Paradise News

Tag: United Kingdom

  • Freshfields’ financials unveiled after firm kept quiet on results

    Figures courtesy of Companies House

    The pre-tax profits of Magic Circle player Freshfields dipped last year despite a sharp rise in revenue, new figures reveal.

    This comes after the firm announced in the summer of 2023 that it would no longer publish its financial performance outside what is required in company filings.

    At the time managing partner Rick van Aerssen said that “we consider the real sign of the firm’s progress to be based on the quality of business we’ve built and the client mandates we’re winning around the globe”, rather than financial performance.

    The new figures cover up to the end of April 2024, and show a pre-tax profit of £668.9 million, dropping from £726.3 million the previous year. This comes in spite of a climb in revenue of 18%, now sitting well clear of the £2 billion threshold at £2.12 billion.

    At the top table the firm’s senior partner, managing partners, and heads of global practice grounds shared from a pot of £26.2 million, up from £21.8 million the year before.

     The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    The overall employee wage bill climbed by 15% to £1.1 billion, no doubt caused in part the ongoing pay war across City firms which saw Freshfields boost newly qualified lawyer pay by 20% in 2024, setting a new Magic Circle standard of £150,000.

    Looking globally, the firm’s European work saw a 20% boost in revenue up to £1.56 billion, with US work rising from £311 million to £391 million, and Middle East and North Africa also increasing from £34 million to £42 million.

    The only location where revenues fell was Asia, the firm’s figures dropping from £142 million in 2023 to £127 million last year.

    These new figures were only filed late last week, while other Magic Circle firms released their results in press statements last summer.. These included Linklaters breaking the £2 billion revenue mark for the first time, Allen & Overy‘s pre-merger figure rising to £2.1 billion, and Clifford Chance taking top spot on £2.3 billion. Slaughter and May continues its longstanding tradition of not publishing results.

    The post Freshfields’ financials unveiled after firm kept quiet on results appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • EU minister vows ‘ruthless pragmatism’ as Brexit reset ‘pillars’ set out in major speech

    The minister for the constitution and European Union relations has set out the “three pillars” — prosperity, safety and security — shaping the government’s approach to its attempted reset of relations between the UK and EU.

    Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister responsible for leading Keir Starmer’s “Brexit reset”, insisted that the UK wants “closer working with our allies in the EU”.

    Speaking in Brussels at the UK-EU forum’s annual conference, he said the British government sees “real opportunities to improve the status quo” in the reset happening this year, with the UK and the EU set to revise how their post-Brexit trade deal operates.

    He said: “This British government was elected on a mandate to strengthen national security by reconnecting with our allies, to increase people’s safety through strong borders, and to increase prosperity through growth.

    “Our European friends are a part of every single one of those priorities, and I believe it’s these priorities that form the three pillars of a reset in our relationship.”

    The EU relations minister added: “The time for ideologically driven division is over, time for ruthless pragmatism is now”.

    “It is through a new partnership between the UK and the EU that we will deliver for the people of the United Kingdom and for people across the continent.

    “The future of the EU and the UK lies beyond the status quo, reaching forward to deliver benefits for all our people to share.

    “So let us rise to our shared challenges and grasp this opportunity because together we will create a stronger UK and we will create a stronger Europe.”

    ***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***

    Belief that Britain was right to leave the EU falls to new low of 30%, poll finds

    Thomas-Symonds also remarked that improving the UK-EU trade deal could kickstart ailing economies across the continent.

    He said: “A study published last year showed that between 2021 and 2023 the goods EU businesses export to the UK were down by 32 per cent, whilst UK goods exports to the EU were down by 27 per cent.

    “That is not good for British or European businesses, especially at a time when our economies need a kickstart.

    “Reducing trade barriers is of mutual benefit to the UK and the EU.”

    Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

    Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

    Source: Politics

  • Number of pupil barristers continues to rise, data shows

    Diversity stats see minor changes

    The number of pupil barristers in England and Wales has risen again for the second year in a row.

    The latest figures, which cover up to December 2024, show that there are 589 current pupil barristers, an increase of 17, or 3%, on last year. This contributes to the 2% growth in barristers overall, with a net increase of 303 junior practitioners, and 44 silks.

