New Zealand declares sacred mountain a legal person

A mountain in New Zealand, considered an ancestor by the indigenous Māori people, has been officially recognized as a legal "person" after new legislation granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being. This mountain, named Mount Taranaki (Maori name Taranaki Maunga), is the latest natural feature in New Zealand to gain "personhood," following a river and a sacred piece of land that were previously granted this status.

The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano, standing at 2,518 meters, is the second-highest peak in New Zealand's North Island and a popular destination for tourism, hiking, and snow sports. This legal recognition is compensation for the Māori of the Taranaki region being deprived of their ownership of the mountain during New Zealand's colonial period, and also fulfills the government's agreement to compensate indigenous people for the injustices they suffered regarding their land.

The law grants Taranaki Maunga all the rights, powers, duties, responsibilities, and legal liabilities that a person possesses. Its legal personality is named "Te Kāhui Tupua," and the law regards it as "a living, indivisible whole," encompassing Mount Taranaki and its surrounding peaks and land, covering all physical and metaphysical elements. A newly established entity will act as the mountain's "voice," composed of four members from local Māori tribes and four members appointed by the country's Minister of Conservation.

Paul Goldsmith, the Member of Parliament responsible for reconciliation between the government and Māori tribes, stated in a parliamentary speech, "The mountain has long been revered as an ancestor, a source of physical, cultural, and spiritual sustenance, and a final resting place." However, 18th and 19th-century New Zealand colonists first took Taranaki's name and then the mountain itself. In 1770, British explorer Captain James Cook spotted the mountain from his ship and named it Mount Egmont. In 1840, Māori tribes and representatives of the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, in which the Crown pledged that Māori would retain rights to their land and resources. However, discrepancies existed between the Māori and English versions of the treaty, and the Crown's breaches of both began immediately.

In 1865, large tracts of Taranaki land, including the mountain, were confiscated as punishment for Māori resistance to the Crown. For the next century, hunting and sporting groups had a say in the mountain's management, while Māori did not. "Traditional Māori practices associated with the mountain were prohibited, while tourism was promoted," said Goldsmith. However, Māori protest movements in the 1970s and 1980s led to a surge in New Zealand law recognizing Māori language, culture, and rights. Compensation included billions of dollars in Treaty of Waitangi settlements, such as the 2023 agreement with eight Taranaki tribes.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leader of the Māori political party Te Pāti Māori and a descendant of Taranaki tribes, said, "Today, Taranaki, our maunga, our maunga tupuna, is released from the shackles of injustice, ignorance, and hate." She added, "We have known since we were children that there is nothing that can lessen the connection between us." The mountain's legal rights are intended to safeguard its health and well-being, and will be used to prevent forced sales, restore its traditional uses, and allow for conservation work to protect local wildlife. Public access will remain unchanged.

New Zealand is the first country in the world to recognize natural features as "persons." A 2014 law granted "personhood" to Te Urewera, a large area of pristine forest on the North Island. Government ownership was terminated, and the Tūhoe tribe became its guardians. "Te Urewera is ancient and enduring, a fortress of nature, steeped in history; its landscape is full of mystery, adventure, and remote beauty," the law begins, before describing its spiritual significance to Māori. In 2017, New Zealand recognized the Whanganui River as a "person" as part of a settlement with local tribes.

The bill recognizing the mountain's "personhood" was unanimously passed by all 123 members of Parliament. The vote was greeted by loud Māori songs (waiata) from the public gallery, which was packed with dozens of people who had traveled from Taranaki to the capital, Wellington. This unity provided a moment of respite during a time of strained race relations in New Zealand. In November, tens of thousands marched to Parliament to protest a law that would reshape the Treaty of Waitangi by setting strict legal definitions for each clause. Critics say the law, which is not expected to pass, would strip Māori of their legal rights and dramatically reverse the progress of the last five decades.