Mount Taranaki Granted Legal Personhood in New Zealand
The designation honors the Māori view of the mountain as a sacred ancestor and ends government ownership.
In a historic move on Thursday, New Zealand officially recognized Mount Taranaki as a legal person, following in the footsteps of other natural landmarks. The 8,261-foot stratovolcano, known as Taranaki Maunga in Māori, is now granted the same rights, powers, responsibilities, and liabilities as an individual.
The decision marks the latest step in New Zealand’s recognition of the personhood of natural features, beginning with the Te Urewera sacred forest in 2014 and followed by the Whanganui river in 2017. These landmark legal shifts give natural entities the status of living, indivisible wholes, acknowledging their spiritual and cultural significance to the indigenous Māori people.
For centuries, Māori have revered Taranaki as an ancestor, and with the new legal status, the government has relinquished its ownership of the mountain. It will no longer be referred to by its colonial name, Mount Egmont, but will instead be known by its Māori name, Taranaki Maunga.
The legal entity for the mountain is named Te Kāhui Tupua, encompassing not only Taranaki itself but also its surrounding peaks and land, integrating both physical and metaphysical elements. The management of Taranaki will now be a joint effort between local Māori iwi, or tribe, and government officials, ensuring that the mountain is preserved and cared for in alignment with Māori values.
The passing of the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill also addresses past injustices against the Māori people, specifically land confiscations in the Taranaki region. Paul Goldsmith, a government official involved in the negotiations, explained the significance of the bill in Parliament, calling the mountain a vital source of physical, cultural, and spiritual sustenance for Māori communities.
The bill outlines how the Crown’s historical actions, including the unlawful confiscation of land, breached the treaty signed with Māori representatives. Despite protests from the Māori people in Taranaki, the Crown had failed to create the promised reserves, leaving the mountain's land mostly untouched by the return efforts.
The new legal status for Taranaki is intended to ensure its ongoing preservation and protection, particularly its wildlife, while still allowing for public access. Goldsmith expressed his anticipation for delivering the Crown’s formal apology for these past wrongs during an upcoming visit to the region.
With Mount Taranaki's legal recognition, New Zealand continues to lead the way in reimagining the relationship between its natural environment and its people, further solidifying the deep spiritual ties between Māori communities and the land.