This River Is Now A Person

>> TODAY IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT A RIVER IN NEW ZEALAND WILL BE
GRANTED ITS OWN LEGAL IDENTITY AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
THAT IS THE
CULMINATION OF NEARLY 150 YEAR
LONG LEGAL BATTLE BETWEEN ADVOCATES AND TRIBES IN THE
AREA WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
THIS HAS GONE ON FOR OVER A CENTURY.
THE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL FOR
THIS CAME SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT NOW WE HAVE NOT ONLY THE ACTUAL
FINAL AGREEMENT BUT ALSO MONEY THAT IS GOING TO BE USED TO
PROTECT THE AREA.
>> THAT'S AMAZING.
>>
AND WE
HAVE HAD HER OWN BATTLES WITH
THAT IN THE US AS WELL.
>> WHAT DUTIES DOES A RIVER HAVE?
>>FLOW BABY.
>>TO QUOTE MITT ROMNEY, "RIVERS ARE PEOPLE MY FRIEND."
>> LET'S NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT YOU GUYS JUST SAID THE DUTY
OF THE RIVER WOULD BE TO FLOW.
I THOUGHT IT SEEMED A LITTLE SILLY
AT FIRST, THAT IS MY PERSPECTIVE TALKING.
WHEN I READ INTO IT
ESPECIALLY THE QUOTE THAT JOHN
JUST READ I THOUGHT THAT IS KIND OF INTERESTING.
WHAT IS MORE OF
A PERSON, A RIVER OR CORPORATION?
I WOULD ARGUE
NEITHER, BUT A RIVER IS MUCH
MORE ALIVE THAN A CORPORATION.
POINT WELL TAKEN.
THAT IS WHY
DIVERSITY IS INTERESTING.
IF WE DIDN'T ALLOW FOR THAT DIVERSITY
AND JUST RAN OVER THIS TRIBE, I WOULD NEVER HAVE THAT
PERSPECTIVE.
THEY THINK IT IS A PART OF THEIR EXISTENCE AND THAT
IT HAS ITS OWN SPIRIT IN A SENSE.
THAT IS FASCINATING.
>>THE TRIBES HAVE THIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH IT.
I READ UP
ON SOME OF THE HISTORY.
IT IS THE LARGEST NAVIGABLE RIVER IN
NEW ZEALAND.
THE WAY THIS RIVER IS WOVEN INTO THEIR CULTURE AND
STORIES ABOUT INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
RIVER IS VERY INTERESTING.
AT ONE POINT THAT WAS THE AREA,
ALONG THE BANKS IS WHERE THE
MAJORITY OF THE TRIBES IN THE AREA LIVED.
THEN YOU HAVE
COLONIZATION THAN THEY WERE DISPLACED AND THAT IS ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT GAVE RISE TO ALL
THESE LEGAL CHALLENGES.
YOU ALSO HAVE MONETARY COMPENSATION.
NOT
TOO LONG AGO THERE WAS A
VOLCANIC ERUPTION, AS A RESULT IT LEECHED INTO THE RIVER
KILLING A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE
WILDLIFE.
THIS MONEY BEING USED TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF THE RIVER IS NOT
JUST MAN-MADE PROBLEMS, BUT NATURAL PROBLEMS THAT COME AS
WELL.
>>THIS IS A HUGE PART OF NATIVE CULTURE ACROSS THE WORLD.
WE HAD
THE WATER PROTECTORS AT STANDING
ROKU VIEW THAT WATER AS SACRED.
COMING FROM THE INDUSTRIAL
WORLD, I THINK WATER IS WATER.
ON THE OTHER HAND MAKING THE
ARGUMENT THAT WATER IS LIFE IS A
FAR MORE PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT THAN THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE MADE
TODAY ABOUT HOW THESE LAWS ARE
LIFE, LAWS REGARDING CORPORATIONS AND INCORPORATED
ENTITIES.
A LEGAL TRUST IS NOT A PERSON, AND WATER HAS A MUCH
BETTER CLAIM.
LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE POISONED WATER, THE LIFE
AROUND IT DIES.
THEY VIEW THIS PERSONAL.
IF YOU ARE PART OF
MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT
BELIEVE WE ARE ALL ONE THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO YOU.
FINALLY FOR MY PERSPECTIVE, AT LEAST WHAT IT DOES AND
PRACTICALITY IS IT GIVES A
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE RIVER.
LEGALLY THAT IS PRETTY INTERESTING, MAYBE THE RIVER'S
INTEREST SHOULD BE PROTECTED.
ESPECIALLY IF AS A SOCIETY YOU ARE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB OF IT.
>>HERE IN THE US IT IS A VERY DIFFERENT CULTURE.
IF YOU REALLY
THINK ABOUT THE WAY OIL EXECUTIVES, COAL EXECUTIVES, AND
REPUBLICANS THEY HAVE BOUGHT TALK ABOUT NATURAL GAS, OIL, AND
COAL AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO OUR BUSINESS, OUR ADVANCEMENT,
OUR CULTURE, THE WAY THEY TALK ABOUT THOSE NATURAL RESOURCES
HAS A SPIRITUAL COMPONENT TO IT.
I DON'T THINK IT IS THAT MUCH OF A STRETCH EVEN THOUGH THE
LANGUAGE THEY USE IS DIFFERENT.
>> I AM CERTAINLY NO EXPERT IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND,
BUT I FIND IT PECULIAR THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO AFFORD THIS
RIVER PROTECTED STATUS WITHOUT
ASSIGNING ITS PERSONHOOD STATUS.
THERE MUST'VE BEEN SOME FIX
THERE WITHOUT GETTING INTO THIS
WEIRD METAPHYSICAL TERRITORY ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES A PERSON.
MY SENSE IS IT WAS DONE OUT OF DEFERENCE TO THIS ANIMISM.
I
DON'T KNOW, THE CRANKY SECULARIST PART OF ME THINKS IT
IS NONSENSICAL.
WHY ARE WE GIVING CREDENCE TO THE SILLY
CONCEPTIONS OF WHAT A RIVER CAN CONSTITUTE METAPHYSICALLY.
I AM
ALL FOR LEGAL PROTECTION FOR A
RIVER THAT IS SACRED AND IS CENTRAL TO THIS TRIBE, BUT THE
IDEA THAT WE HAVE TO BROADEN OUR CONCEPTION OF A PERSON IN
ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT SEEMS WEIRD.
>> I THINK WHAT THEY ARE DRIVING AT IS THAT WATER IS NOT AS
PROTECTED AS IT SHOULD BE. IS CERTAINLY THE CASE HERE IN THE
US.
I AM DEEPLY SECULARIST AND AGNOSTIC.
I SEE THE WATER
PROTECTORS UP IN NORTH DAKOTA, THAT IS WONDERFUL AND PEACEFUL
AND I APPRECIATE IT, BUT IT IS NOT FOR ME.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT
PRAYER WORKS.
THAT IS OUR OPINION.
DO I AGREE WITH THEIR
RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY ABOUT THE
WATER?
NO.
DO I THINK THAT WE HAVE OUR PRIORITIES A LITTLE
WRONG
IN SOCIETY?
IF THIS CULTURE EMPHASIZED WATER IN A
WAY THAT I DISAGREE WITH, AT LEAST THEY WON IN PROTECTING IT.
SO GOD BLESS, IF YOU WILL.

This River Is Now A Person

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