Sage-Tips

Why is the Whanganui River a legal person?

A Māori pa, or fortified village, on the Whanganui River, on the North Island of New Zealand in 1902. To Māori, the river was a single and indivisible entity and not something that could be owned. Although the river’s resources could be used, only people who contributed to the community had the right to benefit.

How can a river be a person?

In March 2017, the Whanganui River in Aotearoa New Zealand was the first river to officially receive the status of a legal person. This legal personhood is based on the ontological understanding of the river as an indivisible and living whole and as the spiritual ancestor of the Whanganui Iwi (a Māori tribe).

Can a river be a legal person?

In the year 2017, the Uttarakhand High Court (UHC) ruled that the Indian rivers Ganga and Yamuna, the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers, as well as other related natural elements are ‘legal persons’ with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.

Do rivers have legal rights?

The declaration states that all rivers are: Entitled to fundamental rights. Entitled to legal guardians.

Does the Whanganui River have legal personality?

The Whanganui River is not the only instance of a natural resource being granted legal personhood in New Zealand. In 2014, the Te Urewera park, the ancestral home of the Tuhoe people, became the first natural feature in the country to be recognised as a legal person.

Which river has same legal rights as humans?

The Klamath River
The Klamath River runs through Redwood National Park, California. The Yurok Tribe passed a resolution protecting the river from harm by granting it the same rights as a person.

How do people use rivers in New Zealand?

Rivers are used for commercial tourism and recreation activities such as rafting, canoeing, kayaking and jet-boating. Bungy jumping, pioneered as a commercial venture by a New Zealand innovator, is often done above some of the more scenic rivers.

Which river has status of living person?

RIVERS GANGA & YAMUNA-LIVING ENTITIES HAVING THE STATUS OF A LEGAL PERSON.

What is the name of the river in New Zealand that now has the same legal rights of a human?

The Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is not the only instance of a natural resource being granted legal personhood in New Zealand. In 2014, the Te Urewera park, the ancestral home of the Tuhoe people, became the first natural feature in the country to be recognised as a legal person.

Who owns New Zealand rivers?

Many New Zealand lakebeds and riverbeds are Crown property and are managed by LINZ on behalf of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. The Commissioner of Crown Lands (CCL) is an independent statutory officer who reports to the Minister for Land Information.

Can you own a river in NZ?

As a general rule, yes. There may be some exceptions, especially in respect of esplanade reserves and strips.

Can New Zealand’s River have legal personhood?

This river in New Zealand is a legal person. How will it use its voice? Soon, the government will grant a mountain legal personhood as well. Can giving the natural world rights save it? “The great River flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the River, the River is me.”

Is Whanganui River a legal person?

Whanganui River became the first in the world to be considered a legal person. New Zealand’s third-longest river could now be represented in court and had two guardians appointed to speak on its behalf. It was a move mimicked by other countries and praised by Indigenous rights advocates and environmentalists alike.

Who is the first River in the world to be legal?

Revered for centuries by the Whanganui tribes – who take their name, spirit and strength from the river they live near – it became the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person in 2017, bringing closure to one of New Zealand’s longest-running court cases.

Can New Zealand’s third-longest river be represented in court?

New Zealand’s third-longest river could now be represented in court and had two guardians appointed to speak on its behalf. It was a move mimicked by other countries and praised by Indigenous rights advocates and environmentalists alike.