Wellington, March 10 NZPA - The Labour Party has launched a petition against allowing commercial whaling to restart.

Wellington, March 8 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key is holding open the option of joining Australia in a legal challenge to Japan if diplomatic attempts to reduce the number of whales that are being killed end in failure.

Wellington, March 8 NZPA - Any deal with Japan to allow whaling would have to be very attractive to get New Zealand support, Foreign Minister Murray McCully says.

By Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, Feb 22 NZPA - A diplomatic answer to whaling in the Southern Ocean will either be a stunning success or an utter failure, Prime Minister John Key says.

By Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, Feb 21 NZPA - The Government would seriously consider backing international court action to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean but only if diplomacy fails first.

By Paloma Migone of NZPA Wellington, Jan 20 NZPA - Mike Moore, the man who once headed the World Trade Organisation (WTO), will now lead the charge on getting a trade agreement with the United States as New Zealand's ambassador in Washington.

Wellington, Jan 20 NZPA - Mike Moore, a former Labour prime minister who has headed the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is to be New Zealand's next ambassador to the United States. Foreign Minister Murray McCully confirmed the appointment in a statement.

Wellington, Dec 18 NZPA - The Government is to introduce a bill to strengthen the Crimes Act to deal with violent offending against children, and to modernise the law of assault and injuring, Justice Minister Simon Power said today.

Wellington, Dec 18 NZPA - A raft of new laws to protect children at risk of assault in their homes has been proposed in a report from the Law Commission.

Wellington, Dec 17 NZPA - The Governor-General should pay income tax, the Law Commission is recommending.