Conflict looms over Labour’s whaling policy

National’s Conservation spokesman, Simon Power, says there is a problem looming for Labour because the man picked by many to be their next leader does not agree with their stance on maintaining the moratorium on whaling.

“Shane Jones told the New Zealand Herald in his capacity as Waitangi Fisheries Commission chairman that the Green movement’s ‘disgust’ over commercial whaling was a Pakeha perspective only.

“He has also said Maori want sustainable management, not conservation, of whales and that they want to use sustainable harvest methods on albatrosses, muttonbirds, godwits and penguins.

“This is very much at odds with the Labour’s stance, and Mr Jones is clearly putting his future colleagues in the House in some difficulty,” Mr Power says.

“Labour claims he made his comments before he became a Labour candidate, so do we now take it that Mr Jones will back away from his earlier statements now that he is a candidate, or will Labour quietly shelve the issue and hope no one will notice?”

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