when did english become an official language in new zealand
Languages of New Zealand New Zealand English is mostly non-rhotic with an exception being the Southern Burr found principally in Southland and parts of Otago.[5] It is similar to Australian English and many speakers from the Northern Hemisphere are unable to tell the two accents apart.[6] In New Zealand English the short i (as in kit) has become centralised, leading to the phrase fish and chips sounding like "fush and chups" to the Australian ear.[7] The words rarely and really, reel and real, doll and dole, pull and pool, witch and which, and full and fill can sometimes be pronounced as homophones.[8][9][5] Some New Zealanders pronounce the past participles grown, thrown and mown using two syllables, whereas groan, throne and moan are pronounced as one syllable.[10] New Zealanders often reply to a question or emphasise a point by adding a rising intonation at the end of the sentence.[11] New Zealand English has also borrowed words and phrases from Māori, such as haka (war dance), kia ora (a greeting), mana (power or prestige), puku (stomach), taonga (treasure) and waka (canoe).[12][13] On 2018 February, Clayton Mitchell MP from New Zealand First led a campaign for English to be recognised as a official language in New Zealand.[14][15]