombs went off the sailors were exposed to radiation from the blast, which they knew nothing about, but it has had far-reaching health effects for the sailors and their families.

Some of the veterans or their families have had children born with abnormalities.

Of the 551 New Zealanders on the two ships, about 150 are still alive and are in their 80s or older. But the new committee members are in their 50s or younger.

Bulls man Tere Tahi, who was on board the Rotoiti, became the association’s chairman after Roy Sefton died in 2021.

Tahi, 84, said the ageing veterans wanted to hand it down to the next generation and keep the legacy going. He was heartened many indicated they wanted to.

Roy’s daughter Anu was one of the new committee members and she said getting more people involved was vital.

“The problem with the effects of them being exposed to radiation is it’s intergenerational. It doesn’t stop when the veterans pass away, they weren’t the only people affected.

“When we look at Chernobyl and Hiroshima we know this effects generations long term, so for us to form a new committee and set some new goals means we can keep re-educating the offspring, the public nationally and internationally.

“We can keep the knowledge alive of what happened. We can’t bury history.”

As the veterans got older and died, there had been the worry things could be forgotten if no-one new got involved.

“My father Roy Sefton was a squeaky wheel. He was incredibly active. He had a loud voice. He weekly, if not daily, challenged the Government to seek recognition and some kind of compensation.

“I do wonder whether governments are waiting for the veterans to die so that the issue gets buried with them.

“With a new committee we can reignite that fight and seek that recognition the veterans and their children so deserve.”

Her daughter was healthy, but she was “terrified” for any children her daughter had because some research showed it was the second or third generation effected by the radiation.

“[Scientist] Chris Busby also talked about 500 years of damage in our DNA.

“For me we celebrate being nuclear-free New Zealand, but don’t acknowledge our nuclear history which now has bloodlines of 551 men for 500 years.”

Another new member, Olivia Shimasaki, had no family connections to the association. She started researching nuclear testing in the Pacific while at University of Canterbury.

She published her thesis after speaking to people exposed to radiation in the atomic bombings in Japan during World War II and compared it with Operation Grapple.

Now she is researching the veterans to tell their stories on speakup4peace.co.nz.

“They have really important perspectives to share and so does their whānau, and it’s something that as a country we might not have listened to so much in the past.

“But it’s vitally important we listen to each of these men who have a story to tell and it contributes to the way that we understand history.”

Veteran Russell Hockley from Northland was glad new members agreed to keep pushing their case.

“We’ve got to keep the ball rolling. When the ball stops rolling, sometimes it’s a long time before it starts again.”

Correction: this story previously said Operation Grapple was in the Indian Ocean. Christmas Island is actually in the Pacific and is part of Kiribati.