WELLINGTON, Jan 31 – New Zealand’s Parliament has yesterday passed the Treaty of Waitangi settlement for Mount Taranaki, formally recognising its legal personhood and restoring its ancestral name.
Radio New Zealand reported that the settlement acknowledges the British Crown’s 1865 confiscation of the mountain and nearly half a million hectares of land.
As part of the agreement, Mount Egmont will cease to be an official geographic name, and Egmont National Park will be renamed Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki. The highest peak will also be formally recognised as Taranaki Maunga.
Te Kahui Tupua, a collective of Maori tribes — called “iwi” — and Crown representatives, will oversee the park’s management, while the land itself will be vested as a legal entity.
Lead negotiator Jamie Tuuta reportedly said this reflects the long-held belief of the Taranaki people that their mountains are ancestors, not mere resources.
The co-leader of the Maori Party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, described the moment as a release from the “shackles of confiscation.”
Meanwhile, iwi negotiator Liana Poutu highlighted the generations of efforts that led to this outcome, noting that more than 200 petitions had been submitted to Parliament over the years.
Taranaki iwi chief executive Wharehoka Wano expressed confidence that the name Egmont would gradually be phased out, saying younger generations are now recognising Taranaki as the rightful name.
Beyond restoring historical names, the settlement also strengthens Maori involvement in conservation efforts.
Taranaki Maunga is a dormant stratovolcano located on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, rising to 2,518 meters, making it the second-highest peak in the region.
