The middle-distance prodigy ran a record time of three minutes 58.35 seconds in wet conditions at Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium.

Pacemakers Sam Tanner (3:58.29) and Ben Wall (3:59.00) also broke the four-minute barrier.

Ruthe has already broken a number of records in 2025, becoming New Zealand’s youngest senior national champion when he won the 3,000m – in another world-record time for his age – in February.

He proceeded to finish in a tie for first with Olympian Tanner to earn a share of the senior 1500m title in March.

“This was probably my favourite goal that I’ve reached,” Ruthe said after his latest record-breaking run.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed this one the most, with all the people here supporting me.

“This has been the most set up for me, so I’m really happy to have gotten this one.”

The four-minute mile has long been a middle-distance running benchmark with Britain’s Sir Roger Bannister, aged 25, the first to beat that mark in 1954.

Norway’s two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran the mile in 3:58.07 at the age of 16, while Australian Cam Myers’s 3:55.44 is currently the best time for a 16-year-old.

The two sides have agreed to begin the first round of negotiations next month.

The announcement is a “major breakthrough” in the economic relationship between the two countries, Luxon said.

“India holds significant potential for New Zealand and will play a pivotal role in doubling New Zealand’s exports by value over the next 10 years,” Luxon said.

Bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at under $2bn (£1.55bn) currently.

Luxon is a keynote speaker at an ongoing geopolitical conference in Delhi, which will also be attended by the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

Besides trade, New Zealand said it was deepening its engagement with India across areas such as defence, security, sports and environment, adding that economic ties with Delhi were a “key priority”.

The two leaders signed a defence cooperation pact for enhanced maritime security and said they would be exploring greater collaboration in the digital payments sector.

On 16 March, representatives of the Five Eyes – an intelligence-sharing alliance comprising New Zealand along with Australia, Canada, the UK and the US – attended a conference of intelligence and security chiefs hosted by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Delhi.

Proximity to New Zealand is crucial to Delhi’s interests, as India aims to counter China in the Indian Ocean region.

Luxon is reportedly being accompanied by one of the largest delegations a prime minister has ever travelled with, underscoring the importance of the visit.

Trade negotiations between the two countries had initially begun in 2010 but stalled after several rounds over issues such as market access.

New Zealand has sought greater access to India’s dairy market, which India has traditionally protected to support its farmers.

After years of scepticism over free trade, India has recently become more open to negotiating bilateral deals with other countries.

The announcement to restart trade talks with New Zealand comes close on the heels of Delhi relaunching free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Last year, Delhi signed a $100bn free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association – a group of four European countries that are not members of the European Union – after almost 16 years of negotiations.

India and Australia also signed a major trade cooperation deal two years ago.

Last week India’s trade minister Piyush Goyal had “cautioned” an Indian exports organisation “to come out of their protectionist mindset” as the country tried to negotiate trade agreements.

For Delhi, these trade talks have assumed renewed significance on the back of US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tit-for-tat tariffs on imported goods from countries, including India. These are due to come into effect on 2 April.

At an event in London on Tuesday, High Commissioner Phil Goff compared efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which allowed Adolf Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

Mr Goff recalled how Sir Winston Churchill had criticised the agreement, then said of the US leader: “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?”

His comments were “deeply disappointing” and made his position “untenable”, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

His comments came after Trump paused military aid to Kyiv following a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week.

He contrasted Trump with Churchill who, while estranged from the British government, spoke against the Munich Agreement as he saw it as a surrender to Nazi Germany’s threats.

Mr Goff quoted how Churchill had rebuked then UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain: “You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war.”

Peters said Mr Goff’s views did not represent those of the New Zealand government.

“When you are in that position you represent the government and the policies of the day, you’re not able to free think, you are the face of New Zealand,” local media reported Peters saying.

“It’s not the way you behave as the front face of a country, diplomatically,” he said, adding that he would have taken the same course of action no matter which country was being spoken about.

Mr Goff is a veteran politician who had been high commissioner since January 2023. Before that, he served for two terms as mayor of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, and was leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2011. He had also held several ministerial portfolios, including justice, foreign affairs and defence.

Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, told reporters that he had made the decision to sack Phil Goff without first consulting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

When it was pointed out that Luxon was the leader of New Zealand, Peters responded: “I know he’s the prime minister, I made him the prime minister.”

The 79-year-old, who has previously worked with Mr Goff in government, leads the New Zealand First political party – which joined Luxon’s National Party and the Act Party in 2023 to form the current ruling centre-right coalition government.

Luxon, for his part, said Peters’ decision to fire Mr Goff without first consulting him was “entirely appropriate”.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark was among those who criticised Mr Goff’s sacking, saying it was backed by a “very thin excuse”.

“I have been at Munich Security Conference recently where many draw parallels between Munich 1938 and US actions now,” she wrote in a post on X.

Under the 1938 Munich Agreement, Hitler took control of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. The deal failed to stop Nazi Germany from advancing deeper into Europe and World War Two began when he invaded Poland in 1939.

A range of deals Prime Minister Mark Brown signed with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an ally to which the Cooks is closely tied – has caused increasing irritation and concern.

The agreements are the first of their kind with a country that is not a traditional ally. They cover infrastructure, ship-building, tourism, agriculture, technology, education and, perhaps crucially, deep-sea mineral exploration.

Brown says his decisions will be based on the “long-term interests” of the Cook Islands, which are remote, resource-rich and vulnerable to climate change.

Not everyone agrees with him. The new, wide-ranging deals with Beijing have led to protests on Rarotonga – the largest Cook Island – and a vote of no confidence against Brown in parliament, which he survived earlier this week. They have also worried Australia, another powerful ally.

New Zealand said it was “blindsided” by the China deals, but Brown believes his country is independent and does not need to consult Wellington on issues he says are of no concern to them.

He has, nevertheless, tried to reassure Australia and New Zealand that the deals with China don’t replace their relationships. But the apparent snub comes at a time when the West’s grip on the Pacific seems to be loosening.

The rise of China in the Pacific isn’t new. Whether it’s bagging a security deal in the Solomon Islands or providing medical services in Tonga, China’s presence in the region has been growing. And the US and its allies have made a consistent effort to counter that.

But now there is a new dynamic at play as the Trump administration upends relationships with allies such as Ukraine and appears increasingly unpredictable.

The Cook Islands has had what’s known as a “free association” relationship with New Zealand, a former coloniser, since the 1960s – meaning Wellington helps on issues like defence and foreign affairs, and that Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship.

The two countries are very close. There are around 15,000 Cook Islanders living in the Pacific island nation, but as many as 100,000 live in New Zealand and Australia. Culturally, Cook Island Māori – who make up the majority of the population – are also closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori.

The deals with China aren’t the only sign that Brown wants to pull away from New Zealand which have caused concern. He recently abandoned a proposal to introduce a Cook Islands passport following a public outcry.

“[The relationship with NZ] connects us politically and connects us to our brothers and sisters of Aotearoa [the Māori word for New Zealand] – they left our shores to sail to Aotearoa. We need to remember that,” said Cook Islander Jackie Tuara at a recent demonstration against Brown’s deals with China.

In a nation that is not used to huge displays of protest, several hundred people gathered outside parliament in Rarotonga, holding up placards that read: “Stay connected with NZ”. Others waved their New Zealand passports.

“Let us stand in partnership with countries that have the same democratic principles as we are a democratic nation, are we not?” Ms Tuara said. “We don’t want to see our land and our oceans sold to the highest bidder. Those resources are for us – for our children, for their future.”

But for all those who are opposed to Brown’s recent moves away from New Zealand, there are plenty of Cook Islanders who back him.

China specialist Philipp Ivanov, in apparent agreement with the prime minister, says that “the Pacific island nations have their own agency, their own motivations and their own capabilities”.

He believes that the recent developments in the Cook Islands are “all part of that little great game that’s going on between Australia and China and New Zealand in the Pacific. It’s a whack-a-mole kind of game.”

While the US has long been a dominant force in security and military in the region, China has tried to strengthen its ties with the small but strategic Pacific Island nations through aid, infrastructure and security deals.

