BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
New Zealand’s North Island took a monumental step in recognizing Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship. Taranaki Mounga (also widely spelled Maunga), a striking volcanic peak revered by the Taranaki Māori, has been granted legal personhood. This landmark decision, passed unanimously by New Zealand’s parliament late last month, ensures that the mountain and its surrounding peaks will now be safeguarded with the same legal protections as an individual.
This move follows in the footsteps of Te Urewera in 2014 and the Whanganui River in 2017, making Taranaki the third natural feature in the country to be recognized in this way. The new law, which officially names the mountain Te Kāhui Tupua, acknowledges its status as an ancestor to the Taranaki Māori, finally severing ties with its colonial-era name, Mount Egmont.
‘Generations of hope’ realized
The law’s passage was met with an outpouring of emotion. Hundreds of Taranaki iwi members traveled to the capital, filling parliament’s public gallery with song and celebration as the bill was passed.
Jamie Tuuta, chief negotiator for Taranaki Mounga, described the moment as deeply bittersweet. “After generations of hope being discarded and effort from those who are no longer with us … it is a sad time, but it is also a day that we can come together as iwi of Taranaki to celebrate because it is one of the most significant steps in our history – not only for our mounga, but for the people of Taranaki, the region, and the nation.”
The law is the final step in a 2016 settlement acknowledging historical injustices inflicted upon the Taranaki iwi by the British Crown. In the nineteenth century, 1.2 million acres of Taranaki land, including the mountain, were confiscated. The resulting displacement robbed Māori of access to vital resources and sacred sites, inflicting intergenerational trauma.
A Māori worldview in Western law
Beyond symbolic recognition, the law establishes a governing body made up of both Crown and iwi representatives to advocate for and protect Taranaki Mounga’s interests.
Tuuta explained that this shift embeds Indigenous values into Western legal frameworks. “When we think about the concept of personhood, what we are doing is putting in place a very Māori Indigenous concept into Western law,” he said. The recognition of personhood means more than just protection—it transforms how people interact with nature. “When we view them as being ancestors … what we ultimately look to do is to see behavior change.”
Visitors to the mountain will be expected to follow new guidelines that promote respect and sustainability. While some rules will be outlined by the governing body, Tuuta hopes that a broader cultural shift will inspire people to voluntarily uphold the mountain’s dignity. “The success of these arrangements rests not only with iwi and the government, but with the wider nation.”
A new beginning in the Crown-Māori relationship
In a rare display of cross-party consensus, parliament acknowledged the significance of the decision not just for Taranaki Māori, but for New Zealand as a whole.
Paul Goldsmith, minister for treaty negotiations, called it a day of reckoning and renewal. “This is a special day and an opportunity to right the wrongs … going back 250 years – to the renaming of the mountain and the many, many events in between.”
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leader of Te Pāti Māori and a proud Taranaki descendant, did not mince words in her address. “Today, Taranaki is freed from the shackles … of injustice, ignorance, and hate. Today, we also liberate with our aroha [love].”
While the law does not return the land to Māori ownership, it represents an essential acknowledgment of their deep and enduring relationship with Taranaki. Ngarewa-Packer declared, “Today we affirm what we have always known – our [mountain] is, and never was, a crown asset – it is our [ancestor], the living, breathing embodiment of our identity … as Taranaki.”
Looking ahead: a global precedent
New Zealand’s approach to environmental personhood is gaining global attention as a model for both Indigenous rights and ecological conservation. By recognizing landscapes as living entities with rights and protections, the country is reshaping how the law interacts with the natural world.
For the Taranaki Māori, this victory is more than legal recognition—it is a homecoming. It is a promise that their ancestral mountain, standing watch over the Taranaki plains, will be honored and protected for generations to come.