    Within this group the proportion of female pupils has fallen slightly by 1%, although remains at just over 58% of the total cohort. This figure isn’t reflected further up the ladder, however, with the overall percentage of female barristers at 43.2%, dipping to just 21.1% among silks.

    The same is true for pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, with the figure dropping 0.4% from 24.9% to 24.5%. This compares to the 19% of the working age population who identify as part of the group.

    Within this Asian/Asian British people make up 12.4% of all pupils and 8% of the population, with Black/Black British adding 3.6% compared to 5.4%, and Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups adding 7.2%, compared to 1.9%.

    There is again a disparity further up, with 17.3% of all barristers coming from minority ethnic backgrounds, and only 10.2% of silks.

    Whilst 80.8% of the working population identify as white, this compares to 75.5% of pupils, 82.1% of non-KCs, and 89.2% of silks.

    Commenting on the report, BSB director-general Mark Neale said:

    “It is encouraging to see that over the last year the Bar has continued to become more representative of the society that it serves. Nonetheless, there are still significant disparities, including between the proportion of the Bar who are female and the proportion of KCs who are female and between proportion of the Bar who come from a minority ethnic background and the proportion of KCs who come from a minority ethnic background.”

    “Breaking down these barriers to progress is therefore key and this data reinforces why our equality, diversity and inclusion work is crucial, including our continuing review of the Equality Rules and the development of our new five year strategy, Neale continued. “We very much look forward to the dialogue with the profession on the revision of the Equality Rules proposed by Barabara Mills KC in her inaugural address.”

    Check out the Legal Cheek Chambers Most List to get insider information on 50+ chambers ahead of the Pupillage Gateway deadline this Thursday.

    The post Number of pupil barristers continues to rise, data shows appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Inquiry launched into electronic voting for MPs in the House of Commons

    An inquiry by the cross-party procedure committee of MPs has been launched into whether House authorities should introduce electronic voting for commons divisions.

    At present, when a division is called in the House of Commons, MPs who wish to cast a vote must do so in-person by proceeding to the division lobbies located adjacent to the chamber.

    The system has been criticised by parliamentarians elected at the 2024 general election, who say the act of walking in and out of division lobbies — often for many votes in a row — is a waste of both House and MPs’ time. 

    In a commons debate on the modernisation of House procedure last year, Green party MP Ellie Chowns said she thought it was “extraordinary” that the commons does not have electronic voting. 

    She told the House: “It’s extraordinary to me that we do not have electronic voting…. While I’ve been here, I’ve participated in five votes and that’s taken at least an hour and a quarter.

    “If you add up each of those votes, it adds up to basically a month’s worth of MP time.”

    Green MP calls for commons overhaul, with electronic voting and electoral reform

    In December, a letter signed by a cross-party group of over 60 backbench MPs urged House authorities to consider introducing electronic voting. 39 Labour MPs signed the joint letter to Lucy Powell, the leader of the Commons, including established backbenchers such as Stella Creasy, John Trickett and Sharon Hodgson.

    The letter read: “Spending 15 minutes corralling every MP through two corridors to say aye or no can regularly account for 20% of our working day… With complicated or contested legislation that has multiple votes hours disappear.

    “All other work pauses when the division bell is called – delaying select committees, Westminster Hall debates, meetings and necessitating MPs to second guess when they need to be on the estate to the detriment of their ability to progress work elsewhere, including in their constituency.”

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, due to social distancing requirements, MPs were able to vote electronically in some divisions in the House. This was known as “remote voting”. But these arrangements lapsed in mid-2021 alongside other pandemic-era procedures.

    Several other legislatures around the world — including the UK parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords — currently operate some form of electronic voting arrangements.

    The House of Lords put in place online voting between 15 June 2020 and September 2021. Peers continue to vote online but may only do so when present on the parliamentary estate.

    The procedure committee inquiry will look at the pros and cons of the current operation of divisions in the House of Commons and the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangement for divisions.

    Commenting on the newly launched inquiry, committee chair Cat Smith said: “Electronic voting is already in use in other legislatures in various forms — including in the House of Lords — and the new parliament gives us the chance to investigate whether it’s time for the House of Commons to adapt its procedures.

