新西兰国会于7月30日通过《英语语言法案》，正式确定英语为官方语言之一[1]。该举措立即引发广泛反对。国会司法委员会在征询过程中，1600多人或机构中约三分之二表示反对[1]。司法部官员也建议国会不予通过该法案[1]。反对者认为这一立法会造成资源浪费、加剧社会分裂，并削弱毛利语等其他官方语言的地位[1]。绿党议员塔马莎·保罗更批评执政联盟因此举措有颗"玻璃心"[1]。
推动该法案成为新西兰优先党同意加入执政联盟的条件之一[1]。新西兰此前仅规定毛利语和新西兰手语为官方语言，分别被全国人口的4.3%和0.5%使用[1]。相比之下，截至2023年，全国近480万人讲英语，占人口超过95%[1]。毛利语在20世纪80年代被确定为官方语言[1]。
New Zealand's Parliament approved the English Language Act on July 30, establishing English as one of the nation's official languages [1]. The legislation has sparked significant controversy, with two-thirds of the more than 1,600 individuals and organizations consulted by the Justice Committee expressing opposition [1]. Critics argue the law wastes resources, promotes social division, and undermines other official languages, particularly te reo Māori [1].
The move represents a notable shift in New Zealand's linguistic policy. Prior to this legislation, only te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language held official status, spoken by approximately 4.3 percent and 0.5 percent of the population respectively [1]. By contrast, nearly 4.8 million people—representing over 95 percent of the national population—speak English [1]. Justice Department officials had recommended against passing the act [1], yet it proceeded as a condition of the populist New Zealand First Party's agreement to join the governing coalition [1]. Green Party MP Tamatha Paul criticized the governing coalition for having a "glass heart" in response to the passage [1].