In response, the likes of the US and the UK have beefed up their diplomatic presence across the region. Australia too has made it clear it will redouble its support. But it’s unclear to what extent US President Donald Trump will continue his predecessor’s commitments in the region to counter China – and Beijing is taking advantage of that.

Last week, planes flying between New Zealand and Australia were diverted after China conducted military exercises involving live fire. Both Australia and New Zealand had been trailing the three Chinese warships that were making their way down the eastern coast of Australia in what experts say is an escalation and unexpected show of power.

“It’s a pretty efficient way of testing the diplomatic response in both the Australia-China and New Zealand-China bilateral relationship, and what the US is prepared to say in defence [of its allies],” says defence analyst Euan Graham, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“It’s also making the point that in the numbers game, China will always be ahead of smaller countries with smaller navies and Australia’s navy is at a historic low.”

China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, told national broadcaster ABC that Beijing’s actions had been appropriate and he won’t apologise for it.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been keen to emphasise that no international laws were broken and that the drills were carried out in international waters. Indeed, many have pointed out that Australia and its allies often sail warships through the South China Sea.

“I’d see it as China wanting to capitalise on the chaotic effect that Trump is having right now,” says Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific Islands programme at Australia’s Lowy Institute. “China is taking advantage of that moment to [say], look Australia, you are actually alone. Where is the United States in all of this?”

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong freely admits “we are in a permanent state of contest in our region, that is the reality”.

In speaking out about the warships last week, Australia’s government was trying to reassure the public about China’s intentions, while also wanting to tell Australians that it’s all in hand. That is not a coincidence as Australia heads towards a federal election in the coming months.

“[Opposition leader Peter] Dutton comes from this national security and home affairs background, so the government doesn’t want to give him any air to criticise Labor,” Philipp Ivanov says. “Being weak on China would be disastrous for them, given what’s going on in the US and given our own elections.”

But it also brings into focus the dilemma this part of the world faces.

“Canberra will be contesting every single move that Beijing tries to make … and it reflects the fact that Canberra and Beijing have diverging strategic interests,” says James Laurenceson, the director of Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

But, he adds, they also have “enormous commonalities” – China is Australia’s largest trading partner – and New Zealand’s – for instance.

“So you’ve got to be able to ride both these horses at the same time.”

It’s not an easy relationship – it never has been. The bigger surprise is that of the US, a traditional ally.

Although many in the Trump administration still describe China as a grave threat, US allies are unsure what to expect from the Washington-Beijing relationship.

And now, as Trump threatens steel and aluminium tariffs and a withdrawal of foreign assistance, Australia feels more isolated than ever. The recent activity of China’s warships in the Tasman Sea serves to highlight that isolation.

“I wouldn’t think of them as military acts, so much as political acts using military hardware,” says Mr Sora of the Lowy Institute.

“I think the political act is to say, look, we can do this anytime we want. You can’t do anything about it, and the United States is not doing anything about it, because they’re busy tearing down the global system.”

Whakaari Management Limited (WML) was found guilty in 2023 of failing to keep visitors safe and fined just over NZ$1m ($560,000; £445,000). They were also ordered to pay NZ$4.8m in reparation to the victims.

However, following an appeal, the High Court ruled on Friday that the company only owned the land and were not responsible for people’s safety.

White Island, which is also known by its Māori name, Whakaari, is New Zealand’s most active volcano and has been erupting in some form since 2011.

It had been showing signs of heightened unrest for weeks before the fatal December 2019 eruption, which killed almost half of the people who were on it at the time. Most were tourists, including 17 from Australia and three from the US.

Another 25 people were injured, with many suffering extensive burns.

High Court Justice Simon Moore said on Friday that while WML licensed tours of the volcano, there was nothing in these agreements that gave the company control of what was happening on the island day to day.

He agreed that it was reasonable for the company to rely on tour operators, as well as emergency management and science organisations, to assess risks to safety.

Justice Moore added that, in coming to his decision, he had not ignored the pain and grief of the families that had been affected.

“It is impossible not to be deeply moved and affected by the sheer scale and nature of the human loss in this case,” he said.

