The rights of Nature movement is gaining momentum, but, for many, this requires a shift in understanding of the human-Nature relationship. All life depends on it.
Editor’s Note: This editorial includes edited excerpts from Standing for Nature: Legal Strategies for Environmental Justice, by Dana Zartner, Fabian Cardenas, and Mohammad Golam Sarwar (Island Press, 2025).
The mountain dominates the western coast of the North Island. Its peak is the center point of the daily rhythms in this quiet corner of Aotearoa New Zealand. A natural sundial, the shadows on its slopes shift with the hours of the day. The cloud formations drift in and out and shape the weather, the mountain’s pull creating its own micro-climate. For those who live in its shadow, Taranaki maunga (Mount Taranaki) is a constant presence in their lives. For many, especially the local Māori iwi, it is more than that. The mountain is an ancestor, a member of the family, and an essential element of the web of life that calls the mountain home. And now, Taranaki maunga is also recognized in the laws of Aotearoa New Zealand as an independent living being with the right to exist and flourish.
On January 31, 2025, the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua 2025 (Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act 2025) was signed into law recognizing the rights of Taranaki maunga as a legal person. This is the third such law to be agreed upon between the Māori and the Crown, and further cements Aotearoa New Zealand’s status as a leader in the growing rights of Nature movement. The first such legislation was passed in 2014 in regards to the Te Urewera forest in the northeastern corner of the North Island. But it was the second piece of legislation, the Te Awa Tupua Act recognizing the indivisible living spirit and legal personhood of the Whanganui River, that has given energy to a global movement.
Photo by Dana Zartner.
Taranaki maunga and the Whanganui are intimately connected in the lore of the North Island, which reflects the holistic relationship between the natural and human inhabitants and forms the underlying foundation of the rights of Nature. Legend tells of four mountain warriors who lived in the interior of the North Island: Tongariro, Taranaki, Tauhara, and Pūtauaki. Two of them, Tongariro and Taranaki, were in love with a maiden mountain, Pīhanga, and they fought a mighty battle over her affections. Taranaki was defeated and, in his shame and sadness, left the center of the island. As he went, he dragged his club along behind him, and in doing so, carved a deep gouge out of the land. This ravine filled with his tears and became the Whanganui River. When Taranaki reached the sea, he turned north and saw the beautiful Pouākai mountain range and decided to settle there, where he now watches over the region and all flora and fauna on the slopes of Taranaki maunga.
This deep cultural and spiritual connection between the Māori peoples and the land has always been there, reflected in the principle of kaitiakitanga, which is a belief honoring kinship with the environment, as well as our responsibility to ensure that Nature is treated with respect. While an integral part of Māori culture, these ideas have not historically been part of the laws and practices of the state of New Zealand. It took decades of advocacy by the Māori; years of negotiations between the iwi, the Crown, and community stakeholders; and a slow shift in understandings amongst New Zealanders as a whole, to achieve the recognition of the rights of these natural entities.
There is much advocates can learn from the efforts in Aotearoa New Zealand to develop their own rights of Nature laws. While each country and community is unique, and there have been rights of Nature laws enacted elsewhere including in Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Bangladesh, India, and even in some communities in the United States, none have been as successful in the implementation of these new laws as Aotearoa New Zealand. And it is in the implementation and compliance of these laws that their true values lies.
Just having a law on the books recognizing the rights of Nature, while important to increase awareness and foster discussion, does not fully provide the recognition and protection that is the spirit of the law. We all can think of laws that have been passed, but are not actively upheld or protected. It is in the acceptance and implementation of the law that it gains its full force. While the negotiation of these laws in Aotearoa New Zealand took many years, the end result of the inclusive and thorough process is that, along with the codification of the values of the Whanganui and Taranaki into their respective laws, there are effective mechanisms for acceptance, implementation, and compliance. These include the creation of guardians and advisory bodies to represent the natural entities, oversee any conflicts, and provide space for community engagement, as well as the recognition and protection of pre-existing activities related to the natural entities.
Photo by Dana Zartner.
These are important components for any rights of Nature laws because, unlike the Māori or other indigenous or spiritual communities around the world, for many people the idea that Nature has independent rights to exist and flourish and protect itself from harm is a new way of thinking. This new approach requires a shift from a worldview that has long viewed humans as superior to all other living things, to one that recognizes humans are just one part of an interconnected ecosystem. It can take a while for people’s views to shift, but it can happen as we have seen in Aotearoa New Zealand.
With the newly finalized legislation recognizing the rights to Taranaki maunga, what lessons can advocates learn from Aotearoa New Zealand to develop their own rights of Nature laws?
First, it is important to understand local culture. As described at the beginning of the essay, Taranaki maunga is a lifeforce in that little eastern corner of the North Island. Not only is the mountain integral to the history and culture of the local Māori, but it has long been an important natural site for all New Zealanders. Incorporating this history and understanding what the mountain means to different members of the community makes people feel included in the process. It also provides space for the cultural shifts on the human-Nature relationship that need to occur for the rights of Nature concept to be accepted.
Second, it is important to create opportunities for all voices to be heard, which is crucial for successful implementation of the law going forward. If people feel their concerns are taken seriously—for example, will they still be able to hike on Taranaki maunga as they have always done—they are more likely to feel a part of the process and accept the law. This, in turn, creates further momentum in recognizing the rights of Nature more broadly.
Third, rights of Nature laws must be clear and specific in the details: What rights does the natural entity possess? Who is responsible for protecting the natural entity if it is harmed? What institutions need to be put in place for implementation and monitoring? What is required for those wanting to interact with the natural entity? And how can the broader community participate in the process?
While addressing each of these thoughtfully may take a little longer, the end result will be more effective law and more supportive development of the rights of Nature as a new method for environmental justice protections for all living things and a more meaningful relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world. As stated by Vicky Dombroski, past member and chair of the Taranaki Whanganui Conservation Board, this important work of the “eight iwi of Taranaki, who have always related to the Maunga as their Koro (grandfather)” will now demonstrate for everyone “the importance of acknowledging the interconnectedness of all Nature, including human beings, and the symbiotic nature of these relationships” for future generations to come.
