A River's Rights: Thoughts On Granting Legal Personhood

River as Person

Earlier this year I had the privilege of hearing from Dame Tariana Turia and Turama Hawira at the 2nd Annual Assembly of First Nations National Water Symposium in Niagara Falls. Dame Turia and Mr. Hawira are the first co-appointed voices of New Zealand’s Whanganui River, which was granted legal personhood by the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act in March 2017.