English Language Bill
| English Language Bill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New Zealand Parliament[1] | |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Paul Goldsmith[1] |
| Committee responsible | Justice Select Committee[1] |
| First reading | 3 March 2026[1] |
| Second reading | 21 July 2026[1] |
| Third reading | 30 July 2026[1] |
| Status: Unknown | |
The English Language Bill is a proposed New Zealand Act of Parliament that seeks to designate the English language as an official language in legislation, alongside the Māori language and New Zealand Sign Language.[1][2] The bill was introduced into the New Zealand Parliament by the Sixth National Government on 19 February 2026,[2] and passed its first reading on 3 March 2026.[3] The bill passed its third and final reading on 30 July 2026.[4]
Key provisions
[edit]The English Language Bill provides for the official recognition of the English language as an official language of New Zealand in legislation.[5] It will accord English the same status as New Zealand's two official languages, the Māori language and New Zealand Sign Language.[2]
Legislative history
[edit]Background
[edit]In 2018, New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell introduced a bill to parliament to statutorily recognise English as an official language. By May 2020, the bill had not progressed.[6][7][8]
During the 2023 New Zealand general election, the New Zealand First party campaigned on promoting English to the status of an official language of New Zealand.[9] Following coalition talks, NZ First entered into a coalition agreement with the National and ACT parties in late November 2023.[10][11] As part of New Zealand First's coalition agreement with National, the Government agreed to pass legislation designating English as an official language of New Zealand.[12][13]
Introduction
[edit]On 19 February 2026, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith introduced the English Language Bill into the New Zealand Parliament. Goldsmith said that the bill was not a priority for the National-led government but was part of National's coalition agreement with New Zealand First. During his speech supporting the bill, NZ First leader Winston Peters claimed that the increasing use of the Māori language in official communications had caused misunderstanding and confusion. Opposition Members of Parliament including Labour MPs Duncan Webb, Ayesha Verrall and Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick described the proposed bill as unnecessary due to the de-facto status of English in New Zealand. Due to a filibuster mounted by opposition parties on the previous bill, the first reading was delayed.[2]
On 3 March 2026, the English Language Bill passed its first reading with the support of the National, ACT, New Zealand First and Labour parties.[3][14] Goldsmith, Peters, ACT MP Simon Court and National MP Rima Nakhle issued statements supporting the bill as part of National's coalition agreement with NZ First and sought to allay fears it would marginalise the Māori language. Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, Swarbrick, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi described the bill as unnecessary and divisive.[3][14] While the Labour Party regarded the bill as unnecessary, its acting arts, culture and heritage spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said that her party had decided to support the bill for procedural reasons, stating "we reluctantly support this bill so we can all just move on from this needless culture war."[15] Despite the objections of Swarbrick, Parliament did not call for a party vote on the bill's passage during its first reading. Had the party vote been held, Swarbrick said that the Green party and Te Pāti Māori would have cast 15 votes against the bill.[15]
Select committee stage
[edit]Following its first reading, the English Language Bill was referred to the Justice select committee. By late June 2026, the Bill had received written submissions from 1,601 individuals and groups, and 22 oral submissions. Almost two-thirds of submitters opposed the bill, with common arguments being that it was a waste of time, undermined the Māori language and New Zealand Sign Language, and risked stoking division. Supporters argued that the bill posed little harm, would remove confusion and address concerns that English was being treated differently from New Zealand's two official languages.[16]
The Labour and Green parties also opposed the English Language Bill, contending that English did not need official status unlike Māori and New Zealand Sign Language because it was no threatened and that the bill was a waste of time in the midst of cost of living and fuel crises. On 28 June, the Justice select committee recommended that the bill be progressed without further any changes despite opposition from submitters and opposition parties. The committee's chairman, National Party MP Andrew Bayly, argued that the bill would not undermine Māori and NZ Sign Language but would recognise that English was widely used in New Zealand.[16]
Final readings
[edit]The English Language Bill passed its second reading on 21 July 2026 by a margin of 101 to 20 votes. The bill was supported by the National, Labour, ACT and New Zealand First parties while the Green Party, Te Pāti Māori, and independent MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi voted against it.[17]
The Bill passed its third reading on 30 July. While the bill was supported by the National, Labour, ACT and NZ First parties, it was opposed by the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori. NZ First MP Casey Costello said that the bill provided clarity and certainty in legislation, and denied it would change any of the legal protections afforded to the Māori language and New Zealand Sign Language. ACT MP Simon Court said that was public support for the bill given its widespread usage in New Zealand society. Several National MPs including Carl Bates, Paulo Garcia, Greg Fleming and Vanessa Weenink issued statements and speeches supporting the bill's passage into law. Despite its philosophical opposition to the bill, Labour supported the bill's passage into law. Labour MP Duncan Webb described the bill as "silly and meaningless" while fellow Labour MP Camilla Belich said NZ First was trying to "politicise" an "evident truth."[4]
On the opposing side, Green MP Tamatha Paul argued that the bill was motivated by the coalition government's fear of the Māori language and culture while fellow Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan questioned what Parliament was seeking to protect the English language from. Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara argued that the bill was unnecessary given the privileged position of the English language in New Zealand.[4]
Responses
[edit]The language advocate and academic Vincent Ieni Olsen-Reeder argued that the English Language Bill did not fulfil its stated goals of advancing the English language in New Zealand.[3] Similarly, the Auckland University of Technology linguist Associate Professor Sharon Harvey described the proposed bill as "vexatious and unnecessary."[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "English Language Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Dexter, Giles (20 February 2026). "Bill to make English an official language of NZ introduced to Parliament". RNZ. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "English Language Bill labelled a nonsense and disgrace, passes first reading". Te Ao Māori News. 3 March 2026. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dexter, Giles (30 July 2026). "English to become official language of NZ alongside Te Reo Māori and sign language". RNZ. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ English Language Bill - 198-1 (Government Bill). New Zealand Parliament. 2026.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. - ↑ "NZ First submits Bill for English to be recognised as official language". Newshub. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018.
- ↑ "NZ First Bill: English set to become official". Scoop. 15 February 2018.
- ↑ "English an Official Language of New Zealand Bill - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ↑ McGuire, Casper (20 August 2023). "Winston Peters proposes to make English an official language". 1News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ↑ Couglan, Thomas (24 November 2023). "Coalition talks live updates: New Government next week, legislation bonfire planned for first 100 days". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ↑ Quinlivan, Mark (24 November 2023). "Election 2023: National, ACT and NZ First's Coalition agreement". Newshub. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ↑ "What the new government may mean for Māori, Te Tiriti". 1News. TVNZ. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ↑ LaHatte, Deborah (24 November 2023). "Treaty issues among policy compromises for new government". Te Ao Māori News. Māori Television. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- 1 2 3 Corlett, Eva (3 March 2026). "New Zealand coalition votes to make English an official language as critics decry 'cynical' bill". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- 1 2 Lynch, Jenna (4 March 2026). "Why is Labour backing NZ First's English Language Bill?". Stuff. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- 1 2 Smith, Penny (28 June 2026). "English Language Bill: No changes suggested by Justice Select Committee". RNZ. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ "English Language Bill: Second Reading". New Zealand Parliament. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
External links
[edit]- "English Language Bill". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- English Language Bill - 198-1 (Government Bill). New Zealand Parliament. 2026. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.