New Zealand river gets legal status as a ‘Person’ – IOTW Report

New Zealand river gets legal status as a ‘Person’

Yep, you read that right.
And it has already applied for welfare and disability.

IUK: A river in New Zealand has become the first in the world to be recognised as a living entity with its own rights and values and given the legal status of a person.

The Whanganui River, located in the north island of New Zealand, has a special and spiritual importance for the Maori people.

The New Zealand Parliament has just passed a bill which gives the river the ability to represent itself through human representatives, one appointed by a Maori community, known as Iwi, and one by the Crown, New Zealand news service Newshub reports.

The new status of the Whanganui River, or Te Awa Tupua, is believed to be unique in the world.

The Maori people recognise the river as part of the living mountains and the sea.

Chris Finlayson, who negotiated the treaty, said the Whanganui Iwi had fought for recognition of the people’s relationship with the river since the 1870s.   MORE

19 Comments on New Zealand river gets legal status as a ‘Person’

  1. Lol! The other day I found a “Sip, Scratch, Score” trivia game on a cup of coffee. The question was, “Kieth Urban is a native of which country?”

    Ahhh, I got this, I know Kieth Urban is a US country singer.

    Wrong, the goof is from New Zealand!

  2. Amazing just how far courts will now go to prove themselves so very protective of aboriginal sensitivities. They could have ruled the river protected with any change to it (damns, construction projects, re-direction etc) subject to approval by a panel. Instead they give it some quasi official designation as a person which you can be guaranteed will be abused by some group to embarrass the government at some point.

  3. Ha ha ha!
    And there are some who think it’s just America that’s infested with shit-weasels, twat-waffles, shit-pickle-eaters, and fart-sniffers!

    Fuckin morons … everywhere you look … any direction … any rotation …

    izlamo delenda est …

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