New Zealand passes bill making English official language

Spoken by more than 95 per cent of New Zealand’s population, English has now become an addition to Māori and the country’s sign language as official languages.

Ahmed Oluwasanjo • August 3, 2026

New Zealand [Credit: Business Standard]

New Zealand lawmakers have passed a bill to make English one of the country’s official languages.

The bill, supported and championed by the nationalist New Zealand First party, passed its third reading in the House of Representatives on Thursday, July 30.

Spoken by more than 95 per cent of New Zealand’s population, English has now become an addition to Māori and the country’s sign language as official languages.

During debate on the bill in plenary, Tamatha Paul, a member of New Zealand’s left-wing opposition Green Party, dismissed the bill as frivolous and “a pathetic waste of the responsibility of this house.”

Ms Paul argued that the bill’s proponents “know that it’s just stupid.”

However, Casey Costello, another member of parliament, said during the final reading, “This is a practical measure. It aligns the statute book with longstanding practice and provides a clear statement about the status of English within New Zealand’s official framework.”

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