A coalition of New Zealand parties, including New Zealand First, National, and Act, has voted to give English the same official status as te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language. The bill, part of a coalition agreement, passed its first reading and now moves to the select committee stage for public consultation. As reported by The Guardian, supporters, like New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, argue it corrects an "anomaly" since English has never formally been declared official.
Critics, including opposition MPs and linguistic experts, called the bill unnecessary and cynical. Labour MP Kieran McAnulty described it as "scaremongering," while Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said English is "not under threat" and referred to the bill as "bullshit." Education linguist Sharon Harvey warned the legislation could encourage governments to diminish the visibility of Māori and other minority languages.
Justice ministry officials also recommended against the bill, noting that English already functions as the default language and official recognition would not change its status. Very few English-speaking countries have formalized English as official, and in cases like Canada, it was to protect another language, highlighting the uniqueness (and controversy) of New Zealand's proposal...