0 Comments
10 March 2010
John Key statement on whaling
Thanks for your comments on the whaling debate. I want to make a couple of things clear.
New Zealand is anti-whaling. That is why we are working hard at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for a diplomatic solution.
The Government is participating in the negotiations at the IWC because we believe it offers the best prospect for bringing whaling under international control and substantially reducing the number of whales killed. During the previous 20 years, whaling quotas have increased ten fold, from 300 in 1990 to 3,000 for 2010. The current system is not working.
New Zealand has not endorsed any particular proposal. The mandate of the New Zealand delegation at the IWC participating in the negotiations is to see if they can find a diplomatic solution that the New Zealand Government and people of New Zealand can consider.
If the diplomatic solution fails and talks break down, then New Zealand will have to consider if it wants to join Australia in any legal action that might be taken, and that decision will be made in due course. However, at this point New Zealand is still working through the meetings that are taking place at the IWC.
Here are a couple of interesting comments on the whaling negotiations:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10631021
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/editorials/3420779/Editorial-Stop-the-slaughter-any-way-that-works
New Zealand is anti-whaling. That is why we are working hard at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for a diplomatic solution.
The Government is participating in the negotiations at the IWC because we believe it offers the best prospect for bringing whaling under international control and substantially reducing the number of whales killed. During the previous 20 years, whaling quotas have increased ten fold, from 300 in 1990 to 3,000 for 2010. The current system is not working.
New Zealand has not endorsed any particular proposal. The mandate of the New Zealand delegation at the IWC participating in the negotiations is to see if they can find a diplomatic solution that the New Zealand Government and people of New Zealand can consider.
If the diplomatic solution fails and talks break down, then New Zealand will have to consider if it wants to join Australia in any legal action that might be taken, and that decision will be made in due course. However, at this point New Zealand is still working through the meetings that are taking place at the IWC.
Here are a couple of interesting comments on the whaling negotiations:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10631021
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/editorials/3420779/Editorial-Stop-the-slaughter-any-way-that-works
