Conserving whales: a challenge for the 21st century
Humpback whale off the Coromandel
coast of New Zealand
During the 1970s, the IWC changed its focus as more member States dropped out of whaling. Increasingly it was a voice against the continued destruction of the world's dwindling stocks of whales. New Zealand also followed this path, which was and continues to be directed by strong public opinion. Polls indicate that more than 90 percent of New Zealanders are opposed to commercial whaling. Public pressure played a major role in New Zealand's decision to rejoin the IWC in 1976. Since then, New Zealand's position at the IWC has been to advocate whale conservation, on the basis of science, international law and policy.