You can't save whales by killing them

John Key’s Government has the opportunity this week to show courage and defend existing whaling law, the Green Party said today.

“Today, the International Whaling Commission talks in Morocco start in earnest. New Zealanders wait in angst as our Government has its final chance to show us whether it will conserve whales or conserve commercial whaling,” said Green Party oceans spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

“The Whaling Commission has been brave looking at how it can best work recently, but the lack of diplomatic gains in this process show that we must hold fast to the international law that has already been created.

“We are yet to see whether the whales’ greatest defence in international law - our Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the Moratorium on Commercial Whaling - will be fought for tooth and nail as the bottom line to the negotiations,” said Mr Hughes.

The Australian Government has initiated proceedings to take Japan to the International Court of Justice to stop Japanese commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean.

“John Key can join the court case instead of trying to cut a deal that rewards Japan’s illegal actions,” said Mr Hughes. “You can’t save whales by killing them. The appeasement plan is a mistake. Court action is a better option that makes clear to the world where we stand.”

“New Zealanders will be watching our Government this week. We will soon learn whether our Government will stand up for our wishes, or kowtow to Tokyo,” said Mr Hughes.