The advent of Donald Trump in the US provides an unprecedented opportunity to take a good, hard look at Aotearoa's place in the world. And to ask the question - why are we still a loyal member of the American Empire? As the old saying goes, you are judged by the company you keep. CAFCA says it's time for this country to pull the plug, to finish the business started in the 1980s which saw NZ out of ANZUS; and break the chains - military, intelligence, economic and cultural - that continue to bind us to the American Empire. Let's deal with the world on our terms, not on those dictated from whichever empire we happen to be a junior member of at the time.

CAFCA is preparing to initiate and drive a nationwide dialogue to advance the case for a non-aligned Aotearoa based on policies of economic, military and political independence. This is not a new thing from CAFCA - it has been part of our core issues since we were founded more than 40 years ago (see our Charter at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/Charter2008.pdf, section "What Does CAFCA Stand For"). Somebody needs to take the initiative and we're happy to do so.

Accordingly, we announce the Aotearoa Independence Movement and invite you to join us. What is AIM? It's a campaign, not an organisation. What is a specific example of what being non-aligned would look like? An obvious one would be to get Aotearoa out of the Five Eyes spy network and close the Waihopai spy base. That would remove this country from being entangled in wars and spying that serve the interests of the US and other countries, not ours. Another one would be to drastically tighten the foreign "investment" laws governing who owns our companies and land.

What will AIM do to "initiate and drive this nationwide dialogue"? That will be decided by the organisations and individuals that get involved in the campaign. It is not about Donald Trump. He is simply the catalyst who offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to build this campaign and create a truly non-aligned Aotearoa. We know that there are plenty of New Zealanders right across the political spectrum who are just as appalled as we are by what the world is witnessing going on in the US every day.

But it's not about whoever happens to be US President. This is about the longer view and the bigger picture. Nor is it "anti-American" (or "racist" or "xenophobic", for that matter). We stand with the American people who are fighting back in their millions.  We stand with them as we stood with them in common causes ranging from opposition to the war in Vietnam and the invasion of Iraq and the failed attempt to impose the TPPA on our peoples. The campaign has begun for a truly non-aligned Aotearoa. You'll be hearing more from us. We need as many people as possible to get actively involved.