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NZ joins anti-whaling court case

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NZ joins anti-whaling court case

3News NZ

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand has worked hard with Japan to try and end its whaling programme (file)

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says New Zealand has worked hard with Japan to try and end its whaling programme (file)

The Government has decided to have its say in the International Court of Justice case Australia has brought against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the process is called an intervention, which allows a non-party to the case to put its legal views before the court.

He says New Zealand has worked hard with Japan over three years to try to find a permanent solution to whaling in the Southern Ocean and he's "disappointed" the issue now has to be pursued in the International Court of Justice.

"I do not intend to comment any further on our intervention at this stage as the matter is now before the court," he said on Friday.

"The Government will continue to use all avenues possible to try to bring a halt to Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean."

Australia brought the action before the court in 2010, questioning the validity of Japan's so-called "scientific" whaling programme in the Southern Ocean.

The Government decided in principle in December 2010 to intervene in the case, and this week lodged its intervention.

NZN

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Comments

24/11/2012 2:18:21 p.m.

DA wrote:

More like the Govt should be spending it on things that will help create more well paying jobs for parents. Not spoon feeding childrens, thats for the parents to do.

23/11/2012 8:40:58 p.m.

brian wrote:

I agree with you Rydohei. That money could be better spent else where. like feeding our children.

23/11/2012 7:34:10 p.m.

Ruz wrote:

The court action may not be useless. It has to be presumed that the case being taken by the Australians with NZ joining in is based on legal advice that the international court could potentially rule against whaling. Japan has also claimed that its whaling is for research and that agreements which allow it to take whales in "international" waters are for this purpose. Of course that is an absolute lie and perhaps the interntional court case will show this.

23/11/2012 6:05:36 p.m.

Rob Edward wrote:

RYOHEI UCHIDA. NZ will pursue the halting of the needless and immoral slaughter of Whales by the Japanese so long as they continue to do it. The case against Japans Whaling does not need to have a high chance of success for it to be worthwhile. Japan brings much shame upon it's citizens by continuing to act in a dishonorable manner.

23/11/2012 6:03:32 p.m.

Katrina wrote:

It is illegal Ryohei, what research could they possibly be doing that requires the slaughter of so many whales? They are being killed for their meat, that is not research.

23/11/2012 5:31:47 p.m.

David wrote:

@Ryohei Uchida - Whaling is not legal at all. And neither is Japan's claim to the Diaoyu Islands.

23/11/2012 4:16:47 p.m.

Ryohei Uchida wrote:

What a waste of time and money.

Internal Australian diplomatic communiques released by Wikileaks show that Australian authorities recognised that their legal case was fruitless. There is no chance of its case succeeding and there never was, mainly because Japanese whaling is entirely legal. It was only ever a cheap stunt aimed at domestic political audiences.

So why New Zealand would squander financial and diplomatic resources on this nonense is beyond me.