On 8 June 1987, the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act received royal assent, making New Zealand officially nuclear-free by law. The Act banned nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered vessels from New Zealand's ports and waters, a bold stance that effectively suspended New Zealand from the ANZUS alliance with the United States. It remains one of New Zealand's most defining pieces of legislation, reflecting the country's independent foreign policy and its enduring identity as a peaceful, nuclear-free nation.