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🇫🇮 Finland /Culture & Society

English becomes official language in New Zealand, sparking debate

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Approved/passed
  • New Zealand has officially recognized English as one of its national languages, alongside Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
  • The law's necessity has been questioned, as English is already spoken by 95% of the population and widely used in practice.
  • The move is part of a coalition agreement and has drawn criticism for potentially overshadowing efforts to protect the Māori language.

English has officially joined Māori and New Zealand Sign Language as one of New Zealand's national languages, following the passage of a law by the country's parliament last week. This legislative change formally acknowledges the widespread use of English, which is spoken by approximately 95% of the New Zealand population.

The law's introduction has sparked debate, with some critics deeming it unnecessary given English's de facto status. Unlike Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, which were granted official status to protect them, English has not faced similar threats. This has led to accusations that the law might detract from genuine efforts to support and preserve indigenous languages.

I'll tell you why Māori has protected language status. Because it was systematically beaten out of Māori. We had to march our butts into parliament and demand that the indigenous language of this country be recognized and not beaten out of its native speakers.

— Tamatha PaulGreen Party MP Tamatha Paul explaining the historical context and necessity for protecting the Māori language.

The legislative proposal was part of the coalition agreement between the center-right National Party and the populist New Zealand First party. Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First, has a history of opposing initiatives related to the Māori people. Opposition parties have criticized the law, arguing that English has not been under the same pressure as Māori to secure its place in the country.

Green Party MP Tamatha Paul described supporters of the bill as "snowflakes who hear the word Aotearoa and cry themselves to sleep." She emphasized that Māori language protections are necessary because the language was systematically suppressed from its speakers. Māori Party MP Oriini Kaipara echoed this sentiment, questioning the allocation of parliamentary time to formalize English's status when its dominance is already evident, contrasting it with the historical struggles faced by the Māori language.

Why are we spending all this time on this bill when we already know that English is the official language of New Zealand?

— Oriini KaiparaMāori Party MP Oriini Kaipara questioning the need for the legislation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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