Thirteen parties in total, including tour operators, were charged over the disaster. WML was the last to receive a verdict after six had pleaded guilty, while six more had their charges dismissed.

The case against WML was the largest action of its kind brought by New Zealand’s regulator, Worksafe NZ, who said it acknowledged the High Court ruling and was considering whether to appeal.

James Cairney, a lawyer for James, Andrew and Peter Buttle – three brothers who own the company – said the family welcomed the decision, Radio New Zealand reported. He added that the Buttles hoped it would “bring certainty for all landowners who grant others recreational access to their land”.

The Buttle family has owned Whakaari/White Island since the 1930s, when their grandfather bought it and placed it in a family trust. It is one of only a few privately owned islands in New Zealand.

The brothers had previously been on trial in relation to the 2019 disaster as individuals over alleged breaches of New Zealand’s workplace health and safety legislation. Those charges were dismissed in 2023.

The rare presence of three Chinese naval ships in the Tasman Sea has put both antipodean countries on alert in recent days, with Australia calling it “unusual”.

Australian airline Qantas told the BBC it “temporarily adjusted” the routes of its planes and other carriers have reportedly done the same.

China has said the exercise, which is taking place in international waters, is in accordance with international law.

The ships are now reportedly 340 nautical miles east of the New South Wales coast of Australia, although they were said to have come as close as 150 nautical miles from Sydney at one point.

Australia and New Zealand have been closely monitoring the Chinese fleet – a frigate, a cruiser and a supply tanker – since last week, and have dispatched their own ships to observe them.

Earlier this week, New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins said China had not informed them they would be sending warships to their region and “have not deigned to advise us on what they are doing in the Tasman Sea”, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said that the ships’ presence was “not unprecedented, but it is an unusual event”.

China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday they were doing naval training and exercises in “distant waters”.

“The exercises were conducted in a safe, standard, and professional manner at all times, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Chinese fleet issued an alert on Friday that they would start conducting exercises which may involve live fire.

“This is activity that has occurred in waters consistent with international law… there has been no imminent risk of danger to any Australian assets or New Zealand assets,” he said.

But Marles said the Chinese had not directly notified Australian officials when they put out the alert.

“What China did was put out a notification that it was intending to engage in live fire, and by that I mean a broadcast that was picked up by airlines, literally commercial planes that were flying across the Tasman,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, adding that usually such notices would be given 12 to 24 hours in advance.

On Friday an Emirates plane was reportedly informed about the exercise by Chinese authorities, while it was still in the air as it flew from Sydney to Christchurch. The BBC is seeking confirmation.

In a statement to the BBC, Qantas confirmed that it had changed the routes of its planes flying across the Tasman Sea and said it was continually monitoring airspace.

“We continue to work with the Australian government and broader industry to monitor the situation,” it added.

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have reportedly done the same.

The drill comes just days after Australia and China held a defence dialogue in Beijing where they had discussed military transparency and communication, among other things.

The two countries have seen several recent tense maritime encounters.

Earlier this month, Canberra said a Chinese fighter jet had released flares in front of an Australian military aircraft while flying over the South China Sea. Beijing said the aircraft had “intentionally intruded” into its airspace.

In May last year, Australia accused a Chinese fighter plane of dropping flares close to an Australian navy helicopter that was part of a UN Security Council mission on the Yellow Sea.

Canberra accused Beijing’s navy of using sonar pulses in international waters off Japan in November 2023, resulting in Australian divers suffering injuries.

Bayly said on Monday that he was “deeply sorry” about the incident, which he described as not an argument but an “animated discussion”.

He remains a member of parliament.

His resignation comes after he was criticised last October for calling a winery worker a “loser”- including putting his fingers in an ‘L’ shape on his forehead – and allegedly using an expletive directed at them. He later issued a public apology.

“As many of you know, I have been impatient to drive change in my ministerial portfolios,” Bayly said in a statement announcing his resignation.

“Last week I had an animated discussion with a staff member about work. I took the discussion too far, and I placed a hand on their upper arm, which was inappropriate.”

He said a complaint had been made but would not elaborate further on exactly what had happened.

