English is not an official language in New Zealand
Mangere MP Sua William Sio is fuming after being told he cannot be sworn into Parliament in his native language, Samoan. Some bloggers have covered this, saying that only "official" languages in this country should be used in Parliament. Samoan is spoken more frequently in Mangere than Maori is.
Whale Oil maintains that English and Maori are our official languages, David Farrar says English, Maori and sign language are our official languages.
Both are incorrect. English is not an official language in this country, never has been. English, the medium for teaching and learning in most schools, is a de facto official language by virtue of its widespread use, but is not noted as an official language. Just like civil unions are not marriages, but are defacto relationships that have legal benefits of marriage.
In any case the reason that Mangere MP cannot speak in Samoan is not because it isn’t an official language, it is, apparently, because Parliamentary Services rejected his request to be sworn in Samoan because of limited time.
Limited time for what?
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