United Future

Posted at 2007-12-20 09:23:47.983. Permalink.

One of the things that amuses me about this campaign is the DominionPost's claim of ownership of it. As far as I can remember, New Zealand and New Zealanders have been strong advocates of a ban on commercial whaling since the 1960s. and quite properly so. Japan's persistence in attempting to overturn the ban or snub its nose at the international community's abhorrencee of whaling is not new either. So it is a little surprising to see the DominionPost leaping on the bandwagon at this stage. It reminds me of similar campaings they have run in the past: their "Why are we Waiting?" campaign for Transmission Gully which fizzled when they became the mouthpiece for Mayor Kerry Prendergast who oppooses it, and their "Hospital in Crisis" which petered out once it wasd revealed Wellington Hospital really was in crisis. Both those campaigns were more about boosting circulation than the issues themselves. I have the feeling this campaign may be just one more stunt like the others. After all, it is surely a little back to front to hail the PM's support of the petition as "backing the DominionPost's campaign" when every New Zealand PM since Holyoake in the 1960s has had a similar position on whaling!

Posted at 2007-12-26 19:16:41.981. Permalink.

On Wednesday 19th December, the Dominion Post featured a front-page article entitled "Let Them Live" that stated, "Since politeness has proved ineffective, it is time for a little rude protest."

The Dominion Post's anti-whaling campaign is misdirected. The Japanese are very proud and, like most proud civilisations, resent being told what they can and cannot do. Delivering petitions and letters of protest to the Japanese ambassador in the way advocated by editor Tim Pankhurst is therefore likely to be wasted effort.

The Japanese seem to believe that they have a legitimate, cultural right to exploit the world's marine resources in what we consider to be a cavalier manner that ignores important principles of sustainability. They, and other like-minded countries, are unlikely to change their ways unless pressured to do so by public opinion within their own national borders.

We need to adopt an aggressive new strategy that focuses on educating the public within these countries about the barbarous nature of whaling and the enormous damage being done to the world's marine ecosystems by pollution and irresponsible fishing practices. A good example of this approach is Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, which has had a significant impact on world opinion. It has helped to create an unstoppable momentum to find solutions to the problems associated with climate change.

Concerned governments such as those of New Zealand and Australia should join forces with other interested national (e.g. the Dominion Post) and international organisations to mount a concerted educational campaign in Japan. This could be done through quality TV documentaries, eye-catching advertisements in major newspapers and magazines, books, web sites and any other avenues of communication that might influence public opinion.

I suspect that very few Japanese really understand what is going on in the world's seas and oceans because their society is not really interested in discussing the matter. This state of ignorance is reinforced by the fact that the vast majority of Japanese are monolingual and so tend to have a superficial knowledge of debates that go on in other countries. Communication is therefore the name of the game. The Japanese would certainly begin to change their behaviour if spoken to respectfully in their own country and in their own language.

United Future might consider adopting this approach as a policy for the 2008 election campaign.

Posted at 2008-03-25 01:07:57.82. Permalink.

Last week, New Zealand's whaling commissioner, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, stated that:

the international public outcry over Japan's "scientific whaling" may have induced a sea-change in Japan's hardline attitude.

He was optimistic that the IWC would now make good progress in closing a loophole in the 1986 whaling moratorium that allows Japan to kill whales for "lethal research".

Also in the headlines during the last few days was news that the Dominion Post editor, Tim Pankhurst, was barred by a security guard from entering the Japanese embassy to present the Dominion Post's anti-whaling petition. He was told to send it by post.

The Dominion Post's tactics have not been well thought out. It would make a more constructive contribution to a whole raft of issues if it concentrated on doing what the fourth estate does best, i.e. promoting organisations that already command national and international respect for their expertise on particular issues of concern. For example, we have, with respect to whaling, Greenpeace, the Whale Conservation Institute, and the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust. Some of these organisations are not known by the general public, and this limits their influence.

If the Dominion Post is genuinely concerned about the plight of the world's wildlife then it should consider promoting the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). This organisation promotes the concept of animal welfare in regions of the world where there are few, if any, measures to protect animals. It helped force whale welfare onto the agenda at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), and its member societies in pro-whaling countries are campaigning openly against whaling on welfare grounds. But that is not all, it is also playing a leading role in ending bear baiting contests in Pakistan and the reprehensible bear farms of China. The list goes on.

It would be unwise for such organisations to identify themselves too closely with particular political parties. However, there is much that politicians can do to help them without compromising their political neutrality. UnitedFUTURE's success in removing the cap on tax rebates for charitable donations is a very powerful example. What is needed now is for the news media to increase public awareness of the work these organisations do.