    “There are several factors to consider before any major changes, such as the historical context for in-person divisions, the impact of the recent introduction of pass readers in the voting lobbies, and the robustness of our technological systems.

    “We look forward to hearing a broad range of views from colleagues and other interested parties.”

    Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

    Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

    Ellie Chowns: ‘Let’s seize the moment to haul our clunking democracy into the 21st century’

    Source: Politics

  • Is Keir Starmer’s strategy for handling president Trump paying off?

    Donald Trump’s political revival has inspired a veritable cottage industry in Britain of speculation and commentary suggesting the so-called UK-US “special relationship” has expired, or deteriorated — or outright perished.

    Anonymous quotes attributed to members of Trump’s amorphous inner circle had cast doubt over Peter Mandelson’s selection as the UK’s man in Washington. But the latest report, courtesy of The Independent, holds that the former New Labour Machiavel has been confirmed by the Trump administration as the next British ambassador to the US.

    Foreign secretary David Lammy’s past criticism of the US president — having once branded Trump a “tyrant in a toupee” and a “serial liar and a cheat” — has also been raised as a possible flashpoint issue. Less considered, has been Lammy’s budding friendship with US vice president JD Vance.

    Meanwhile some of Trump’s closet confidantes, notably tech billionaire and MAGA efficiency tsar Elon Musk, have denigrated the UK PM’s tenure in office using overtly conspiracist conjecture. Such attacks have been seized upon and encouraged by Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader and “close friend” of the US president — particularly as they relate to the controversial Chagos Islands handover.

    There is an aesthetic judgement here too. Starmer, the considered, bespectacled human rights lawyer, could not cut a sharper contrast with Trump, the bombastic and wildly unpredictable property tycoon-turned-spiritual leader of the US right.

    ***This content first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch newsletter, sign-up for free and never miss our daily briefing.***

    But the opinion of Trump himself on Keir Starmer, as a statesman and prospective international partner, appears to contradict such analysis. Having castigated the US Democrats for deploying UK Labour campaigners in key swing states during the presidential election, everything Trump has said about Starmer since taking office has been roundly positive.

    Last month, Trump said the prime minister has done a “very good job thus far” and that the pair have a “very good relationship”. Asked by the BBC on board Air Force One about his relationship with Starmer, Trump said: “I get along with him well. I like him a lot.

    “He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far.

    “He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”

    In comments overnight, the US president continued in this vein of speaking positively about Starmer. Asked by the BBC in a stop at the Joint Base Andrews airforce facility whether he will target the UK with tariffs, Trump said: “It might happen with that, but it will definitely happen with the European Union.”

    Taking aim at the EU, Trump said: “They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products. They take almost nothing, and we take everything from the millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products.

    “So the UK is way out of line, and we’ll see the UK, but [the] European Union is really out of line.

    “The UK is out of line, but I’m sure that one — I think that one can be worked out. But the European Union, it’s an atrocity what they’ve done.”

    Upon further questioning, Trump added: “Well, prime minister Starmer has been very nice. We’ve had a couple of meetings. We’ve had numerous phone calls. We’re getting along very well.

    “We’ll see whether or not we can balance out our budget.”

    ***This content first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch newsletter, sign-up for free and never miss our daily briefing.***

    The warm words employed by UK government spokespeople — including Starmer — to describe the Trump administration have been subject to scrutiny in recent weeks, particularly by progressive opposition parties (the SNP, Lib Dems and Greens), who believe the PM should take a principled stand against the US president. Lammy’s description of Trump as “generous” and a man with “incredible grace”, in particular, was criticised by some as excessively submissive.

    But Trump’s signal today that the UK might well be exempted from his sweeping tariff regime amounts to a diplomatic coup — albeit a tentative one. Starmer’s search for economic growth, the defining mission of his premiership, would be set back significantly if the US president’s trade concerns cannot be “worked out” using standard diplomatic channels.

    There are caveats, of course. One cannot always take Trump’s musings — particularly those rambled to reporters on the eve of a long-haul flight — as comprehensive statements of administration policy, or fact. Indeed, the US president insisted he and Starmer had had a “couple of meetings” and “numerous phone calls” in recent months. The public record would suggest he is overstating the extent of their communication.

