New Zealand coalition votes to make English an official language as critics slam ‘cynical’ bill

A bill to make English an official language of New Zealand, alongside te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, has passed its first parliamentary hurdle. The bill, part of a coalition agreement, aims to formalize the status of English, spoken by 95% of the population. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters argues this corrects an oversight and promotes clarity in public services. The coalition government supports the bill, while opposition parties and linguists criticize it as unnecessary and politically motivated. The Ministry of Justice advised against the bill, citing a lack of evidence supporting concerns about English's status. The bill will now proceed to a select committee for public consultation before further readings in parliament.

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