New Zealand Has Finally Made English Official, So We Can All Stop Worrying About It Vanishing
I woke up today burdened by the usual questions. Will the planet survive us? Will groceries ever stop costing the same as minor surgery? Will I someday understand why every streaming service has the one movie I want except the three I already pay for? Then New Zealand came along and relieved me of a fear I did not know I had: English, a language spoken by about 95 percent of the country, has finally been recognized in law as an official language. Thank God. For a terrifying moment, English appeared to be in danger of disappearing from New Zealand. You could see the warning signs everywhere. It was still being used by Parliament, the courts, the government, the education system, the news media, businesses, road signs, television networks, websites, banks, landlords, tourists, sports commentators, and nearly everybody asking where the bathroom was. Clearly, intervention could not wait. In July 2026, New Zealand passed legislation formally recognizing English alongside te reo Māori and Ne...
