A mountain in New Zealand, regarded as an “ancestor” by the Māori, was unanimously recognized by legislation as a legal person with all the rights and responsibilities of a human being.
The British explorer James Cook named Egmont the mountain, but its Māori name, Taranaki Maunga, will now know it. It stands at 2,518 meters and is a popular tourist destination, hiking, and winter sports destination.
The recognition of the mountain is a “restorative” measure by the New Zealand government for destroying and confiscating Māori land.
This has happened before in New Zealand. The Urewera Forest was the first to receive such status in 2014, followed by the Whanganui River in 2017.
The law passed on Thursday grants Taranaki Maunga all the rights, powers, duties, responsibilities, and obligations of a person. Its legal identity is named Te Kāhui Tupua, which the law recognizes as “a living and indivisible entity.” This includes Taranaki and the surrounding peaks and land, encompassing all their physical and metaphysical elements.
Representatives from the tribes and the government will manage it to preserve its health and well-being. Activities to protect wildlife will be allowed.
“The mountain has long been an honored ancestor, a source of physical, cultural, and spiritual nourishment, and a place of final rest,” said Paul Goldsmith in his Thursday Parliament speech. He is the legislator responsible for the agreements between the government and the Māori tribes.
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