    But when once a transatlantic row between the Starmer government and US administration, encouraged by Musk and UK-based MAGA sympathisers, appeared inevitable — Trump’s remarks point to a positive working relationship. And at a time when the US president is running roughshod over diplomatic norms and razing relationships with supposed allies no less.

    It is the government’s stated position that the UK need not choose between the US and Europe in search of its place in the world, and — crucially — deeper economic ties. Expectations for this strategy, given historic Labour-MAGA antagonism (and our geographic reality), have been low.

    But on the day his Brexit “reset” faces a crucial test in Brussels, Trump’s comments could well serve to strengthen Starmer’s resolve.

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    Lunchtime briefing

    Half of Britons support voting reform and ‘proportional’ system, poll finds

    Lunchtime soundbite

    ‘We mustn’t let Donald Trump bully the UK or our close ally Canada, who we share a head of state with. Trump’s tariffs on our Commonwealth partner are a shocking way to treat a country that stood alongside both the US and the UK during the second world war.’

    —  Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urges Keir Starmer to invite Commonwealth leaders to a summit in London to discuss coordinated retaliation against the US for the tariffs it has imposed on Canada.

    Now try this…

    ‘Brussels lowers its expectations for Keir Starmer’s Brexit reset’
    Via Politico.

    ‘Keir Starmer’s EU reset: Brexit has failed, Macron will tell Britain’
    The Times reports. (Paywall)

    ‘SNP pivot pays off in Scotland as Labour support sinks’
    Latest poll shows pro-independence party set to remain in power as the largest party after next Holyrood elections, writes the FT’s Simeon Kerr. (Paywall)

    On this day in 2022:

    DUP First Minister Paul Givan resigns in protest of Northern Ireland Protocol

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    Source: Politics

  • Freshfields hit with nepotism claims after two trainees land New York secondments

    Magic Circle giant gets itself in a pickle

    New York

    Magic Circle law firm Freshfields has stressed that it follows “strict guidelines” for allocating overseas secondments, amid claims that two trainees received special treatment in securing roles in New York after their original placements didn’t work out.

    The allegations centre around two sisters in the firm’s current trainee cohort, who were reportedly handed sought-after secondments in New York after initially being assigned to the firm’s Amsterdam and Dubai offices.

    According to an anonymous source quoted by RollOnFriday, the siblings “complained loudly” about their initial placements, and soon after, two additional spots opened in the firm’s office in the Big Apple. The report also claims that another trainee, originally seconded to Paris, was “forced” to relocate to Amsterdam in response to “business need”.

     The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Freshfields assigns secondments based on appraisal scores, ensuring all trainees have the opportunity to spend time overseas. However, the decision to relocate the sisters reportedly caused “a bit of internal uproar”, with the move becoming even more contentious due to their apparent status as “family friends” of a high-ranking corporate partner at the firm.

    The secondment switch prompted trainees and associates to raise concerns with HR, corporate partners and even the firm’s social mobility committee. In response, trainee development partner Craig Montgomery apparently emailed the cohort, explaining that the two New York positions became available later in the process and had they been available from the outset, they would have gone to the sisters.

    The report claims that the firm justified the switch on grounds of “personal safety and wellbeing”, though a spokesperson declined to provide further details when approached for comment by Legal Cheek.

    However, a firm spokesperson did stress that it follows “strict guidelines” when allocating secondments, which are “merit-based, objective and transparent”.

    They went on to add that the firm takes these “guiding principles very seriously” and that it couldn’t “comment on circumstances surrounding particular individuals involved in that process”.

    The post Freshfields hit with nepotism claims after two trainees land New York secondments appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Half of Britons support voting reform and ‘proportional’ system, poll finds

    Half of Britons (49 per cent) support reform of the voting system and the introduction of proportional representation (PR) — almost twice as many as those who favour retaining the present first past the post (FPTP) system, a new YouGov poll has found. 

    The 2024 general election was the most disproportional in British history, which saw the Labour Party receive 63.2 per cent of House of Commons seats on just 33.7 per cent of the vote. An increase of 1.6 per cent in the party’s 2019 vote-share had seen Keir Starmer’s party more than double its seats to 411.

