English Language Bill
This bill makes English an official language of New Zealand by law. Currently, English is widely used as an official language but this is not written in law. This bill changes that, putting its official status into legislation. It does not change the official status of te reo Māori or New Zealand Sign Language.
What this affects
Tap a topic to see how this bill touches it, and the parts of the text that show it.
The bill states that making English an official language will not change the official status of te reo Māori.
Legislative recognition of the status of English as an official language will not affect the status or use of te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language as the 2 other official languages of New Zealand.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Justice Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 26 March 2026.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.