Geoff Parker: The River Is A Legal Person — But Who Makes The Law?

Hemopereki Simon's article about the Whanganui River makes one thing very clear: for him, giving the river legal personhood does not go nearly far enough.

That is because his argument is not really about the river. It is about who should have political and legal authority in New Zealand.

Geoff Parker: The symbolic coup of New Zealand

New Zealand is witnessing a striking revival of Māori iconography (symbolism) - tattooed faces or chin, bone/greenstone pendants used as identity markers, the flag of the Māori sovereignty movement flying at public events and governmental buildings, carved posts (pou) appearing in places where no such markers ever stood before and Māori carved gateway entrances (waharoa) installed at school entrances. Supporters call this a cultural renaissance. But there is a deeper political message woven through these symbols, one that goes beyond cultural pride: a deliberate statement of rejection of European civilisation and the legitimacy of the country’s colonial foundations.