Despite overwhelming opposition to nuclear energy, there was some initial enthusiasm towards the prospect. There was some initial positivity towards the prospect of nuclear power,
where it was hoped that the use of nuclear power could “revolutionise the
world’s industrial process” according to Prime Minister Sidney Holland. The
efficiency of nuclear power, where large amounts of energy can be harnessed
from small particles, was very appealing, where
maximisation of profits was a possibility. In New Zealand this enthusiasm came
about when there was Uranium, a common nuclear fuel, discovered on the West
Coast. This only heightened the optimism that surrounded the use of nuclear
energy for electricity, cars and possibly planes. New Zealand engineers were
sent abroad to gain knowledge and training on how nuclear power may eventually be implemented. Thus although there was significant opposition to the movement during
the late 1960s and the following decades, there was some early enthusiasm surrounding the prospect
of using nuclear power.