English set to become official
New Zealand First has submitted a member’s bill for English to be recognised as an official language of New Zealand. Te
Reo Maori was recognised in 1987 and New Zealand Sign Language in 2006, yet there is no legislation that recognises
English.
“The Bill is called the ‘English an Official Language Bill’ and that will give English the same legal status as Te Reo
Maori and New Zealand Sign Language.” Says New Zealand First List MP Clayton Mitchell
It’s common sense to officially recognise the language that the vast majority of New Zealanders use on a day to day
basis. English is the primary language that New Zealanders use, whether that’s in business, at home, on the sports field
or in the media.
“A petition was presented to Parliament last year with 6,258 signatures asking for English to be recognised. I’ve
travelled around the country and everyone I’ve spoken to think it’s absurd that this isn’t already the case.”