New Zealand's Taranaki Mounga volcano just became a legal 'person'
What's the story
Move over, humans—New Zealand's iconic Taranaki Mounga just got the same legal rights as you!
In a groundbreaking move, the country's parliament has officially granted legal personhood to this majestic volcanic giant and its surrounding peaks.
This makes Taranaki the third natural feature in New Zealand to receive such status, reinforcing the nation's commitment to indigenous values and environmental conservation.
With its perfectly symmetrical cone and rich cultural significance, the mountain now has a voice—literally!
Cultural significance
Taranaki Mounga: A cultural icon and legal entity
Taranaki Mounga is of deep cultural significance to the local Taranaki Maori community, who consider it an ancestor.
The unanimous parliamentary vote to give the mountain and its ecosystem legal personhood is a major recognition of this bond.
The mountain will now be officially called by its Maori name, Te Kahui Tupua, instead of the colonial name Mount Egmont.
Treaty settlement
Legal personhood: A step toward addressing historical grievances
This legal change is part of a 2016 settlement to address historical injustices under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hundreds of Taranaki iwi members attended the bill's final reading in parliament, celebrating its passage with waiata (song).
Jamie Tuuta, chief negotiator for Taranaki Mounga, called this "one of the most significant steps in our history."
Redress
Crown apology and financial redress for past injustices
The 2016 settlement involved an apology from the crown for past injustices during the 19th-century Taranaki wars, along with financial compensation.
These injustices included land confiscations that displaced iwi and robbed them of ancestral sites and resources.
The legal personhood designation seeks to ensure respect and protection for these geographic features, weaving a Maori Indigenous concept into Western law.
Visitor guidelines
New guidelines for treating Taranaki Mounga
Tuuta further explained that the legal personhood of Taranaki Mounga is a starting point to change the treatment of significant natural features.
"When we view them as being ancestors... what we ultimately look to do is to see behavior change," he said.
Guidelines will be set for how visitors should treat the region, but Tuuta hoped people would learn to respect the mountains and self-regulate their activities.
Historic day
Bill passage marks new chapter in crown-Taranaki iwi relations
Passed with cross-party support, the bill opens a new chapter in the relationship between the crown and Taranaki iwi.
Paul Goldsmith, minister for treaty negotiations, called it "a historic day" and an opportunity to address past wrongs.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer of Te Pati Maori called the mountain's theft a major colonial injustice, adding "Today we affirm what we have always known - our [mountain] is...the living, breathing embodiment of our identity...as Taranaki."