Our Maunga, our Ancestor: Taranaki Maunga granted legal personhood

Photo: By Sulthan Auliya, Unsplash

Titiro, titiro ki te maunga titohea!

Look to the barren mountain!

The 30th of January 2025 marked a special day for the descendants of Taranaki Maunga with the passing of Te Pire Whakatupua mo te Kahui Tupua, the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill. The legacy of this settlement goes back to Captain Cook, who sailed pass the symmetrical maunga adorned with snow and decided to name it Egmont after his friend who had financed his journey. This name stuck with many New Zealanders who staunchly held onto it, despite Egmont never setting foot on New Zealand shores and Cook never visiting the Taranaki region.

After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the Taranaki region, among others, experienced land confiscation. Iwi fought to defend their land in the early 1860s, and the Crown ruled iwi had been in rebellion and established the New Zealand Settlements Act. Under this act, 1.2 million acres of land, including the maunga, were confiscated.

For 150 years, the eight iwi of Taranaki have grieved as their maunga was held in shackles by the crown. As a descendant of Taranaki maunga myself, our maunga is our identity. To see it freed from these shackles is a pivotal moment for our people.

The crown apologised to Taranaki Māori for the confiscation of the maunga and the 1.2 million acres of land taken in 1865. With the passing of this bill, Taranaki Maunga was granted legal personhood, meaning it is acknowledged by law as a living tupuna. Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, the national park, and its contents are also recognised with this status. Legal personhood status can be a way of translating Māori values into European law.

Mount Egmont will no longer be the maunga’s geographical name, and the name of the park (previously Egmont national park) will be changed to Te Papa Kura o Taranaki (the highly regarded and treasured lands of Taranaki). The act also determines that a collective of both iwi and crown representatives, Te Tōpunui Kōkōrangi, will manage the park and plans, which would approved by the conservation minister.  

Piripi Evans (Ngāti Mutunga, Kai Tahu) said “the bill marks a co governance arrangement between the crown and Taranaki Māori to manage the area in interest of all New Zealanders.”

New Zealanders will still have access to the recreational opportunities the park provides and the environmental beauty of the grounds around the maunga. It will also mean they’ll gain more awareness of the cultural significance of the area. The act will also enhance experience for tourists and give them access to learn more and hear the stories of Taranaki.

“In a nutshell, the act safeguards the cultural and environmental values around the maunga and ensures the eight iwi of Taranaki have their say in the future around its management,” said Evans.

For the iwi of Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga being recognised legally as a tupua (ancestor) or phenomenon restores the mana of the maunga and therefore restores their mana. Some argue this act isn’t going to aid Māori in the issues they are facing in housing and education, but as Māori we believe recognising our maunga is the foundation for further change.

If Maunga Taranaki can be granted legal personhood, will this influence other environmental entities dear to iwi and hapu across Aotearoa to be recognised in this way? Taranaki maunga is the third area to be granted legal personhood, after the Whanganui River and Urewera national park, and it is interesting to wonder at the possibilities of this legacy.

Many people I knew growing up knew Taranaki Maunga by its rightful name, despite not being formally recognised by it, though this was not the case for Aoraki, which is commonly known as Mount Cook.

“From a Kāi Tahu perspective, there is some sadness that the crown wasn’t prepared to do this sort of thing when the Ngāi Tahu settlement was negotiated,” Evans said.

The passing of the Taranaki Collective Redress Bill is a step to restore the balance in Taranaki between the Crown and Taranaki Māori. It is interesting to think of the possibilities of restoring this balance between the Crown and Māori across all of Aotearoa.