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New Zealand Te Awa Tupua Act 2017

New Zealand
National
Approved in 2017
Statutory law
Indigenous Model, Personhood, Rights Of Nature
Whanganui River
Freshwater Ecosystem
MP Christopher Finlayson (and New Zealand government) and the Whanganui Iwi
Government, Indigenous

Summary

In 2017, the New Zealand government declared the Whanganui river a legal entity with rights in the Te Awa Tupua Act. The local Māori tribe of Whanganui considers the river an ancestor and fought for over a century to seek protections for the river. The river has two guardians—one from the crown and one from the Whanganui iwi. The legislation is still in effect.

To see the original legal document(s) for this initiative, click the links below:

Te Awa Tupua Act 2017 [PDF]

To see other supplementary information related to this initiative, click the links below:

Article - New Zealand river granted same legal rights as human being
Article - A New Zealand River Now Has The Legal Rights Of A Human

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