New Zealand in the International Whaling Commission: the pursuit of a small state's foreign policy objectives in a multilateral environment

Abstract

At an international level, New Zealand exists as a small state in an increasingly interdependent world. An early consequence of this interdependence was the flourishing of multilateralism in the wake of the Second World War. The impulse towards multilateralism was in part a reaction against the pre-war organisation of world affairs, which in effect enabled the domination of the small and the weak by the powerful. The governments of many small states, including that of New Zealand, and of many recently decolonised or 'liberated' states, quickly appreciated how multilateralism could enhance their influence internationally, particularly in cooperative decision-making. Numerous multilateral organisations were established to manage a gamut of post-war world issues, initially predominantly in the economic realm. An early (and extant) example of such an organisation is the International Whaling Commission (IWC), established by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) in 1946. This organisation's raison d'etre was to manage the conservation and utilisation aspects of the whaling industry, then viewed exclusively as an economic concern. By 1946, New Zealand's whaling industry only contributed in a minor way to the national economy, but it had an unknown potential for growth in the future. The industry itself only had a future, however, if it could withstand competition from foreign pelagic ('high seas') whalers for the depleting 'common property' resource. It was believed by the Labour Government that it was clearly in New Zealand's interests to join the IWC in order to protect the local industry, and to this end it adopted a strictly conservationist position (in relation to its own interests). New Zealand was thus one of the original 15 signatory states of the ICRW. More generally, the accession of New Zealand to the ICRW reflected the Government's commitment to multilateralism in principle, and to the process of international decision-making through multilateral organisations. In 1996, New Zealand, no longer a whaling nation, remains a member of the IWC, and pursues policies significantly different (although not entirely so) from those of the 1940's. Whaling ended in New Zealand in 1964. A period of non-membership followed from 1969. Pressure from environmentalist groups galvanised the Government to reaccede to the ICRW in 1976. In the 50 years since it joined the IWC, New Zealand's position has moved from viewing the Commission as a vehicle to protect its economic interests (that is, to conserve its whaling industry), to using the organisation as a forum in which to project and promote certain national values (the preservation of cetaceans, particularly whales). The transition from one definition of national interest to the other has been intimately associated with a revolution in the way many New Zealanders regard their environment. This thesis examines how this revolution in attitude, which has occurred in many countries, has affected the development of New Zealand's whaling policy from 1946 up to the present day, and how it is that one multilateral organisation continues to be the relevant forum in which to conduct the debate, despite this shift in attitudes. National values may be given expression with relative ease internally. Projecting, promoting and protecting these values externally is another matter. Multilateral decision-making inevitably involves negotiation, bargaining and compromise between participants' interests. A myriad of factors affect the amount of compromising a state may have to make, including the nature of the organisation itself, the power dynamics within it, and the modus operandi agreed to by members. This thesis considers how the ICRW and the IWC have, over time, impeded and/or facilitated the successful achievement of New Zealand's objectives. The thesis also examines how and why the IWC in practice has departed from the generalised principles of multilateralism identified by international relations theorists. Finally, the thesis considers the tensions generated between New Zealand's 'most preferred outcome' in the whaling debate and the IWC's brief, and the risks facing the achievement of this outcome through this agency. It discusses why, in spite of these risks and tensions, and despite the fact that New Zealand considers that the framework within which the debate is carried out is flawed, it continues to recognise the relevancy and authority of this multilateral organisation.