Bayly resigned last Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon later told a press conference, adding that the incident happened three days earlier, on 18 February.

Luxon said on Monday the government’s handling the issue within a week was “pretty quick” and “pretty impressive”. He denied that he should have asked Bayly to step down following October’s winery incident, and said “never say never” when asked if there was a way back for the 63-year-old into another cabinet position.

However, Labour leader Chris Hipkins criticised Luxon as being “incredibly weak”, saying the incident with the staff member should not have been dragged over the weekend.

“Christopher Luxon has once again set the bar for ministerial behaviour so low, that it would be almost impossible not to get over it,” he told reporters on Monday.

Bayly himself said that he had to talk to his family and “would have had difficulty” speaking to the media earlier.

He was first elected to the New Zealand Parliament in 2014as an MP for the current ruling National Party. He was appointed the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, and Minister of Statistics following Luxon’s election in late 2023.

He was also appointed minister for the ACC – the national accidental injury compensation scheme – following a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. Before joining politics, Bayly worked in the finance industry.

Luxon said Scott Simpson, National’s senior whip, would take over the ACC and Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolios.

Bayly is the first minister to resign of his own accord under PM Luxon, whose favourability has dipped considerably, according to recent polls. Both the 1News-Verian poll and the Post/Freshwater Strategy poll show his National-led coalition government is losing support among voters.

The government has recently come under fire for some policies that were seen by some as anti-Māori, including the introduction of a bill that many argued undermined Māori rights and the dissolution of the Māori Health Authority – which was set up under the last Labour government to try and create greater health equality.

“Everyone Must Go!” reads a slogan printed across posters of people in New Zealand’s majestic landscapes – part of a NZ$500,000 ($285,000; £227,000) campaign unveiled on Sunday.

But what was meant as a catchy call to action aimed at Australian tourists has been accused of being tone-deaf, as New Zealand deals with record emigration rates and unemployment.

The government has defended the campaign, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying he “[appreciates] there’s lots of chat about whether everyone loves the slogan or not”.

“The fact that we’re talking about it is a good thing. It’s a great thing,” he added.

Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, tourism spokesperson for the opposition Labour Party, told local news outlet Radio New Zealand (RNZ) that the new slogan “makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale”.

“The irony of that messaging is, that’s how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now,” she said, pointing to the “many cuts” that residents have experienced.

Job cuts to the public sector over the past year, as part of the government’s austerity push, have affected thousands of people.

Meanwhile, people are moving out of the country in record numbers. Official figures show that there were nearly 130,000 departures last year – though that was offset by the arrival of nearly 160,000 immigrants.

“New Zealanders are voting with their feet, leaving in record high numbers,” Labour MP Barbara Edmonds wrote on X on Monday. “Is their real tourism plan ‘Everyone Must Go’ – for Kiwis?”

Others associated the slogan with demand for lavatories.

“I think ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous,” Green Party MP Celia Wade-Brown told RNZ.

“They don’t go kayaking, they don’t go diving, but, my goodness, they queue at the toilets.”

Tourism minister Louise Upston said in a statement on Sunday that “the campaign tagline of ‘Everyone must go’ lets Australia know that New Zealand is a ‘must visit’ destination, and that we’re ready and waiting to welcome them now”.

New Zealand’s tourism numbers have yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, and authorities are channelling efforts into attracting visitors from neighbouring Australia, its largest source of tourists.

Last year, New Zealand welcomed more than 1.2 million visitors from Australia. But Upston said visitors numbers were only 88% of that in 2019.

Luxon said he hoped the latest campaign would boost Australian visitor numbers by 5%.

“It would be totally and utterly tragic if those Australians don’t get here before they do die,” he said.

The month-long tourism campaign is set to start on Thursday.

The tiny Pacific Island nation’s leader, Mark Brown, is this week making his country’s first ever state visit to Beijing in order to sign the agreement.

However, New Zealand says it was not properly consulted over the plans, leading to what Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has described as a “dispute”.

The Cook Islands is hugely reliant on New Zealand under a longstanding “free association” agreement that provides it with defence and financial support. China’s growing influence in the Pacific has challenged the US and its allies, who have held sway for years.

