NZ’s rep – beached as bro
The National-led Government is declaring its true environmental colours and green seems to be missing from the palette.
Over the last few months it has revealed a pro-mining mindset, it’s looking to increase the quota on our critically endangered southern blue fin tuna and now it’s advocating a deal that would allow a return to commercial whaling.
Last weekend former NZ Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer tried to broker a deal at a meeting of a small working group of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which would allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to openly hunt whales including in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. A final decision is expected in June.
The Government argues that a deal would reduce the overall number of whales killed each year. But what about the future? If, with one stroke of a pen, commercial whaling is legitimised, hunting in internationally-agreed whale sanctuaries given the green light and trade in whale meat allowed, we will have taken one step forward and three steps back.
Meanwhile, the Australian Government is standing firm and taking the sort of no-nonsense stance we once associated with being Kiwi. It says whaling in the Southern Ocean must stop within five years. It’s also threatening to take Japan to the International Court of Justice to force the issue if diplomacy fails.
The future of the world’s whales hangs in the balance and two of the most important measures to protect them – the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling and the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary – are under serious threat.
Not only is our Government supporting the wrong team – it’s playing a dangerous game with our national identity. New Zealand is synonymous with the anti-whaling movement. Our history has been forged on our strong conservation values. We’ve stood up and said “no” to nuclear ships entering our harbours. We’ve promoted peace instead of war. Our clean, green reputation is not just an international selling point but a reflection of how we see ourselves and the values we ascribe to.
That image is being distorted here and overseas by a Government mentality which is still stuck in the 19th century, a time when many of the problems we are now facing first started. Surely, on the issue of whaling Kiwis will not allow this to continue.
Take action here to protest NZ’s support of commercial whaling!
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How about we petition the government to ask the population of NZ how we feel?
I think they’ll find they no longer represent even a small portion of us!
And I am actually siding with Australia over our own!!!!!!
We’ve created an online action for you to send a message to Prime Minister John Key here: http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/action/IWC/action.asp