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A Japanese whaler is being kept under tight security at Wellington Hospital amid concerns for his safety.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter, who yesterday revealed New Zealand helped get the crew member of the Japanese whaling fleet medical assistance, said care was being taken to keep the man's identity secret.
"There were issues around his arrival, of course security issues, we're conscious that his privacy will need to be respected," he told Radio New Zealand.
"There are people who feel very passionately - I'm one of them I guess - against Japanese whaling. New Zealand's taken a very strong stand on it."
Mr Carter said the Japanese Embassy was kept in the loop.
"There were issues around the sensitivity and security and secrecy of his arrival so it required some dialogue with the Japanese Embassy but in the end they asked and we agreed."
Mr Carter said the man suffered from a serious condition and an on-board doctor said he needed to be hospitalised.
He was receiving treatment and was reported to be in a stable condition.
The whaling boat was not allowed to enter New Zealand waters and the man was taken ashore by helicopter.
"We made it clear to the Japanese their ship was not welcome in our harbour and we wouldn't of course supply anything in the way of materials to the ship and the Japanese would need to fly the crew member by helicopter from outside the 12 mile territorial limit," Mr Carter said.
Negotiations about how to get the man ashore were conducted while the whaling vessel travelled up from the Southern Ocean and did not delay his receiving treatment.
"He's arrived as soon as he could have."
Mr Carter said while New Zealand opposed whaling it had a duty to help those in need in the Southern Ocean.
"New Zealand was the closest and of course we are also responsible for search and rescue in the Southern Ocean so a whaler has arrived at (one of) our hospital which is something we weren't anticipating but in the end you've got to help a sick person if they are in a critical condition."
Under the international law of the sea New Zealand had to help a ship operating in an area of sea where New Zealand has responsibility for search and rescue.
All the costs of the crew member's transport and treatment will be paid for by Japan.
"I stress again that New Zealand's opposition to whaling is unchanged. There is no need to kill whales in order to study them. New Zealand will continue to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on Japan encouraging it to drop its scientific whaling programme," Mr Carter said.
"We have helped in this case because that is the Kiwi way."
Recently Mr Carter released footage of the Japanese fleet in the Ross Sea harpooning, hauling and processing whales and the man was from the same fleet.
Mr Carter refused to give the location of the Japanese fleet to the Sea Shepherd protest ships.
A global moratorium on commercial whaling has existed since 1986, but Japan kills hundreds of whales each year under a scientific whaling programme. Iceland and Norway are the only countries to ignore the moratorium and conduct commercial hunts.
Japan has called a special meeting of members of the International Whaling Commission this month in an attempt to help lift the whaling moratorium, but 26 anti-whaling nations have said they will boycott the meeting.
- NZPA
