The New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will feature the world-first legal status accorded to the Whanganui River in 2017.
The Whanganui River treaty settlement made the river a living entity, Te Awa Tupua. It obliges anyone relating to the river to embody its values, Tupua Te Kawa.
The story fits with New Zealand's theme at the expo - Care for People and Place, New Zealand's Expo Commissioner-General Clayton Kimpton said.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui Trust earlier this month. The agreement acknowledges the mana (status) and integrity of Te Awa Tupua, ahead of development of the New Zealand pavilion.
The Whanganui story will show New Zealand as a forward-thinking nation and be an inspirational platform, Kimpton said.