Japan has advised the International Whaling Commission it will resume whaling in the Southern Ocean but has reduced its intended take.

The New Zealand Government has hit out at Japan's decision to resume Southern Ocean whaling - a move which defies the International Whaling Commission.

A minke whale that beached itself on an Auckland beach yesterday does not appear to have re-stranded today.

A video posted by explore.org, a multimedia wing of the philanthropic Annenberg Foundation dedicated to documenting wildlife, shows belugas approaching a boat while a cellist on board plays The Beatles. The scene was captured by explore.org's Beluga Boat Cam, a project that broadcasts beluga sightings underwater and on deck. Source: explore.org /Facebook

A whale has been basking close to shore at Auckland's waterfront.

Baby orca J50 leaps out of the waters of Haro Strait between islands in British Columbia and America's Washington state, seemingly with a large stretch of water to itself.

This year’s Cook Strait Whale Survey counted 137 humpback whales, its highest tally in its 12 years and an encouraging indication their numbers are increasing in New Zealand. The annual four-week Department of Conservation survey, which ended on July 11, also broke its record for the highest number of humpbacks seen in a day with 27 spotted on Sunday June 21.

Hundreds of scientists have rallied against a new Japanese proposal to kill whales in the name of research — a plan one New Zealand marine biologist calls whaling in disguise.

Centuries of over-exploitation of whales for their meat and blubber has seen populations of most species plummet. But with no small amount of irony, the tables have turned with research discovering that we need whales for a healthy marine ecosystem.

To mark the start of Japan's whaling season, workers in the coastal town of Minamiboso carved up one of the animals before a crowd of school children.

One of the rarest and best-loved whales in the world has been spotted off the coast of Australia, in what is believed to be the first sighting of the year.

A long weekend away turned out to be better than expected for one Auckland family who got up close and personal with orca whales near Kawau Island.

A long weekend away turned out to be better than expected for Andrea Hegan, who paddled alongside a number of orca whales near Kawau Island on Sunday.

Murray McCully is warning against indulging in "triumphalism". He fears that if we denigrate the Japanese, this will hurt their national pride, writes Brian Rudman.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says government and activists should not be gloating about a court decision to halt Japan's whaling programme.

Not too much was expected when Australia went to the International Court of Justice seeking to end Japanese whale hunting in the Southern Ocean.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully warned against gloating about Japan's defeat this morning.

The anti-whaling ship Bob Barker has docked in Wellington harbour.

Attempts to help a 4m-long pilot whale which tried to beach itself at Kaka Point last night failed, with the whale eventually left to die on the rocks.

A Japanese whaling vessel reportedly tailed an anti-whaling ship close to Otago's coastline - inside New Zealand's exclusive economic zone - against the wishes of the NZ Government.

A Japanese whaling ship is reported to have tailed an anti-whaling ship into waters off Otago against the wishes of the NZ Govt, which labelled the move 'disrespectful'.

A book about ambergris has created a s***storm in the South, with some Stewart Islanders unhappy their spot has been outed as a lucrative place to find sperm whale poo.