New Zealand has three official languages:
- English : The predominant language spoken by about 95.4% of the population, used in government, education, courts, and daily life. It is considered a de facto official language, though not codified by statute. New Zealand English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary influenced by Māori
- Māori (Te Reo Māori) : The indigenous language of the Māori people, made the first de jure official language in 1987. It is spoken fluently by around 4% of New Zealanders and is increasingly visible in public signage and taught in schools, especially on the North Island
- New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) : Official since 2006, NZSL is used by the deaf community and includes some Māori words. It is more similar to British Sign Language than American Sign Language
Besides these, New Zealand is linguistically diverse, with significant minority languages including Samoan, Mandarin, Hindi, French, German, Tagalog, and Tongan spoken by various ethnic communities
. In summary, English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language are the official languages, with English being the most widely spoken language across the country
