Maori king calls for whales to be given human rights

The king of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people made an impassioned call yesterday for whales to be granted the same legal rights as people in a bid to protect the hallowed yet vulnerable species.

Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau te Wherowhero VII said that majestic marine mammals should be given inherent human rights, such as having a healthy environment, to allow the restoration of their populations.

“The sound of our ancestor’s song has grown weaker, and her habitat is under threat, which is why we must act now,” he said.

New Zealand has previously passed laws granting legal status to natural features such as rivers and mountains that are important to the Maori people.

The status has since been invoked to slow or overturn development projects and to force consultation with local groups.

Tuheitia said granting whales the same status would act as “a cloak of protection for our taonga (treasure), our ancestor – the whales”.

The statement was jointly issued with the high chief of the neighbouring Cook Islands, Travel Tou Ariki.

The leaders are advocating for indigenous knowledge to be combined with science for a “holistic approach” to whale conservation.

Establishing protected marine areas would be a “crucial” step, they added.

The leaders want Polynesian nations who share “a love for the vast Pacific Ocean” to help.

“We can no longer turn a blind eye,” high chief Travel Tou Ariki said. “Whales play a vital role in the health of our entire ocean ecosystem. Their decline disrupts the delicate balance that sustains all life in Te Moana (the sea).”