{"id":557121,"date":"2026-08-03T05:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/557121\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T05:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T05:13:12","slug":"new-zealand-legislation-making-english-an-official-language-ridiculed-as-pathetic-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/557121\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand legislation making English an official language ridiculed as \u2018pathetic\u2019 | New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand<\/a> has been passed by parliament, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts and a now-viral broadside from a M\u0101ori MP who called it \u201cpathetic\u201d.<\/p>\n

The English language bill became law on 30 July giving English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo M\u0101ori<\/a> (M\u0101ori language) and New Zealand sign language.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> for M\u0101ori. National needed to strike deals with New Zealand First and another minor party, Act, in order to govern.<\/p>\n

Ministry of justice officials had recommended that lawmakers should not pass the bill, because there was \u201cno evidence to support concerns about the use or status of English as an official language\u201d. Te reo M\u0101ori<\/a> and New Zealand sign language had become official to protect linguistic minorities, they said.<\/p>\n

However, the coalition government and the major opposition Labour party voted in favour of the bill, with minor opposition parties the Greens and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori against.<\/p>\n

During the debate, Green MP Tamatha Paul said the bill was \u201ca pathetic waste of the responsibility of this house\u201d, in a speech<\/a> that has generated millions of views online.<\/p>\n

Paul said the coalition government were \u201csnowflakes\u201d who saw the word Aotearoa \u2013 the M\u0101ori name for New Zealand \u2013 and \u201cshiver in their boots\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of New Zealand First during the final reading, MP Casey Costello denied the law was trivial or unnecessary. \u201cThis 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\u2019s official framework,\u201d Costello told the house.<\/p>\n

Peters, who is also the foreign affairs minister, has previously argued <\/a>the bill was necessary because the use of M\u0101ori in public services was causing confusion.<\/p>\n

Labour, meanwhile, has previously said<\/a> it was against the law but had voted in its favour in order to move on from a \u201cneedless culture war\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dr Sidney Wong, a linguist and post-doctoral fellow at crown research centre Te P\u016bnaha Matatini, said official language status was given to languages in need of protection and services, but English was not under any threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main reason why this bill was put in place was based on ideology \u2013 there was this perception that English was under threat, that it doesn\u2019t have the prestige, and it needs that sort of legislative protection. But it doesn\u2019t need that,\u201d he told the Guardian.<\/p>\n

Wong said if the government was really interested in protecting English, it would be funding research into the way New Zealanders spoke English, but the law did not address this. \u201cThat\u2019s where the money should be going. Not spending time on this 70-word legislation that\u2019s not going to benefit anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Dean Knight, a law professor at Victoria University of Wellington, said the legislation was \u201ca pointless exercise\u201d that made no difference legally or practically as English was already the dominant language.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolk who got excited by this performative law-making will be disappointed to learn that, despite the dog-whistling and claims from its promoters within parliament, it does not mandate priority to the English language in government communications and elsewhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike before, Aotearoa New Zealand will continue to have three official languages.\u201d<\/p>\n