New Zealand First, the party led by Foreign Minister Winston Peters (R), pushed for legislation to make English an official language of the country. Opponents of the move called it "unnecessary," as 95% of the population speaks English. Photo by Aaron Favila/EPA
Aug. 3 (UPI) -- New Zealand's parliament has passed legislation making English its third official language.
English is already spoken by 95% of New Zealanders, while 4.3% speak Māori and .5% use sign language, government data shows.
New Zealand First party's Casey Costello, a supporter of the bill that passed on Thursday, said its purpose was to "recognize in legislation what has long been assumed in New Zealand."
"Namely, that English is an official language of our country," Costello told members of parliament. "Despite what has been claimed across this house, this bill is important and far from the claimed waste of time."
