InstitutionClaim Cited
Te Awa Tupua Governance
Te Awa Tupua recognizes the Whanganui River as an indivisible living whole with legal personality and places Tupua te Kawa, the river's intrinsic values, inside public decision-making. Te Pou Tupua speaks for the awa while iwi, Crown, local government, users, and communities coordinate through layered bodies and a whole-river strategy. Legal recognition changes standing and purpose, but restoration still depends on money, agency practice, representation, and difficult choices across the catchment.
What changes when public institutions must relate to a river as an indivisible living whole rather than an owned channel or collection of resources?