New Zealand river’s personhood status offers hope to Māori

The Whanganui River winds through the town of Whanganui, New Zealand, on June 15, 2022. In 2017, New Zealand passed a groundbreaking law granting personhood status to the river. The law declares that the river is a living whole, from the mountains to the sea, incorporating all its physical and metaphysical elements. (AP Photo/Brett Phibbs)