Mount Taranaki is set to gain the legal rights of a person under the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill, which will become law on 30 January 2025.
The dormant volcano will now be represented by a panel of eight, including four traditional owners and four Crown representatives.
The legislation, passed by Labour in 2023, recognises Mount Taranaki, alongside its companion peaks, as a living ancestor with its own identity and rights.
Popular with tourists, it is the country’s most frequently climbed mountain, and Lonely Planet has named the area one of the best places in the world to visit. Under the new law, harming or mistreating the mountain will carry the same legal consequences as harming a tribe.
The law follows a similar recognition granted to the Whanganui River.
The park surrounding Mount Taranaki will be renamed Te Papa-Kura o Taranaki, with management plans requiring dual approval from the conservation minister and iwi leaders.
Under the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill, an oversight committee (Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi) of four iwi and four Crown representatives will govern and set cultural and spiritual values.
A conservation board, including three iwi representatives, will work with the Department of Conservation on daily management. All governance costs will be funded by the Crown.
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