In 2014, the Te Urewera National Park in New Zealand became recognised as a legal person under the law. In 2017, New Zealand did it again, declaring the Whanganui River as a legal entity. Law professor Jacinta Ruru considers the implications of these historic events in this warm and informative talk.

Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is an award winning Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand’s Centre of Māori Research Excellence, fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and recipient of the New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. Her more than 100 publications assert Indigenous’ peoples rights and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters and develop multidisciplinary understandings of landscapes. She holds a PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada, and has research collaborations around the world. Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) is an award winning Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga New Zealand’s Centre of Māori Research Excellence, fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and recipient of the New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. Her more than 100 publications assert Indigenous’ peoples rights and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters and develop multidisciplinary understandings of landscapes. She holds a PhD from the University of Victoria, Canada, and has research collaborations around the world.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx