Foreign Minister Murray McCully has welcomed the International Whaling Commission’s passing of a New Zealand resolution enshrining the International Court of Justice’s decision on Japanese whaling.

“New Zealand wanted to make sure the Whaling Commission had rules in place that reflected the Court’s clear guidance on what constitutes scientific whaling,” Mr McCully says.

“In March, the International Court of Justice found that Japan’s JARPA II whaling programme was not for the purposes of scientific research and must cease.

“While New Zealand considers that there is no need for any scientific whaling to take place, the new resolution means future scientific whaling programmes must take the Court’s decision into account and meet the high standards set out by the Court.

“We hope that Japan will reflect seriously on this clear message from the international community on Southern Ocean whaling,” Mr McCully says.