English to Become Official Language of New Zealand Under New Government

The push to rename New Zealand to “Aotearoa” will cease under the incoming New Zealand (NZ) coalition government, amid a swathe of changes to legislate English as one of the country’s official languages. At present, English is the most spoken language in New Zealand but is not official, meanwhile, Maori and sign language for the hearing impaired have special status under the law as official languages. As part of its election policies, minor conservative party NZ First pledged to fight against “racist separatism” by legislating English as the country’s primary official language. Additionally, all public service departments and Crown entities will have English primary names and be required to communicate in English, with the exception given to those specifically related to Maori issues....