Press release by Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki, 6 November 2026

Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki and Climate Justice Taranaki have launched a petition that calls on the Government, councils, and Taranaki Alliance to choose peace over war economy. Demand that Taranaki is designated a ‘rohe of peace’

A coalition of Taranaki residents and community advocates is calling on the Government, local councils, and the Taranaki Alliance to reject the designation of Taranaki as a defence region, warning that the region is being repositioned as a military-industrial hub at the expense of a just transition.

The call comes as the Taranaki Alliance, an industry cooperative facilitated by Venture Taranaki, deepens its ties with international military manufacturers. In February, the Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Supacat, a British military vehicle manufacturer whose vehicles have been deployed by UK, Australian, and US special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The following month, it signed a separate MoU with HunterNet, an Australian industry network whose dedicated Hunter Defence structure aligns with the ANZAC 2035 framework promoting a joint Australia-New Zealand military industrial base.

The Alliance has received $500,000 in seed funding from New Plymouth District Council and $3 million from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund.

“We are deeply concerned that our taxes and rates are being used to build a local war economy,” said Kate Cole, spokesperson for the coalition. “This is money that should be going towards renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, civil defence, climate resilience, and the well-being of our communities. Our region needs job creation; but not jobs that profit from war.”

The group points to Resources Minister Shane Jones’ recent comments that the New Zealand Defence Force needed to boost its resources and that Taranaki’s heavy engineering sector could be at the front of the line, following the announced closure of the Methanex Motunui plant. Methanex confirmed in August that it will indefinitely idle its Motunui operations in early 2027, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. E tū Director Mat Danaher described the closure as “gutting for the workers who have built their careers at Methanex,” and called for a Just Transition that moves people into “new, good work.”

“We agree that our communities need support,” Cole continued. “But the answer is not to embed ourselves in the military-industrial complex.”

Tuhi-Ao Bailey, spokesperson from Climate Justice Taranaki proposes that “a just transition means an investment in ethical industries dedicated to peaceful and sustainable technologies that could include engineering for sustainable transport, sustainable agriculture tools or locally made onshore wind turbines for example”

The coalition also raised concerns about the wider implications of New Zealand’s deepening military integration. The 2025 Defence Capability Plan signals a shift toward “combat capable” forces with “enhanced lethality and deterrent effect,” and closer integration with Australia under the ANZAC 2035 framework. New Zealand-founded Rocket Lab launches satellites from Māhia Peninsula for US geospatial intelligence firm BlackSky, which has been the subject of legal action alleging its technology may have supported Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Taranaki holds a strong historical legacy of peaceful resistance and reconciliation at Parihaka, where Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi led one of the world’s first campaigns of non-violent resistance against colonial land confiscation. The Governor-General has acknowledged the 1881 invasion of Parihaka as “one of the most shameful events in our history.”

“We honour that legacy,” Cole said. “Taranaki should be known as a place of peace, not a place of war.”

The petition and call for peace is endorsed by the people of the three marae of Parihaka: Parahuka, Takitūtū and Toroānui 19 October 2026.

The coalition calls on the Government, local councils, the Taranaki Alliance, and local businesses to:

Oppose defence designations and reject any framework that positions Taranaki as a military defence industrial hub.

Terminate the MoU’s with Supacat and HunterNet Defence and implement contracts and procurement guidelines that guarantee local and regional businesses are not supplying dual-use military parts that will be involved in conflicts violating international law.

Support ethical industries dedicated to peaceful and sustainable technologies.

We call on our present and future governments, local councils, the Taranaki Alliance, and local businesses

Demand that Taranaki is designated a ‘rohe of peace’…

Please read and sign the petition here.