Aperahama Edwards, Ngātiwai Trust Board Chair, says tohorā are tūpuna, and the Tohorā Oranga Bill, which proposes personhood, will ensure they have a voice in law and the protection they deserve.
“I roto i te titiro a te Māori, he kō atu te tohorā i te tangata noa iho, engari mō te tahuri ki te ture i roto i te ao o te ture, te ture Pākehā, ko te tangata tonu te teiteitanga o te mea whai mana ki tēnei ao. Nā reira, ki te whakarapa i tērā āhuatanga ki runga i te tohorā, Ki tā mātou titiro, mana tonu atu” says Edwards.
For some, the significance of tohorā in te ao Māori may bring to mind stories, songs, or the image of the tekoteko of Paikea atop Whitireia.
Edwards says conservation projects like this have been operating in the background for a long time, driven by climate change, maltreatment of whales, but also whakapapa.
“Ehara i te mea kotahi anake te mahi a te tangata, e raru ai te tohorā, he nui tonu. I tēnei wā tonu, kua āhua whakatārewa te patu tohorā, engari kei konā tonu hoki taua mea. Nā reira, mā te pēnei ka puta ngā tiakitanga tika mō te tohorā ka whai reo te tohorā i roto i te ture,” says Edwards.
Shane Jones, NZ First MP and Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, has a different perspective. He says he’s drifted away from the concept of personhood since Taranaki maunga was granted the status, and the desire to mine in Taranaki was affected.
“I’ve gone off that idea”, says Jones.
“Kāre au i te whakaae. E kore au e pai kia whakapaua e mātou tō mātou kaha, waenga tonu i a Aotearoa Tuatahi, kia whakatangatangia ai te tohorā, waiho te tohorā kia tohorā tonu.”
Tohorā are currently protected by the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 within Aotearoa’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Under this Act, it is an offence to harass, catch, kill, injure or disturb whales; however, permits can still be granted to bypass these rules (e.g., non-lethal scientific research).
Ngātiwai Trust Board and Hinemoana Halo were recently commended for their support with the Tohorā Oranga Bill by Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono.
“Tohorā whales feature in all of our stories and an incredibly important part of who we are as well. And I think of that whakataukī, ”tere tohorā, tere tangata", where whales go, people follow,” says Tuiono.
The bill now enters the ballot process. If drawn, it will spark one of the most unique legal debates in New Zealand’s history.
