SoCAN: Southampton Climate Action Network

City Eye and Southampton River Rights are hosting "I am the river, the river is me":

Māori tribal leader Ned Tapa takes a group of friends and family on a canoe trip down the Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the first river in the world recognised as a legal person.

The need for recognition of river rights is a fast-growing worldwide movement redefining rivers as living entities, not mere resources and champions ecological justice, indigenous stewardship, and intergenerational equity in law and governance. 'I Am The River, The River Is Me' is a multi-award-winning film centring around a canoe trip down the Whanganui River in New Zealand, led by a Māori elder. The film awakens spiritual belief and practice and is a call to action to draw closer to nature and fight climate change through a fundamental value shift - not just for the Whanganui but for rivers and peoples world-wide.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with guest speakers:

• Jim Murray MBE - actor, passionate advocate for Hampshire's chalk rivers, River Action Vice Chair, and 'The Last Salmon' podcaster.
• Dave Rumble - Chief Executive Officer, Wessex Rivers Trust, deeply committed to river restoration and raising awareness of the value of our precious chalk streams
• Neil Williams - Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Environmental Philosophy, River Rights Network founding member and campaigner

I Am The River, The River Is Me - Southampton Film Week