The Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 formalised a new way to view, use and understand Te Awa Tupua—the Whanganui River. While giving legal personhood to a river is relatively recent, the paradigm shift towards a new consciousness of natural phenomena having physical and spiritual identities originates from Indigenous knowledge, values and practices. The framework that will implement this new change, Te Pā Auroa nā Te Awa Tupua, is values-based, appoints positions and governance groups, includes a whole-of-river strategy, is supported with funding and applies legal recognition to the Whanganui River and its intrinsic values. This article seeks to build a bridge of understanding to facilitate non-Indigenous engagement with implementing Te Pā Auroa nā Te Awa Tupua as an organising framework for human action and relations with human and nonhuman entities.
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