The Justice Select Committee has recommended a bill to make English an official language be passed without any changes, despite strong opposition to the move.
By Penny Smith for RNZ
The bill would see English recognised as an official language alongside Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
Unlike Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language the English language currently has de facto official language status, meaning it's widely used and accepted as an official language but its status is not set in legislation.
The proposed legislation is part of the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First.
The committee received written submissions from 1601 people and groups, and heard from 22 submitters in oral hearings about the bill.
Supporters said the bill posed little harm, would remove confusion and allay concerns that English is being treated differently from other official languages.
Almost two-thirds of submitters opposed the bill, on the grounds it was a waste of time, undermined Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language and risked stoking division.
Opposition parties were highly critical of the move.
The Labour Party said it risked complicating a straightforward situation because English is already an official language through custom and usage in New Zealand.
"Legislation for Te Reo Māori and NZ Sign Language was and is necessary to recognise both of these important and significant languages that are, despite revitalisation and education efforts, still only used by a minority of the population. English does not need the same support to ensure its survival," it said.
"This bill, in practice, changes nothing. It is a waste of time, and offensive to those who fought hard to make Te Reo Māori an official language in 1987 and NZ Sign Language an official language in 2006."
The Green Party said that, in general, an official language status is provided to protect languages under threat in order to put a spotlight on the need to protect and resource their survival and revival.
"Submitters have also raised concerns that by legislating English as a de jure language it would have unintended consequences, such as the risk to social cohesion and increased likelihood of racism in Aotearoa New Zealand, as has been seen in the United States," it said.
"Instead of using Parliament time to address the more urgent needs of our communities in the midst of a cost of living crisis and fuel crisis, this bill is a frivolous and petty issue for this Government to take forward."
'Committee didn't agree with that'
The chair of the Justice Select Committee Andrew Bayly has rejected suggestions the bill would undermine Te Reo Māori or New Zealand Sign Language.
"The committee didn't agree with that.
"Those other official languages already have bespoke legislation and there was no way that this was an attempt to undermine them. It was just recognising that English is commonly used in New Zealand, it's a common language of the government and that's why the commitee agreed to leave the bill as it was introduced."
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