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Languages

Languages of New Zealand

WellingtonLocal time

Languages, writing systems and language context

New Zealand
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
English
English
Text direction: LTR

English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are official languages of New Zealand. English received explicit statutory recognition under the English Language Act 2026, while Māori and New Zealand Sign Language retain their separate statutory recognition.

3
Core languages shown
Country-level reference set
English
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

EnglishMāoriNew Zealand Sign Language

Read the Characters

English · 26 characters

English · 26 characters
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
E
e
F
f
G
g
H
h
I
i
J
j
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
Q
q
R
r
S
s
T
t
U
u
V
v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z
z

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in New Zealand?

English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are official languages of New Zealand. English received explicit statutory recognition under the English Language Act 2026, while Māori and New Zealand Sign Language retain their separate statutory recognition.

What writing systems are used in New Zealand?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about New Zealand

Explore New Zealand across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

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Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
New Zealand Legislation: Māori Language Act 2016

Primary legislation confirming Māori as an official language of New Zealand.

New Zealand Legislation: New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006

Primary legislation confirming New Zealand Sign Language as an official language.

New Zealand Government: Revitalising te reo Māori

Current government guidance describing Māori, New Zealand Sign Language and English as New Zealand's three official languages.

New Zealand Legislation: English Language Act 2026

Current legislation, in force from 7 August 2026. Section 5 states that English is an official language of New Zealand.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.