New Zealand won't join in Australian court action over Japanese whaling but will have input into the case.

Herald political columnist John Armstrong reports from Apec, where Prime Minister John Key has warned of the possibility of imminent "currency wars" if trade imbalances are not dealt with.

John Key has told his Japanese hosts at Apec that NZ only wants Japan at talks on a regional free trade agreement if agriculture is on the table.

Sapporo, the capital of Japan's second largest and northernmost island, is turned into a crystalline winter wonderland during Yuki Matsuri.

After 18 years of debate and two weeks of talks delegates from 190 countries have agreed on a treaty to halt the mass extinction of species.

What happens if two countries cannot agree on the appropriate value for their mutual exchange rate? All sorts of accusations start to fly around.

Pete Bethune has alleged Sea Shepherd ordered him to scuttle the Ady Gil after its collision with a Japanese whaling vessel.

The New Zealand dollar is nearing 75 US cents after share markets around the world rallied overnight.