Owen Ronald Wilkes (1940 – 12 May 2005) was a

peace campaigner A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...

and the founder of the

Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) is a research and lobbying organisation combatting what it considers the sell-out of New Zealand companies and assets to overseas interests. The organisation evolved from the then-named Camp ...

and the

Anti-Bases Campaign Anti-Bases Campaign is an organisation campaigning to remove foreign military bases and intelligence installations from New Zealand, and to dismantle the Government Communications Security Bureau. The group organises regular protests at the Gover ...

, who was given a suspended prison sentence for espionage in Norway (the Wilkes/Gleditsch trial).

Early life

The son of a grocer, Wilkes grew up in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, attending

Christchurch West High School Christchurch West High School (originally Christchurch Academy then High School of Christchurch and then West Christchurch Borough School) existed prior to 1966 on the site of Hagley College in Hagley Avenue, in Christchurch, New Zealand. In that ...

and

Canterbury University The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

. He worked as a field assistant for the Bishop Museum of Hawaii, on expeditions to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

and the

Kermadec Islands The Kermadec Islands ( mi, Rangitāhua) are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga. The islands are part of New Zealand. They are in total are ...

. He worked on archaeological digs led by ethnologist Roger Duff.

Peace campaigning

He became politicised in the

anti-war movement An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to ...

, which led to invitations to work for the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo and the

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well a ...

. These activities led to the 1982 Wilkes/Gleditsch trial in Norway for compiling materials from open sources into materials judged to reveal national secrets. Wilkes received a suspended prison sentence, as well as a fine. On his return to New Zealand from Norway after the trial, he found his

Punakaiki Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...

house had been pulled down for being erected without a permit. After Wilkes took up

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...

near

Karamea Karamea is a town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located northeast by road from Westport. Apart from a narrow coastal strip, the town of Karam ...

in 1983, it was discovered that

Customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

was cooperating with the SIS to monitor his international mail. Nothing threatening national security was ever found. Wilkes was highly visible in New Zealand in the 1970s and '80s as the public face of the peace movement. He campaigned against installations at

Black Birch Black birch is a common name for several trees, and may refer to: * Asian black birch, the English name for '' Betula dahurica'', tree species native to eastern Asia * Black birch, a common name for ''Betula lenta'', tree species native to eastern ...

, Mt John and

Tangimoana Tangimoana is a community in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It had a population of 303 permanent residents in 2018. It is located 15 kilometres southwest of Bulls, and 30 kilometres west of Palmerston North. Th ...

in New Zealand; and links between the New Zealand military and foreign powers.

Later life

In 1990 his only child Koa committed suicide while living in Christchurch, contributing to his retirement to Kawhia. After his retirement from the peace movement, he was active in the

New Zealand Archaeological Association New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Having suffered bouts of depression all his life, he died by gassing himself in his car on 12 May 2005. He is commemorated by a park bench in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

facing the

Heathcote River Heathcote may refer to: Places in Australia *Heathcote, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney **Electoral district of Heathcote, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly **Heathcote National Park ** Parish of Heathcote a parish of Cumberla ...

, near where he grew up.

Publications

*''Loran-C and Omega. A Study of the Military Importance of Radio Navigation Aids.'' (1987) Co-authored by N.P.Gleditsch *
The first New Zealand whole earth catalogue
' (1972) Edited by Owen Wilkes et al. *
A checklist of U.S. military research projects and installations in New Zealand
' (1971) Owen Wilkes. ;Norwegian *''Onkel Sams kaniner – teknisk etterretning i Norge'' (1981) Co-authored by N.P.Gleditsch ;Archaeology *1959 Wairau Bar. New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 3(l):3-4. *1960 Site survey of west Nelson. New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 4(1):22-31. *1962 Notes from Canterbury. New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 5(2):110-111. *1964 Further work at South Bay. New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 1(3):129-132,128. *1995 Site recording, site types and site distribution on the King Country coastline. Archaeology in New Zealand 38(4): 236–256. *1996 Review of F.L. Philips, Nga Tohu a Tainui: Landmarks of Tainui, Vol.2. Tohu Publishers, Otorohonga, 1995. Archaeology in New Zealand 39(2): 149–152. *1997a The Waikato site file: A stocktaking. Archaeology in New Zealand 40(1):33-39. *1997b. Archaeology in the Waikato: Some history. Archaeology in New Zealand, 40(2):143-158. *1998 Another look at stone structures near Mount Karioi. Archaeology in New Zealand 41(1): 65–74. *2000a. Excavation of a pa, R14/52 near Raglan: A Belated Report. Archaeology in New Zealand 43(1): 49–72. *2002b. Were moas really hunted to extinction in less than 100 years? Archaeology in New Zealand 43 (2): 112–120.

References

External links