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Anti-whaling groups have reacted cautiously to a report that the New Zealand Government is backing down on the need to use the Air Force to monitor the Japanese whaling fleet.
Greenpeace, which is not sending a fleet to confront the Japanese this season, said it wanted to know what New Zealand was planning.
"There is a number of ways they can put pressure on Japan, and that includes diplomatic political pressure and exposing what they [the Japanese] are doing in the Southern Ocean," said Greenpeace oceans campaigner Karli Thomas.
"We would like to see a concrete plan and an assurance that the Government is going to take strong action."
During the last whaling season, National Party defence spokesman Wayne Mapp called on the then Labour Government to increase the pressure on Japan by sending an Orion aircraft to monitor the whaling fleet.
"It's all very well as a nation we are strong in our condemnation of whaling, but we must put our money where our mouth is," the Dominion Post reported him as saying.
But since becoming Defence Minister following National's election win this month, Dr Mapp appears to have changed his position.
"Obviously we need to know what is happening down there, but at this stage it's unlikely we will use the Air Force. I'm not really sure what we will be doing," he said.
Australia will not be sending a ship to monitor this year's whale hunt because the Japanese are expected to operate mainly in New Zealand waters.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson said he was neither surprised nor disappointed at Dr Mapp's apparent backdown.
"That is the nature of politics. Oppositions are always outspoken," Mr Watson said.
"Look at [Australian Environment Minister] Peter Garrett. In September last year he accused the Howard Government of being extremely timid and being all talk and no action, now it turns out he may as well have been speaking of himself."
A spokesman for Dr Mapp could not be contacted yesterday for comment.
- AAP