Maori seek legal personhood status for whales!

Media Release 30 May 2025

Right to Life asks Maori leadership why do you enthusiastically confer the status of legal personhood on whales while at the same time you continue to deny the legal personhood and the humanity of your own children living in their mother’s wombs?

Right to Life was appalled that our parliamentarians gave unanimous approval to legislation that was intended to confer personhood on Mount Taranaki on 30 January 2025, but refused to recognise the humanity, the personhood and the right to life of our own unborn children. This is the government that is at pains to assure the community that this government will guarantee that access and funding for the murder of our children in the womb will continue as a “reproductive health service.”

The late Maori King Tuheitia signed a declaration in March 2024 in Rarotonga with Pacifica leaders to seek legal personhood for whales. The declaration aims to give whales, tohorā more robust protections that are recognised internationally.

The declaration also seeks to protect the rights of tohorā to migrate freely, conserve and grow dwindling populations, establish marine protected areas, and use mātauranga Māori alongside science for better protections and set-up a dedicated fund for whale conservation. Right to Life supports these rights and believes that these objectives require substantial government investment and that ultimately Maori will be seeking legislation that recognises the personhood of whales; this will allow court proceedings to safeguard the human rights of whales.

Mount Taranaki, renamed Te Kāhui Tupua, now has the status of legal personhood. Parliament has established a statutory body to speak and act on behalf of Mount Taranaki. Parliament had previously granted personhood to Te Urewera , formerly Urewera National Park, in 2014 and the Whanganui River, Te Awa Tupua, in 2017.

Right to Life questions Parliament’s granting personhood status to geographic features. Right to Life believes that only members of the human race should have the legal status of human persons. Human life begins at the moment of conception and that every human being is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation, endowed with an immortal soul, destined for eternal life. Our Creator endows every human being with the status of personhood and human rights. Only God can bestow personhood upon His Creation; our laws should recognise this natural law of God.

Right to Life commends Māori for their concern to protect whales, the mana of their tupuna, Mount Taranaki, the Whanganui river and Te Urewera, formerly Urewera National Park, but questions why they have campaigned tirelessly to achieve legal personhood for whales and geographic features, while their own unborn children are legally denied their inalienable right to be recognised as human beings and legal persons?

In 2023 a total of 4,247 Māori unborn children were poisoned, sucked from their mother’s wombs or were violently dismembered. Each one of these precious children was a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation.

Right to Life invites Māori to join with us in seeking the repeal of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, designed by Dame Jacinda Ardern. We look forward to the day when the humanity and personhood of every Māori unborn child is recognised and protected in law, the continued denial of their legal personhood is a crime against humanity.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.