Māori Language Act

Infobox NZ Legislation
short_title=Māori Language Act 1987
long_title= An Act to declare the Māori language to be an official language of New Zealand, to confer the right to speak Māori in certain legal proceedings, and to establish Te Komihana Mo Te Reo Māori and define its functions and powers.|introduced_by=
date_passed=1987
royal_assent=
commencement=Immediate
amendments= 1991
related_legislation=Treaty of Waitangi Act, New Zealand Sign Language Act
status=Current

The Māori Language Act 1987 was a piece of legislation passed by the New Zealand Parliament. It gave Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) official language status, and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as in court. It also established the Māori Language Commission (initially called Te Komihana Mo Te Reo Māori but later renamed Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori) to promote the language and provide advice on it.

1991 Amendment

As well as renaming the Māori Language Commission, the 1991 Amendment slightly expanded the range of legal settings in which Te Reo could be used, to include bodies such as the Tenancy Tribunal and certain commissions of enquiry.

Context

The Act was the result of many years campaigning by Māori, particularly those involved in the Māori protest movement. It was also the result of shifts in thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi. By the mid-1980s the Treaty had acquired increased relevance thanks primarily to the Waitangi Tribunal. The Act also drew on a number of international precedents, primarily the Irish Bord Na Gaeilge Act 1978, which is cited several times in the legislation but also the United Kingdom's Welsh Language Act 1967, which enabled the use of the Welsh language in Welsh court proceedings.

References

* The Act on the Māori Language Commission website: http://www.tereo.govt.nz/act87/index.shtml