    Support for a switch to PR is highest among Green (72 per cent), Reform UK (67 per cent) and Liberal Democrat voters (61 per cent) — the three parties who officially support electoral reform.

    A majority of Labour voters (53 per cent) also support moving to a PR system — versus only 27 per cent who would prefer to keep FPTP.

    Overall, just 26 per cent of voters favour retaining the FPTP system, YouGov found. A further 25 per cent responded “Don’t know” when asked which voting system they prefer, PR or FPTP.

    Conservative voters are fairly evenly divided between the 39 per cent who would like the UK to adopt PR and the 42 per cent who continue to support FPTP.

    YouGov also found that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of those who express a preference for either voting system say they feel strongly about it, including 59 per cent of those who prefer FPTP and 66 per cent of those who favour PR.

    The poll comes as cross-party pressure for reform of the voting system builds, following a House of Commons debate on proportional representation last week. 

    In the debate, MPs from the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK and Green parties pressured the government to change the “broken” FPTP system.

    Labour MP Alex Sobel, chair of the Fair Elections All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), told the government that FPTP is “failing on its own terms” and “producing more and more random results.”

    Where do Britons stand on voting system trade-offs?

    — Josh Self (@josh-self.bsky.social) 2025-02-03T10:06:44.982Z

    Liberal Democrat MP and Fair Elections APPG vice-chair Lisa Smart said: “[FPTP] is a system that no longer functions as a fair or effective mechanism for translating the will of the electorate into parliamentary representation.

    “It is collapsing under its own weight, and the time has come to take the first step in addressing this failure with the establishment of a national commission for electoral reform.”

    The minister responsible for responding to the debate, Rushanara Ali, confirmed that the government has “no plans to change the voting system” for elections to the House of Commons “at this time”.

    The democracy minister added: “The [FPTP] system, while not perfect, provides for… a direct relationship between members of parliament and their local constituency.”

    The debate followed a commons vote late last year, when MPs backed a symbolic motion on proportional representation by 138 MPs to 136. 

    Those in favour included 59 Labour MPs.

    Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

    Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

    ‘No plans to change voting system’ insists minister, as cross-party pressure for reform builds

    Source: Politics

  • Legally Blonde star Reese Witherspoon mistaken for real lawyer during jury duty

    Fellow jurors wanted her as foreman

    Reese Witherspoon revealed last week that her iconic role as Elle Woods in the comedy film Legally Blonde caused some confusion when she served on a jury in Beverly Hills

    Reese Witherspoon shared on a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show that she was called for jury service about seven years after Legally Blonde premiered. When it came time to select a foreman, her fellow jurors unanimously pointed to her. “They were like, ‘You went to law school!’” she recalled.

    Witherspoon clarified the misunderstanding but confirmed that she did serve as the foreman. “I was like, ‘Y’all this is really upsetting. I definitely did not go to law school, I didn’t finish college, I played a lawyer in a movie once but they fully made me the foreman,” she said.

    The experience was slightly concerning, Witherspoon revealed: “I started realising… people don’t know much about the law.” She continued, “Some bad stuff goes down in there. They were like, ‘I think she’s guilty ’cause I don’t like the way she looked.’ And that was very troubling. I was like, ‘You can’t say that. We don’t have enough evidence!’” She may not be a real lawyer, but it seems the Elle Woods actress still managed to stand up against shallow assumptions to get the case back on track.

    It was announced last year that Witherspoon is set to produce a Legally Blonde prequel series entitled Elle which delves into Elle Woods’ life at high school before she reaches Harvard Law School.

    The post Legally Blonde star Reese Witherspoon mistaken for real lawyer during jury duty appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek

  • Donald Trump suggests UK could avoid tariffs and praises ‘very nice’ Starmer

    The president of the United States has said he is “getting along very well” with Keir Starmer and suggested a UK-US trade dispute could be resolved without tariffs. 

    The comments came as Trump unveiled tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China, which are due to kick in this week. He has also been clear that the European Union (EU) is next in line.

    Asked by BBC News in a stop at the Joint Base Andrews air force facility whether he will target the UK with tariffs, Trump said: “It might happen with that, but it will definitely happen with the European Union.”

