July 1984 saw the New Zealand Labour Party sweeping to power with their strong anti-nuclear policies. Many supporters of the Labour Government asserted that the party had been elected to make New Zealand nuclear free. They promised to declare New Zealand nuclear free and work actively for a nuclear weapons free zone in the South Pacific. This was a popular stand, and by the end of the year nearly 40 towns and boroughs had declared themselves nuclear free. In February 1985, the Lange Government rejected the arrival of the USS Buchanan ship. The Reagan Administration retaliated by taking strong punitive action against New Zealand. They terminated intelligence flows and military ties with New Zealand. Despite this, the Lange government remained committed to their anti-nuclear policy. David Lange stated that if the security alliance was the price New Zealand must pay to remain nuclear-free, ‘it is the price we are prepared to pay’. The Labour Government’s asserted New Zealand’s independence and passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987.