It was the longest-running litigation in New Zealand’s history but now, the country’s Whanganui River on its North Island will be treated as a human being in the eyes of the law.

US news site Mashable reports that a group of Māori people known as the Whanganui Iwi have been fighting for their relationship with the river to be legally recognized since the 1870s.

The bill which affords the river human rights was passed on Wednesday, meaning it will now have the duties, rights and liabilities of a legal person and can be represented in court.

“I know the initial inclination of some people will say it’s pretty strange to give a natural resource a legal personality,” Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson said in an interview with the New Zealand Herald.

“But it’s no stranger than family trusts, or companies or incorporated societies.

“This legislation recognizes the deep spiritual connection between the Whanganui Iwi and its ancestral river and creates a strong platform for the future of Whanganui River,” Finlayson added in a statement.