The attack on and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior ended up being a shame for the French Government as well as a blight on the history of good connections between the nations of New Zealand (NZ) and France. In 1985 NZ was one of the global leaders in the anti-nuclear movement at a time when France was still testing nuclear weapons in the pacific, NZ's region. This has been regarded back then as a source of shame to the French . Right before midnight on the night of 10 July 1985, 2 blasts blew holes through the hull of Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior, which was moored at Marsden Wharf in Auckland harbour in NZ. That was just before she was on her way to a demonstration against a planned French atomic test at Moruroa in the Pacific. A Portuguese national and team member, Fernando Pereira, was murdered by the bombs and the Rainbow Warrior sunk in the Auckland harbour. All the other crew members ended up safely rescued. The ship was associated with various protest actions about French nuclear testing in the Pacific ocean from its base in Auckland, NZ.

On the 24th of July 2 French secret service agents, Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur, were caught in north of Auckland, NZ and had been charged with homicide. They subsequently pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 yrs jail time, significantly to the considerable shame from the French government. There was an unidentified number of other agents pretending to be travelers associated who ended up capable of depart the country prior to being caught. That this bombing had been perpetuated on NZ land by another country which was meant to be friendly led to a feeling of appreciable outrage and a considerable decline in relationships between NZ and France. The French in the beginning denied having any involvement with the bombings, however the fact was later revealed by the Le Monde newspapers, saying that the bombing had been authorized by the French President. The French Prime Minister later on confessed their contribution. Quite a few politicians, such as then NZ Prime Minister David Lange, called the bombing as an act of terrorism or even state-sponsored terrorism. This resulted in trade troubles for NZ goods being exported to the European Union with interference in that from French officials. Twelve months after the bombing the United Nations Secretary Javier Perez de Cuellar announced a binding determination by which that New Zealand will receive an apology and also payment of $13 million from the French govt. France was also ordered not to hinder New Zealand’s trade negotiations. The agents from France Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart were to serve their manslaughter sentences entirely on Hao Atoll in French Polynesia islands. Nevertheless, both of them were discharged early on with Alain Marfart being sent back to France as a consequence of an alleged condition in 1987 and Prieur was sent back in May 1988 because she ended up being pregnant. Both of them were honored and promoted upon their return home to France. This created outrage in New Zealand. France also paid out $8 million to Greenpeace for damages which they used to finance a replacement for the Rainbow Warrior. It in addition paid for a settlement for the Pereira family members.