New Delhi: Mount Taranaki, a country in New Zealand has been legally recognised as a person by the government. The mountain has been legally granted all the rights, duties, powers and responsibilities of a person as part of an agreement between the country’s government and the indigenous Maori tribes. The people of the Maori tribes consider Mount Taranaki their ancestor and now the mountain will be known as Taranaki Maunga, its Maori name. The mountain is now legally a person and its companion peaks and surrounding environment have the status of a legal person, named Te Kāhui Tupua. It will be represented by a council of four members from local Māori groups and four government-appointed representatives.
The decision of granting legal status to Mount Taranaki comes after a long fight by the indigenous Maori people and marks another step in acknowledging the legal standing of nature. Now, the mountain has formal rights and responsibilities very much like other citizens in New Zealand.
Mount Taranaki: The revered mountain in New Zealand now a person
Formerly known as Mount Egmont, the revered Mount Taranaki is a dormant stratovolcano and legal person in New Zealand’s Taranaki region. Its height is around 8,261 feet and it is the second-highest mountain in the country’s North Island after Mount Ruapehu. On its south side, the mountain has a secondary cone named Panitahi which is around 6,450 ft in height.
The name Taranaki has been derived from the Māori language and it was named after Rua Taranaki, the first ancestor of the iwi (tribe) called Taranaki. On January 11, 1770, Captain Cook named the mountain Mount Egmont after the 2nd Earl of Egmont John Perceval. A heritage site of the tribal people, the New Zealand government in 1865 confiscated the mountain from the Maori tribes. In 1978, the people of Taranaki got back the mountain and on May 29, 1986, the name of the mountain was officially changed to Mount Taranaki. In 2020, the mountain was renamed Taranaki Maunga. It includes a national park and the last major eruption of the dormant volcano occurred around 1655.
Mount Taranaki and the legend of the Maori tribes
In the North Island of New Zealand, Mount Taranaki is one of several major volcanoes. As per the Maori legend, all the volcanoes were warriors and a great battle broke out between them to win the favour of the beautiful Mount Pihanga. The battle was won Tongariro and other mountains had to retreat. Taranaki escaped, headed westwards and became petrified in his current location.
Today, the dormant volcano is a popular spot for tourism, hiking and snow sports. One of the most symmetrical volcanic cones in the world, Taranaki Mountain is said to be the most climbed mountain in New Zealand and has become a popular tourist destination. The mountain region has immense cultural significance to Taranaki Maori and its designation of legal personhood is a long-awaited acknowledgment of their relationship to it.
New Zealand has granted Mount Taranaki, also known as Taranaki Maunga, legal personhood, recognizing the mountain’s cultural significance to the Maori people and marking a significant step in environmental law. This decision follows a long struggle for Maori recognition of their ancestral connection to the mountain. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
