"Islands Of The Empire", by Vanguard Films (Alister Barry, Rod Prosser and Russell Campbell), was the definitive 1980s' documentary about all aspects of New Zealand's military and intelligence relationship with the United States. It was made during one of the pivotal periods of that relationship, the one which ended with New Zealand becoming nuclear free and, consequently, being booted out of ANZUS (the Australia, New Zealand, US military treaty that was the foundation of all New Zealand's defence and foreign policy from its inception in 1951 until the US, under President Ronald Reagan, kicked us out in 1986. It remains in force today, but only between the US and Australia).

I was one of those interviewed for the film. When those interviews were shot, in 1983, Piggy Muldoon was Prime Minister. When the film premiered, in 1985, David Lange was. So, it spanned that really critical period, not only in the NZ/US relationship, but in New Zealand's history per se (my obituaries of Muldoon and Lange are in Watchdogs 71 (November 1992) and 110 (December 2005) respectively.

Mountain Top Interviews

Filming involved some great locations. I was interviewed on top of two mountains, both of which contained now long gone US military facilities - Mount John, near Tekapo in the Mackenzie Country, and Black Birch, in Marlborough. At Mount John, our filming actually coincided with the US military observatory being dismantled. We followed a truckload of its parts being driven to the (still present) US military transport base at Christchurch Airport and watched it being loaded onto a US Air Force cargo plane and flown to its new home in Hawaii. At Black Birch, I was filmed, in fog and rain, in front of the then US Naval Observatory.

This was all before the existence of the Anti-Bases Campaign (ABC) or the Waihopai spy base (both of them date from the late 80s). It pre-dates CAFCA (Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa) - in those days we were CAFCINZ (Campaign Against Foreign Control In New Zealand; we changed the name in the mid 80s) and CAFCINZ was heavily involved in the anti-bases campaigns that arose out of the 1960s and 70s' anti-war movement. That involvement not only consisted of me being interviewed for the film - CAFCINZ provided transport and accommodation for the three-man film crew (they stayed with me and my then partner in what is still my home, and workplace).

The late Bob Leonard drove us all up to Mount John in his van, one of the first of many, many trips and adventures I had with Bob over the next 30 years (my obituary of him is in Watchdog 134, January 2014). And, in 1985, CAFCINZ organised and hosted the film's premiere in Christchurch, filling a cinema and getting mainstream media coverage in the process. Once again, the Vanguard Film boys stayed at our place.

CAFCINZ/CAFCA duly helped to promote and publicise the film and to distribute it, once it became available on video. Then we all moved on to other things, as you do. Alister Barry, Rod Prosser and Russell Campbell kept making films, collectively and individually. For instance, in the 90s, Alister made "Someone Else's Country", the seminal film on Rogernomics (which you can watch, plus his later film "In A Land Of Plenty", on CAFCA's Website).

And, in 1989 Russell came to my home (I was living there by myself at that stage) and filmed the series of interviews with me and others that make up the central core of his film "Rebels In Retrospect", about the first group to which I belonged, the Christchurch Progressive Youth Movement (PYM, which I joined in 1969, more than 50 years ago, God help me. You can view "Rebels" here). In my Anti-Bases Campaign capacity, I worked again with Vanguard when they filmed at Waihopai spy base protests in years gone by.

But I hadn't watched "Islands" for decades. Even if I wanted to, we no longer have the means of viewing videos. So, I was rather surprised to be told by Russell Campbell, in 2018, that they planned to re-issue the film, digitised and on DVD and with a series of interviews to update it. He asked me to come to Wellington to be one of those interviewed (I always stay with Russell when I'm in that city, his place is my Wellington home away from home).

Owen Wilkes The Star

I duly went there in May 2019. That enabled me to view the original and what a blast from the past that was. When originally filmed, I was a long haired and bearded Railways worker in my 30s. Funnily enough, none of that any longer applied 36 years later. It was a shock to see my 1983 and 2019 selves on screen. All I'll say is that I reckon I look younger now.

I've never been back up Mount John since that 1983 interview and I last went up Black Birch in 1990 during ABC's Touching The Bases Tour (once again, the weather was lousy - it bloody snowed in November). It was a shock to the system to watch Sir Tim Shadbolt, the Mayor of Invercargill in perpetuity, being interviewed in his previous life as the country's most high-profile protest movement leader. Maire Leadbeater appears throughout the film - this was years before we'd met.

