The new Pacific members of the International Whaling commission have rejected a request from New Zealand to reconsider their pro-whaling stance.
At the IWC meeting in South Korea, nations that support whaling are set to take a majority for the first time since a moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced 19 years ago.
The Conservation Minister Chris Carter says he met delegates from Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati to ask them to rethink their position, but they refused.
Mr Carter admits all three receive substantial aid from New Zealand but says he was not willing to make threats.