“We value our partnership with New Zealand and we expect the same respect,” Brown said at a press conference last week. He was due to travel to China on Monday.

“Disagreements, although difficult, are an inevitable part of international relations but they should never define the entirety of our engagement.”

He has denied any dispute, saying “engagement has been consistent, respectful and open” and that the Cook Islands has the right to forge its own path as a self-governing country.

China’s foreign ministry said that both countries were important partners and that it was ready to work with the Cook Islands to “achieve new progress”.

“The China-Cook Islands relationship is not targeted at any third party and should not be subject to or be disrupted by any third party,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun.

Beijing has had diplomatic ties with the Cook Islands since 1997 and is one of its development partners.

Under their 60-year-old agreement, the Cook Islands is self governing in “free association” with New Zealand. The two countries are expected to consult each other over issues of defence and security. Brown says the new agreement with China will cover areas including infrastructure, trade and tourism.

Deep deep-sea mining is also expected to be part of the deal. Brown believes that mining valuable minerals on the seabed could be a game-changer for the Cook Islands, creating huge economic wealth.

However, the practice, in which China is a major player, is controversial, and critics believe it will exacerbate climate change – to which the Cook Islands are already vulnerable.

Luxon said on Monday that while New Zealand had “very good relations between the Cook Islands and its people”, in this case there had not been transparency.

Asked at a press conference whether he would consider putting aid to the Cook Islands on hold, as it recently did for Kiribati due to a diplomatic snub, Luxon said he would wait to see what was in the deal.

Under the free association agreement Cook Islanders can live, work and access healthcare as New Zealand citizens – benefits some fear they could lose if relations between the two countries further sour.

There has also been criticism from some that Brown and his government did not consult the public about the China deal first – something Tina Browne, the leader of the Democratic Party, has described as “insane”.

Both she and fellow opposition leader Teariki Heather, from the Cook Islands United Party, say they have lost confidence in Brown’s leadership.

That is despite his recent U-turn on a controversial proposal to introduce a separate passport for Cook Island citizens, while also allowing them to retain New Zealand citizenship. Wellington rejected the plan last year.

The Cook Islands is not the first Pacific Island nation to strengthen its ties with China. The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with Beijing in 2022, while countries including Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea also have close relations.

It means Taranaki Maunga [Mt Taranaki] will effectively own itself, with representatives of the local tribes, iwi, and government working together to manage it.

The agreement aims to compensate Māori from the Taranaki region for injustices done to them during colonisation – including widespread land confiscation.

“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,” Paul Goldsmith, the government minister responsible for the negotiations, said.

The Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill was passed into law by New Zealand’s parliament on Thursday – giving the mountain a legal name and protecting its surrounding peaks and land.

It also recognises the Māori worldview that natural features, including mountains, are ancestors and living beings.

“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].

Ngarewa-Packer is among one of the eight Taranaki iwi, on New Zealand’s west coast, to whom the mountain is sacred.

Hundreds of other Māori from the area also turned up at parliament on Thursday to see the bill become law.

The mountain will no longer be officially known as Egmont – the named given to it by British explorer James Cook in the 18th Century – and instead be called Taranaki Maunga, while the surrounding national park will also be given its Māori name.

Aisha Campbell, who is also from a Taranaki iwi, told 1News that it was important for her to be at the event, and that the mountain “is what connects us and what binds us together as a people”.

The Taranaki Maunga settlement is the latest that has been reached with Māori in an attempt to provide compensation for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi – which established New Zealand as a country and granted indigenous people certain rights to their land and resources.

The settlement also came with an apology from the government for the confiscation of Mt Taranaki and more than a million acres of land from local Māori in the 1860s.

Paul Goldsmith acknowledged that the “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”.

He added that it had been agreed that access to the mountain would not change and that “all New Zealanders will be able to continue to visit and enjoy this most magnificent place for generations to come”.

The mountain is not the first of New Zealand’s natural feature’s to be granted legal personhood.

In 2014, the Urewera native forest became the first to gain such status, followed by the Whanganui River in 2017.