Mount Taranaki also known by its Māori name Taranaki Maunga, is a towering 8,261-foot stratovolcano that was recognized as a legal person in New Zealand on Thursday.

This includes the confiscation of Mount Taranaki from Māori communities in the 1860s. This isn't New Zealand's first foray into granting personhood to natural entities.

The law passed Thursday gives Taranaki Maunga all the rights, powers, duties, responsibilities and liabilities of a person. Its legal personality has a name: Te Kahui Tupua, which the law views as ...

As a result, the volcano was used as a double for the equally symmetrical Mount Fuji in Japan during the filming of the 2003 film "The Last Samurai," according to NewZealand.com.

Mount Taranaki is officially a person. The volcano — known by its Māori name Taranaki Maunga — is no longer under the ownership of the New Zealand government as of Jan. 30, NBC News reported.

Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred ...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and ...

New Zealand has officially recognized Mount Taranaki as a legal person. The 2,500m volcano on the west coast of the North Island now enjoys the same rights as a human being.

Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand ...