Japanese whalers process a whale onboard the Yushin Maru in the Southern Ocean. (Photo courtesy of Greenpeace)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By the PMC News Desk.

UPDATED: The New Zealand government is in retreat over its controversial commercial whaling policy. Its delegat to the International Whaling Commission, Sir Geoffrey Palmer admitted Thursday that he is struggling to get international support for NZ’s capped-commercial-whaling plan.

At a joint meeting, NZ’s foreign minister Murray McCully also sought alternative ideas, adding that he understood “the symbolism” of a categorical no-commercial whaling plan. Read more »

Press Release:
Niwa.

A New Zealand great white shark has set a world record for the deepest ever known dive of 1200 metres.

“A big shark called ‘Shack’, the biggest shark we have tagged, at 4.8 metres, has set the world’s deepest great white shark dive record,” says NIWA Principal Scientist, Malcolm Francis. “And he made several other very deep dive records between 1000 and 1200 metres while crossing the ocean. Prior to this, we had recorded several at around 1000 metres, so it’s quite a substantial extension.” Read more »

Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force

Royal New Zealand Navy Frigate HMNZS TE KAHA and Fleet Tanker HMNZS ENDEAVOUR will depart over the coming week on a four month deployment to Asia, Canada, and North America. Read more »

Press Release – United Nations

The El Niño weather pattern – blamed for this year’s heavy snows in the United States and a long-running drought in Australia – has peaked, but is expected to influence climate patterns worldwide until mid-year before dying out, the United … Read more »

Press Release – New Zealand Police

Police today executed search warrants at commercial pounamu retail and manufacturing outlets at Hokitika where a substantial quantity of the unique variety of “snowflake” pounamu or greenstone was seized. Read more »

Three Ethiopian and Zimbabwean students taking part in the weekend ethnic media forum in Christchurch. Photo: Del Abcede/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Opinion – By Lloyd Burr in Christchurch

I walked out the doors of the Ethnic Media Forum in Christchurch at the weekend feeling somewhat ignorant. As a student in my fifth year of tertiary education, I thought that “ethnic ignorance” was something of my past … and it would no longer trouble me.

But I was wrong. In my years at the University of Otago – before I came to the New Zealand Broadcasting School – I was submerged with a critical studies approach to the media: it was corrupt, it enforced state ideology and was majority focussed; mainstream media was a bulldozer that powered through minority views and shunted them to the sideline. Read more »

Press Release – Auckland City Council

Fans looking to secure tickets for Rugby World Cup 2011 matches in Auckland when they go on sale next month can rest assured the city will be ready to show them a great time. Read more »

Press Release – UNICEF NZ

New Zealand filmmaker Peter Marra’s documentary, “Children of a Nation”, will be screening on Channel 74 (Documentary Channel) on Thursday 1 April at 7.30pm. It was listed as a finalist in the 2009 Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award jointly organised … Read more »

Press Release –

Sir Gaven Donne KBE passed away peacefully amongst his family at his home in Otaramarae, Rotorua on Sunday 28 March 2010. Sir Gaven was 95 years old and is survived by his 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Lady Donne died in 2005. Read more »

Press Release – United Nations

The National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), which was set up by the United Nations in the wake of the country’s vote for independence, has celebrated its 10th anniversary, making it one of the oldest institutions in the fledgling South-East Asian nation Read more »