WELLINGTON: A New Zealand river revered by Maori has been recognised by parliament as a “legal person”, in a move believed to be a world first. Under legislation passed on Wednesday that combines Western legal precedent with Maori mysticism, the River Whanganui has been formally declared a living entity.

“[It] will have its own legal identity with all the corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person,” Attorney-General Chris Finlayson said.

“The approach of granting legal personality to a river is unique.” The river, known by Maori as Te Awa Tupua, is the third longest in New Zealand. Finlayson said the local Maori iwi, or tribe, had been fighting to assert their rights over the river since the 1870s, in New Zealand’s longest-running legal dispute. “This legislation recognises the deep spiritual connection between the Whanganui iwi and its ancestral river,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2017