| Whanganui River | |
|---|---|
 The Whanganui River. Mount Ruapehu can partly be seen at the top right of the scene. | |
 The Whanganui River system | |
| Native name | Whanganui (Māori) |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Manawatū-Whanganui |
| Towns and cities | Taumarunui, Whanganui |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Tongariro |
| Mouth | Tasman Sea |
• coordinates | 39°56.89′S 174°59.22′E / 39.94817°S 174.98700°E |
• elevation | Sea level |
| Length | 290 km (180 mi) |
| Basin size | 7,380 km2 (2,850 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 219 m3/s (7,700 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Whakapapa River, Retaruke River, Manganui o te Ao River |
| • right | Pungapunga River, Ongarue River, Ohura River, Tangarakau River, Whangamōmona River |
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natural resource (after Te Urewera) to be given its own legal identity, with the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person. The Whanganui Treaty settlement brought the longest-running litigation in New Zealand history to an end.[2][3]
- ^ "NIWA Water & soil miscellaneous publication no. 48 (1983)" (PDF). docs.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Davison, Isaac. "Whanganui River given legal status of a person under unique Treaty of Waitangi settlement". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge (16 March 2017). "New Zealand river granted same legal rights as human being". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 March 2017.