New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Maori

FILE - A man takes a picture of his wife with Taranaki Maunga, previously known as Mount Taranaki, in the background in New Plymouth, New Zealand, Sept. 26, 2011. FILE - New Zealand's Taranaki Maunga, previously known as Mount Taranaki, has a warm glow lighting the snow peak, June 12, 2011.

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 responsibilities of a human being.