New Zealand Mountain Granted the Same Legal Rights as a Person

The move comes after decades of negotiations between the Crown and Maori tribes.

Fishermen cast a line in the surf at the Mokau river mouth on the TaranakiWaikato boarder, under the shadow of Mt Taranaki. Ross Land/Getty Images

New Zealand’s famous Mt. Taranaki has been granted similar legal rights to a person, sans the right to pay taxes or drive.

In a unanimous vote by the New Zealand Parliament on Jan. 30, the government agreed to compensate eight tribes around Taranaki for illegal land seizures in the 1800s, following almost a decade of negotiations between the Crown and representatives.