The Effect on the New Zealand Society
Conscientious Objection had a large effect on the New Zealand society, because it sparked ideas and outrage, that war may actually be morally wrong.
For those who objected to compulsory military training, there was a first sentence of 28 days detention, followed by 84 days in civil prison, this number was later extended to 111 days, and even later 11 to 12 months. When it was found that deportation would not break the conscientious objectors, a sentence of two years hard labour was inflicted. When at trial conscientious objectors had no rights, and the trial sentence was made up before the trial had even started, one conscientious objector said this “ but in your own mind you know that the sentence is two years”, that same conscientious objector was sentenced to two years hard labour
For the families and friends of the conscientious objectors it was very hard
The fourteen conscientious objectors sent to Europe families had no idea that their loved ones had been sent overseas to fight without even being able to say goodbye. A mother of one of the 14 men taken away told “the worker” the events when her son was taken away, the reporter of the story recalled her pain as “the sobs welled from the depths of a mother’s broken heart”. Mother’s father’s sisters and brothers of the men deported believed that they were destined to never see their loved ones again. The minister of defence said that part of all members of parliament’s duties was to be an enforcer, the government published wanted lists and it was circulated around to all Members of Parliament.
Hundreds of conscientious objectors fled to hills or left to overseas. These men had a very difficult time bracing the elements while up in the hills, torrential rain flooded dug outs, and bush fires caused many people to flee from the refuges. People in town were also being hunted down by detectives and they were being tracked through the hills by undercover police officers. The wives and mothers were the people who suffered the most. Women’s whose husbands were imprisoned had to raise the children and work at the same time, mainly working as nurses, teachers, factory workers, waitresses and domestic servants. They worked to provide a reasonable life for their family and children. A wife whose husband was a wanted conscientious objector woke up on several occasions in the middle of the night with plain clothed police officer on her family property, looking to see if her husband was home. Another example of the consequences of living with a conscientious objector was when an objector was hiding in the hills and his mother became sick and died, arranged for a friend to perform certain rights for his mother on his behalf. The friend was seized by the police, who planned an ambush on the son who would come home to say his final farewell to his mother.