New Zealand makes 'English' an official language, drawing nationwide criticism

The New Zealand Parliament has passed the English Language Bill, formally recognising English as an official language of New Zealand.

The law places English alongside the country’s two existing official languages labelled as “Te reo Māori,” recognised under the Māori Language Act 1987, and New Zealand Sign Language, recognised in 2006.

The declaration of a new language draws criticism:

In a simple note, the legislation declared a brief statement, declaring "English is an official language of New Zealand."

"It does not impose new operational mandates on public agencies or courts, nor does it alter the legal protections or status afforded to Te reo Māori or New Zealand Sign Language."

As reported by The Guardian, the English language bill became law on 30 July, 2026 sparking new wave of criticism.

Controversy: 

The law sparked intense debate in Parliament. Proponents argued it provides legal clarity and honors a democratic commitment to a broad base of citizens.

 Meanwhile, opposition parties (such as the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori) and various linguistic experts heavily criticized the bill as an unnecessary and divisive "culture war" distraction, noting that English has never faced any threat of marginalization in the country.

While English has long functioned as New Zealand’s primary de facto language spoken by roughly 95% of the population-it previously lacked explicit statutory recognition.

Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand has been passed, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts who are criticizing the law and labelling English language as “pathetic”.

Ministry of justice officials had also recommended that lawmakers should not pass the bill, because there was “no evidence to support concerns about the use or status of English as an official language”.

Te reo Māori and New Zealand sign language had become official to protect linguistic minorities, they said.

However, the coalition government and the major opposition Labour party voted in favour of the bill, with minor opposition parties the Greens and Te Pāti Māori against.

Political Origins:

The bill formed part of a coalition deal between the centre-right National party and the minor populist New Zealand First party, whose leader, Winston Peters, has long opposed affirmative initiatives for Māori.