The River that is actually a Person.

For hundreds of years, the Whanganui River has actually been a companion of an indegenous community in New Zealand.

Well, the British arrived New Zealand in the 1800’s and in just a few years, the river became terribly polluted.

British industrialists deeply polluted the river to the extent that it even became a venue for refuse disposal.

A group of locals rose up to defend the sanctity of the Whanganui River.

For decades, these locals legally fought against pollution and exploitation of this river.

APPROVAL OF LEGAL STATUS:

In March 2017, after over 150 years of legal tussles between the Whanganui iwi tribe of New Zealand and the New Zealand Federal Governmnent, this river was officially declared a legal person.

Apparently, any attempt to pollute this river would be seen as an act of indignity against a real person.

Whanganui River has officially become the first river to ever have the status of a person.

In fact, the river now has spokespersons and you could be sued or dragged to court on behalf of the river!

This “unusual event” has really gone a long way in restoring the long despised River back to its original glory.