But the undoubted star was the late Owen Wilkes. I found it poignant watching him (including bobbing around in a protest boat on Wellington Harbour, with a US Navy warship in the near background). It reminded me what an irreparable loss he is, not only to the NZ and international peace movements, but to his friends. My obituary of Owen is in Watchdog 109 (August 2005).

It was wonderful to be filmed by the same three friends and colleagues - Alister, Rod and Russell - as in 1983. This time it wasn't done on top of fogbound mountains but in the Wellington Trades Hall (itself the target of a still unsolved 1984 fatal terrorist bombing, which gives you some idea of the broader political tensions and class battles that were taking place during the period that "Islands" was being made. That terrorist murder once again became a major media story in 2019 - but nobody has ever been charged with it).

What Has Changed & What Hasn't

I was asked a whole series of questions, a lot of them along the lines of "what has changed since 1986?" (the year when NZ was kicked out of ANZUS). I won't detail my answers - you can hear them for yourselves in my appearances on the DVD's Bonus Features). But - spoiler alert for what has changed in the NZ/US military and intelligence relationship - precious little.

I realised that I'd forgotten quite a number of things in the intervening generation. Most embarrassingly, I answered "no" to one particular question and was then presented with incontrovertible evidence that the answer should have been "yes". To make it worse, the evidence was an article that I'd written about that very subject, which was NZ's military involvement in the Philippines. I'm still actively involved in Philippines solidarity work, as is Rod Prosser. We've worked together and Rod has filmed in that country.

One basic thing has changed - my by-line on the "Islands" DVD is not CAFCA, but Anti-Bases Campaign. Since ABC was founded in 1987, CAFCA has left the bases issue, and the whole broader US/NZ military/intelligence relationship issue, to ABC. That's not to say that CAFCA does not take any interest or have any involvement in that whole subject - far from it - but it is no longer a major subject for us, unlike in our early years.

Being asked to take part in the "Islands" update provided a rare opportunity to revisit a key aspect of my CAFCINZ anti-bases past, and to reflect on what has changed and what has stayed the same in the film's subject matter, in the intervening generation. It was also an unexpected opportunity to work with old friends again.

World Premiere & Only Cinema Screening

Vanguard Films decided that they wanted its premiere (and only cinema screening anywhere in the country) to take place in Christchurch - as the original premiere had been in Christchurch, in 1985.That plan got mucked up by 2020's pandemic lockdown but, ironically, it was during lockdown that I was able to get the venue sorted out.

In the course of one of my State-sanctioned solitary walks, on a deserted central city bridge, I passed a stranger using an expensive video camera with attached microphone. As I walked past, he called after me: "Excuse me, aren't you a campaigner"? (I've never been hailed by that particular phrase before). I pleaded guilty and he introduced himself as a prominent local filmmaker.

I've never had any previous contact with him, nor seen any of his films. So, we had a good old long chat (keeping a suitable distance) about a whole range of topics of mutual interest. He told me he knew Alister Barry decades ago in Wellington. I told him that ABC had, unsuccessfully, tried to find an affordable cinema venue. He said to contact Nick Paris, the co-owner of Christchurch's newest cinema, the Lumiere, in the Arts Centre (I've known Nick for decades but I hadn't thought to ask him about hosting this). That was entirely appropriate as the 1985 premiere had also been in the Arts Centre, at the former Academy.

That chat with a stranger on a street during lockdown (and on Easter Sunday, to boot) led to me immediately getting a confirmed Christchurch cinema venue for the premiere. Nick Paris said "yes" straight away, at mates' rates, and publicised the solitary screening on the cinema's Website. ABC's role was to find the venue, publicise and host the screening (I was sceptical as to how many people, particularly the "vulnerable elderly", would come out on a Christchurch midwinter weeknight, during a pandemic, to watch a 1980s' film. I was delighted to be proved wrong).

That screening went ahead in July 2020, with a nearly full house and a great night was had by all. I was both a speaker and MC at the event. Alister Barry, Rod Prosser and Russell Campbell all attended and spoke (several other Vanguard Films people also attended, having come from various parts of the country). The whole thing didn't cost ABC a cent - Vanguard paid for the lot. Admission was by koha, there were no ticket sales.

I'll leave the last word to Russell Campbell: "Yes, a great success! Gorgeous venue, full house, interesting characters, high-spirited MC, the film looked good on the screen, gratifying reception, generous koha, lots of DVD sales (with more coming via Internet), choice beer, camaraderie. What more could one want?".