New Zealand's nuclear-free laws target nuclear weapons and nuclear propulsion technology, which typically leverage the process of nuclear fission as a power source. Fusion is a fundamentally different technology than nuclear fission: it joins atoms together rather than splitting them apart. It cannot melt down and does not create long-lived radioactive waste. Fusion offers zero-carbon energy that aligns with our environmental values rather than conflicting with them. It represents exactly the kind of clean, safe technology our nuclear-free stance was meant to make room for.
