Whales

The residents of the Tonga island group of Vava’u are promising to honour the late Māori King’s call for whales to be given personhood.

"The songs of our ancestor, the tohorā (whale), who have navigated these very waters for generations, grow fainter,” Kiingi Tuheitia said.

“The Māori voice needs to be heard in these international gatherings," Hinemoana Halo Co-Chair says.

A male humpback whale was discovered stranded on the Westcoast of the lower north island, in the Rangitikei district during the weekend.