UNESCO 90d ago

Meet Mere Takoko — an ocean leader and Māori conservationist on a mission to bring back 1 million whales and cetaceans to the Pacific ocean. Mere Takoko is a long-time advocate for whales to be granted legal personhood as a critical pathway to better protect this keystone species. The movement to grant whales legal rights is picking up pace across the Pacific. At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the Tongan Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho called for the recognition of whales as legal persons; and earlier this month, the Green Party of New Zealand introduced to Parliament the Tohorā Oranga Bill to which would give whales legal rights for the first time. Through the Moananui Sanctuary Trust and the Pacific Whale Fund, Mere Takoko also aims to mobilise funding for marine nature-positive projects.