New Zealand is part of a group of countries offering a compromise with Japan at international whaling talks.

The group will put forward the proposal at the next International Whaling Commission meeting in June.

The deal would allow some whales to be killed in return for a reduction in the quota of whales hunted under Japan's so-called scientific research program.

"The problem here is that there is no effective international control over the number of whales that are being killed," New Zealand whaling commissioner Sir Geoffrey Palmer said.

"If that could be secured that would be very good. An emotional attachment to a moratorium that isn't working is not, in my view, realistic."

He says if the IWC does not take this stance, Japan will continue to kill thousands of whales for what it claims are scientific reasons.

"I've been the whaling commissioner for eight years and it's the only issue I've ever been involved in where people at the golf club say 'What are you doing to the Japanese this week?'.

"There is a great deal of unhappiness in New Zealand about killing whales and that's true of other public opinions in many countries.

"But the truth of the matter is that not all cultures or all nations see that issue the same way and because of that you have to arrive at an international accommodation under a treaty arrangement.

"We have a treaty - it's defective; over time we think it could be fixed, but you can't fix it immediately because the differences are very great."

Australia wants a blanket ban on whaling and does not accept the notion that killing some whales will save others.

Environment groups in New Zealand are outraged and say the government must vote against any deal which legitimises commercial whaling.

Meanwhile, Japanese media are reporting that the country's coastguard is planning additional charges against a New Zealand anti-whaling activist.

Sea Shepherd activist Peter Bethune is almost certain to be charged with trespassing on a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean.

Japan's NHK network is reporting the coastguard is planning to charge Mr Bethune with causing injury to the whaling crew and with obstructing the business of the ship.

They allege Mr Bethune was filmed throwing smoke bombs and butyric acid at the whaling fleet.

The coastguard says one crewman suffered skin injuries when hit by butyric acid.

Editor's note (April 2): The headline on this story has been changed to reflect that while New Zealand does support a change in the arrangements for Japan's whale hunt, it does not support the hunt itself.