(Photo by Parliamentary Service (New Zealand Parliament) via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 4.0 DEED)
“Nationhood cannot be sustained on the continuation of the oppression of people—in particular the oppression of Indigenous Peoples.”
Te Whānau a Apanui, CEO of Tekou Rikirangi Gage.
On February 16, 2026, the government of New Zealand introduced a bill to make English an official language of New Zealand. Currently, the government officially recognizes only the language of the Māori—the Indigenous Population of New Zealand—Te Reo Māori, and English Sign Language. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and member of the populist right-wing party NZ First, has called the bill “the first step towards ensuring logical and common sense.”
Politicians who support the English Language Bill say it will not change much in practice. However, the bill can be connected to a bigger issue: Māori rights that are rooted in and dependent on the Treaty of Waitangi. What might seem like a minor change could lead to major consequences for the significance of Māori culture.
The Treaty of Waitangi and Māori Rights
Since the start of the English settlement, settler colonists have displaced the Indigenous Population and supplanted their own belief systems and ways of life. The English language infiltrated the North and South Islands of New Zealand, oppressing Te Reo Māori’s significance.
However, Te Reo Māori has remained in a relatively strong position within the country, with 30% of the population able to speak more than a few words and phrases. Te Reo is New Zealand’s second most widely spoken language following English, putting the recognition of Māori culture in a strong position relative to many other Indigenous Populations across the world.
(Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)
In 1840, English settlers and Māori leaders signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which included both an English and Te Reo Māori version. Due to translation discrepancies, Māori communities hold the Te Reo Māori version of the treaty in higher standing. For example, the English version promised Māori “the full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands”, but guaranteed English settlers’ governorship. Whereas the Te Reo Māori version promised Māori “te tino rangatiratanga”, which translates to “the sovereignty of their own lands.” Linked directly to the significance of Te Reo Māori language, the treaty is core to Māori existence.
The fight for keeping the significance of Te Reo Māori was not always easy, but the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori activists’ groups have upheld the significance of the language. The Auckland-based Ngā Tamatoa (The Young Warriors), Victoria University’s Te Reo Māori Society, and Te Huinga Rangatahi (the New Zealand Māori Students’ Association) petitioned Parliament in 1972, calling for Te Reo Māori to be revitalized. A time followed where the language became a significant part of the education system, as large Te Reo Māori recovery programs began in the 1980’s. Te Reo Māori became an official language in 1987, under the Māori Language Act, making it the first official language of New Zealand.
Recent Shift from Progressive Left to Right Politics
In 2020, the Labour Party won a majority government with Jacinda Ardern as prime minister. The party announced a series of reforms in the areas of water, healthcare, land use and planning, broadcasting, and climate change. This was part of a wider movement for Treaty of Waitangi rights and decolonization, which later reshaped school history teaching and brought public institutions closer to joint Māori-European governance.
However, each reform was met with resistance, and strict pandemic lockdowns, the anti-vax movement and other right-wing populist protests subjected Ardern to bullying and verbal abuse. Worn down by this climate, Ardern resigned, leaving space for right-wing populist movements to push their agenda and ideology across New Zealand.
In 2023, the government reformed into a right-wing coalition after a deeply polarized election. During the campaign, some candidates faced racist attacks and even physical violence. Māori leaders spoke out, saying the level of racism they witnessed was unusually severe. The political parties Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT) and NZ First made Māori rights their central target, wanting to undo policies introduced by the prior government that had given Māori people more say in how the country is run.
One example was ‘co-governance,’ a system where the government and Māori representatives collaborate on environmental decisions. ACT and NZ First argued that giving Māori people a special role in decision-making initiated racial privilege. Something the parties stated conflicted with the idea of equality. Therefore, it is not unsurprising that the government introduced the English Language Bill, as it falls in line with the same ideology.
What Does the Bill Mean?
The English Language Bill is quite simple; it “provides for the recognition of the official status of the English language in New Zealand in legislation.” The reason for the bill’s simplicity is, as University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said, “it will have literally no practical consequences at all.” The bill is not made to replace Te Reo Māori or English sign language as official languages, but would rather be an addition to them.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith introduced the bill, which has sparked heated debate across New Zealand. The coalition government is strongly supportive of the bill. Peters argued during a speech: “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.” More than 4.75 million New Zealanders speak English, about 95% of the total population.
(Photo by U.S. Embassy via Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)
The right-wing populist party, New Zealand First, has been advocating for English to be an official language for several years. Peters complains that the rise in use of Te Reo Māori has created misunderstandings. He has pointed out that communications and names of important services are using Te Reo for primary names and language, which he argues only creates unnecessary confusion.
However, there are also many scholars and politicians who have spoken out against the bill. Co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick of the Green Party, argues that the bill is unnecessary because the English Language is not under threat in New Zealand: “We are literally speaking it and debating in it right now. This is a bill which is an answer to a problem that does not exist.” New Zealand scholars—like Sidney Wong, Andreea S. Calude, and Jesin James—have further expressed that Te Reo needs protection to avoid language ‘shift’; the abandonment of a language for a more dominant one.
The shift threatens heritage languages, such as Te Reo Māori, which are often from Indigenous origin. Professor Rawinia Higgins, who leads the Māori Language Commission and wrote its official submission on the bill, says the law could push te reo Māori and sign language aside in real life. Therefore, it is worth considering whether this bill really will not have any practical consequences, as supporters have contended.
Racial Privilege or Redress?
Is it racial privilege when a platform is given to a disadvantaged group in society? The Human Rights Measurement Initiative has released data that shows the risk of human rights violations is higher among Māori citizens. 56% of human rights experts said Indigenous People risk having the state violate their right to safety, 38% specifically flagged the right to housing, 29% the right to work, and 35% the right to health.
Since the new government took office, the coalition has attacked Māori customary rights. For example, the government passed the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana/Customary Marine Title) Amendment Act in 2025, creating barriers to Māori customary rights to the foreshore and seabed. The Act raises concerns that Māori may lose their rights to land, and lead to more mining and resource extraction on the seabed.
Māori are generally more vulnerable and marginalized in society, relying on rights and policies that protect and elevate Māori culture. So, when rights and policies treat Māori equally, they fall behind. If the bill passes and English becomes an official language, the significance of Te Reo Māori could become even more limited.
Language as Instrument
While the English Language Bill does not strip Māori directly of their status in New Zealand, making English official too, the significance of the Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi will decline. The self-governance over land that the Māori-language treaty promises to Māori could become more limited, impacting governorship of the land.
The NZ First leader championing the bill, Winston Peters, has already declared the desire to remove Māori-language names from government buildings. The English Language Bill will only make policy changes like this easier to push through the government. As right-wing populist politics are currently taking over, the protection of Indigenous rights is becoming even more vital. Policy changes like the English Language Bill might look negligible and unimportant at first glance, but they can set off a slow burn of Māori rights and power, with language as the instrument.
Edited by Emma Webb
