The Māori Language Act 1987 was a piece of
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
passed by the
Parliament of New Zealand
The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand (King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his ...
that gave
official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
status to the
Māori language
Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...
(), and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as courts. It also established the
Māori Language Commission
The Māori Language Commission ( mi, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) is an autonomous Crown entity in New Zealand set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 with the following functions:
# To initiate, develop, co-ordinate, review, advise upon, an ...
, initially called , to promote the language and provide advice on it. The law was enacted as the ''Maori Language Act 1987'' and originally written without
macrons.
The 1987 act was repealed by section 48 of the
Māori Language Act 2016, however there were no major changes from the provisions of the old legislation and the 2016 act merely updated the 1987 law with new provisions and language.
Context
The act was the result of years of campaigning by Māori, particularly those involved in the
Māori protest movement
The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous-rights movement in New Zealand (). While there were a range of conflicts between Māori and European immigrants prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the signing provided a le ...
. It was also the result of shifts in thinking about the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
. By the mid-1980s, the treaty had acquired increased relevance thanks primarily to the
Waitangi Tribunal
The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...
. The act was passed at least in part as a response to Waitangi Tribunal finding that the Māori language was a (treasure or valued possession) under the Treaty of Waitangi. The act also drew on a number of international precedents, primarily the
Act 1978 of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, which is cited several times in the legislation, but also the
Welsh Language Act 1967
The Welsh Language Act 1967, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave some rights to use the Welsh language in legal proceedings in Wales (including Monmouthshire) and gave the relevant Minister the right to authorise the pro ...
of the United Kingdom, which enabled the use of the
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...
in
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
court proceedings.
Despite the act, Māori does not have the same status under law as English. For example, tax records must be kept in English unless the Commissioner of Internal Revenue agrees otherwise.
1991 amendment
The act was amended in 1991 and legislated the Māori Language Commission's name change to . It also slightly expanded the range of legal settings in which Māori could be used, to include bodies such as the
Tenancy Tribunal
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a l ...
and any
Commission of Inquiry.
Repeal by 2016 act
The 1987 act was repealed on 30 April 2016 by section 48 of Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori 2016 / Māori Language Act 2016, which updated the law. As a New Zealand first, there are two versions of the new act, one in Māori and the other in English, with section 12 stating that if there was any conflict in meaning between the two versions, the Māori version would prevail.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Maori Language Act 1987 as enacted
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maori Language Act 1987
Treaty of Waitangi
Māori politics
Māori language
1987 in New Zealand law
Statutes of New Zealand
Language legislation
Language revival