    Taking aim at the EU, Trump said: “They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products. They take almost nothing, and we take everything from the millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products.

    “So the UK is way out of line, and we’ll see the UK, but [the] European Union is really out of line.

    “The UK is out of line, but I’m sure that one — I think that one can be worked out. But the European Union, it’s an atrocity what they’ve done.”

    UK PM Keir Starmer has held a series of calls with the US president, repeatedly stressing the significance of the so-called “special relationship” between the two countries.

    ***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***

    Speaking to reporters early on Monday, Trump said that discussions with Starmer have “been very nice”.

    He said: “Well, prime minister Starmer has been very nice. We’ve had a couple of meetings. We’ve had numerous phone calls. We’re getting along very well.

    “We’ll see whether or not we can balance out our budget.”

    Responding to Trump’s comments, a UK government spokesperson said: “The US is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners, and we have a fair and balanced trading relationship which benefits both sides of the Atlantic.

    “We look forward to working closely with president Trump to continue to build on UK-US trading relations for our economy, businesses and the British people.”

    Starmer is in Brussels on Monday as he becomes the first UK prime minister to join a gathering of EU leaders since Brexit. The trip is part of what Starmer calls a “reset” between the UK and the European Union.

    “I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine”, the prime minister said.

    “Because ultimately, alongside our military support, that is what will bring peace closer.”

    Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

    Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

    Source: Politics

  • New Zealand grants mountain same legal rights as a person 

    Mt Taranaki will own itself

    A New Zealand mountain has been granted the same legal rights as a person under a landmark settlement recognising its cultural and spiritual significance to Māori.

    The agreement, which has now become law, means Taranaki Maunga [Mt Taranaki] will effectively own itself, with governance shared between representatives of local iwi (tribes) and the government.

    The legislation seeks to redress historic injustices against the Māori of the Taranaki region during colonisation. “We must acknowledge the hurt that has been caused by past wrongs, so we can look to the future to support iwi to realise their own aspirations and opportunities,” said Paul Goldsmith, the government minister responsible for negotiations.

    The Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill, passed by New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday, gives the mountain legal personhood, formally recognising its status as an ancestor and a living entity. It also restores its original name, removing the title ‘Egmont’ — bestowed by British explorer James Cook in the 18th century — from official use.

    For many Māori, the decision marks a long-overdue acknowledgment of Taranaki Maunga’s sacred status. “Today, Taranaki, our maunga [mountain], our maunga tupuna [ancestral mountain], is released from the shackles, the shackles of injustice, of ignorance, of hate,” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, co-leader of political party Te Pāti Māori [the Māori Party].

    Hundreds of Māori from the region gathered at parliament to witness the bill’s passage, celebrating the legal recognition of their connection to the mountain.

    “Taranaki is what connects us and what binds us together as a people,” Aisha Campbell, a member of a local iwi, told 1News.

    The settlement also includes a formal apology from the government for the historic confiscation of Mount Taranaki and more than a million acres of surrounding land in the 1860s, which caused profound and lasting harm to Taranaki Māori.

    Goldsmith acknowledged the significance of the agreement, stating that “breaches of the Treaty mean that immense and compounding harm have been inflicted upon the whānau [wider family], hapū [sub-tribe] and iwi of Taranaki, causing immeasurable harm over many decades.”

    Importantly, the new legal status does not alter public access rights. “All New Zealanders will be able to continue to visit and enjoy this most magnificent place for generations to come,” Goldsmith confirmed.

    The move follows similar legal recognition of natural features in New Zealand. In 2014, the Te Urewera native forest became the first to be granted personhood, followed by the Whanganui River in 2017, both settlements aimed at integrating Indigenous perspectives into environmental governance.

    Taranaki Maunga’s new status also reflects a growing global movement to extend legal rights to the natural world. Earlier this year, lawyers from Simmons & Simmons supported the development of Te Mana o Te Tohorā (The Enduring Power of Whales), a legal framework that seeks to grant whales legal personhood, recognising their ecological importance and sentience.

    The post New Zealand grants mountain same legal rights as a person  appeared first on Legal Cheek.

    Source: Legal Cheek