The New Zealand Parliament has passed the English Language Bill, formally recognising English as an official language of New Zealand.

The law places English alongside the country’s two existing official languages labelled as “Te reo Māori,” recognised under the Māori Language Act 1987, and New Zealand Sign Language, recognised in 2006.

The declaration of a new language draws criticism:

In a simple note, the legislation declared a brief statement, declaring "English is an official language of New Zealand."

"It does not impose new operational mandates on public........

© The News International