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Peter Wills collection of Scientists Against Nuclear Arms New Zealand (SANA) records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS -Archives-2021/10

Content Description

This collection contains: SANA submissions to select committees; correspondence; newsletters; pamphlets; and third-party materials from environmental and protest groups collected by Peter Wills. Most of the materials relate to the Auckland SANA branch. Also included in the collection are documents relating to visits to Moscow in 1986 and 1987 by Peter Wills representing SANA at international symposia of scientists and academics researching nuclear issues. This collection also includes materials from the Centre of Peace Studies, which was established in 1988 and hosted by the University of Auckland’s Department of Physics.

Dates

  • 1978 - 2002
  • Majority of material found within 1983 - 1996

Conditions Governing Access

Not restricted.

Biographical / Historical

Scientists Against Nuclear Arms (SANA) campaigned against nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, especially in the Pacific region, during the 1980s and 1990s. Associate Professor Peter Wills was a principal organiser of the New Zealand and Auckland SANA branches.

Wills was a lecturer in Physio-Chemistry with the University of Auckland’s Department of Physics from 1981 until his retirement in 2021. He was a high profile public intellectual, commentating on issues such as weapons of mass destruction and the pharmaceutical and agricultural applications of genetic engineering.

Extent

1.5 metres (3 cartons)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Peter Wills’ arrangement and folder titles has been retained where possible. File titles are derived from an initial listing completed when the bulk of the SANA papers were deposited with Alexander Turnbull Library in August 2014.

Physical Location

In off-site storage. Expect delay of 12-24 hours from time of order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection donated by Peter Wills in July 2021.

Related Materials

Scientists Against Nuclear Arms (N.Z.) Records MS-Group-2372, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.

Title
Inventory of the Scientists Against Nuclear Arms New Zealand (SANA) records collected by Peter Wills
Author
Ian Brailsford
Date
March 2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections, University of Auckland Repository

Contact:
5 Alfred Street
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142 New Zealand