Abstract
The Vietnam war stimulated one of the great protest movements of the 1960s, not only in the United States, but also in New Zealand and Australia. This study of the protest movement in Dunedin examines one aspect of the impact of the Vietnam war on New Zealand society. The Committee on Vietnam (C.O.V.) in Dunedin, like many similar bodies around New Zealand, was formed for the purpose of attempting to dissuade the government of New Zealand from committing military personnel to the war in Vietnam. After the decision was made in May 1965 to send a military force, the local C.O.V. became the central focus in Dunedin for protest against the Western military presence in Vietnam. This study seeks to examine the origins and character of the Committee on Vietnam in Dunedin, and the ways in which it attempted to influence policy makers and the public to its cause. [From Introduction]