Queering Whanganui River’s Legal Status

Abstract

This study discusses the political implications and consequences of subverting colonial frameworks and legal definitions of personhood to include more than human entities. I argue that the Whanganui River's legal recognition as a person recognizes the value of Māori worldviews; however, I am not  convinced such recognition indicates an interruption of ongoing settler-colonialism. I authored this paper to facilitate conversations about decolonization and selfsovereignty that are mindful of the process without utilizing reformist politics.