May 02, 2024
Personhood idea boon for environment
An environmental economist says Aotearoa-New Zealand is leading the world though giving natural environments the status of legal persons.
The Whanganui River, Te Urewera and now Taranaki Maunga have been given the status as the result of treaty settlements.
Dr Viktoria Kahui from the University of Otago says it’s a direct result of iwi seeing themselves as being indivisible from their natural environments .
“I would love to see New Zealand streamlining this process such that – imagine every iwi, every local community could apply for their own back yard natural treasure to become a legal person,” she says.
Dr Kahui says the Māori view of natural environments as living tupuna is completely different to the view of nature as a commodity to be exploited.