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New Zealand’s Parliament passed a bill granting the Whanganui River the same legal rights and protection as humans. The river has long been sacred to the Māori people, and now has the protection of the government to keep it clean and safe. The local Whanganui Iwi consider the river a living ancestor, and have long enforced strict rules, punishing those who harm the water the way they would punish someone who had hurt another member of the tribe. Now, the New Zealand government will adopt the same practice, appointing two guardians to the river and establishing a legal framework to protect the river.
New Zealand’s Parliament passed a bill granting the Whanganui River the same legal rights and protection as humans. The river has long been sacred to the Māori people, and now has the protection of the government to keep it clean and safe. The local Whanganui Iwi consider the river a living ancestor, and have long enforced strict rules, punishing those who harm the water the way they would punish someone who had hurt another member of the tribe. Now, the New Zealand government will adopt the same practice, appointing two guardians to the river and establishing a legal framework to protect the river.
