Context
The Act was the result of many years of campaigning by Māori, particularly those involved in the Māori protest movement. It was also the result of shifts in thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi. By the mid-1980s, the Treaty had acquired increased relevance thanks primarily to the Waitangi Tribunal. The Act was passed at least in part as a response to Waitangi Tribunal finding that the Māori language was a taonga (treasure or valued possession) under the Treaty of Waitangi. The Act also drew on a number of international precedents, primarily the Irish Bord Na Gaeilge Act 1978, which is cited several times in the legislation but also the United Kingdom's Welsh Language Act 1967, which enabled the use of the Welsh language in Welsh court proceedings.
Despite the Act, Māori does not have the same status under law as English. For example, tax records must be kept in English unless the Commissioner of Internal Revenue agrees otherwise.
Read more about this topic: Maori Language Act 1987
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