New Zealand has English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language as its three commonly recognized official languages.
English is the dominant language of government, education, courts and everyday life, but its official status is de facto rather than established by a single general statute. Māori, or te reo Māori, is the language of New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori people and became an official language by statute in 1987. New Zealand Sign Language became official under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006.
The language history reflects both colonization and revitalization. Māori was widely discouraged in schools and public institutions during the 19th and 20th centuries, contributing to a serious decline in speakers. Since the 1970s, immersion education, broadcasting and Māori Language Week have helped strengthen its use.
New Zealand Sign Language is a natural language with its own grammar, not simply spoken English represented by hand signs. The country therefore has a distinctive three-language arrangement. Australia, Fiji and Samoa may have English or other widely used languages, but none matches this specific combination.