Officials say English Language Bill solves non-existent problem
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
The Government’s English Language Bill solves a problem that doesn’t exist, according to the public servants tasked with designing it.
The English Language Bill is a new proposed law which would set up English as a legislated official language of New Zealand alongside Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
It was introduced to the House last week with the support of the Government, and was a condition in the NZ First and National coalition agreement.
Newly-released documents show officials at the Ministry of Justice recommended that the Government not pass the law as it was not needed - due to English already being a “de facto” official language and the “default one”.
Read more:
“In our view, the English language does not need to be legislated as an official language. It does not require statutory support to continue to be used in courts, Parliament, and government communications in New Zealand,” the officials wrote.
“Strategies to support the health or use of the English language would not have any advantages or provide any practical changes. Setting out in legislation that English is an official language of New Zealand would not change its status as the default language, nor the status of the other official languages, nor the status of English vis-à-vis the other two official languages.”
The officials noted that English was already the language in use in Courts, Parliament, and government communications.
They noted that few other English-speaking countries had legislated to make it an official language, and those that did were generally doing so as part of a bill that was actually promoting another language - such as the Canadian legislation that establishes that both French and English are to be used in courts, Parliament, and government communications.
Australia, England, and Scotland all have English as “de facto” official language without any legislation making it so. The United States has not passed a law establishing it as an official language but President Donald Trump has specified it in an Executive Order.
The documentation noted officials at Te Puni Kōkiri were against the bill as they believed it could “compromise the status of te reo Māori”. Justice officials disagreed with that, saying it would have no impact.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, who is passing the bill, has suggested to journalists that it is not a priority of the National Party’s, but a necessity from the coalition agreement.
“It’s something in the coalition that wouldn’t be a top priority for us,” Goldsmith said.
NZ First leader Winston Peters, who moved the bill in Goldsmith’s place for first reading, argued strongly for it, saying far too many Government services were using te reo words not understood by most of the country.
“With the increase, in recent years, in te reo being used in place of English, even when less than 5% of the New Zealand population can read, write, or speak it, it has created situations that encourage misunderstanding and confusion for all, and all for the purpose to push a narrative.”
“This bill won’t solve the push of this virtue signalling narrative completely, but it is the first step towards ensuring logic and common sense prevails when the vast majority of New Zealanders communicate in English and understand English in a country that should use English as its primary and official language.”
In a very short speech, ACT MP Simon Court said the bill was “simple, practical, constructive, and common sense”.
The Opposition has ridiculed the bill as a distraction from more serious matters.
NZ First was asked to comment on the official advice.