November 06, 2017
Living representatives of Whanganui River
Dame Tariana Turia and Whanganui poukorero Turama Hawira have been formally confirmed as the first Pou Tupua for the Whanganui River in a pre-dawn ceremony at the riverside in Taumarunui this weekend.
The positions were created as part of legislation establishing a new legal status for the river, Te Awa Tupua, which recognises the Whanganui as indivisible and living whole.
Te Pou Tupua will act and speak on behalf of Te Awa Tupua.
The ceremony was attended by iwi and central and local government representatives.
Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron says the inauguration of Te Pou Tupua was a significant historic event for the future guardianship of the Whanganui River under its iwi and hapu for the benefit of all Ruapehu and river communities.
He says the council sees it as a watershed moment for how all New Zealanders should think about their relationship to the natural environment.
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