Thursday, 30 July 2026
Vote: Bills β English Language Bill
β Third Reading
π³οΈ That the English Language Bill be now read a third time
Moved by
Hon Casey Costello
(New Zealand First Party β List Member)
GLEN BENNETT: Kia ora, Madam Speaker, and it is yet again an interesting afternoon. What I hear from the members of the Government and from the Minister and from those who have taken calls is that this is all about clarity and... Read more β
HansardID: voice-vote-3c8ad580-5ef6-c910-59b6-6efca83b11f1
π We've linked this vote to our
βEnglish as an official languageβ
policy - our best judgment is that a vote for this is a vote
for English as an official language.
Third Reading β this is the last vote a bill needs to
pass before it's sent off to become law. Earlier votes (first reading, second reading, and
any votes on amendments along the way) decide what the bill looks like and whether it
keeps moving forward, but this is the one that actually decides whether it happens at all.
β Passed by a large majority
(101 Ayes β 17 Noes β 5 Absent)
Hansard didn't name individual MPs for this vote, only how each party voted overall, so
there's no per-member breakdown to show here.
ποΈ Party breakdown
| Party | Aye | No |
|---|---|---|
| ACT New Zealand | 11 | 0 |
| Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand | 0 | 13 |
| New Zealand First | 8 | 0 |
| New Zealand Labour | 34 | 0 |
| New Zealand National | 48 | 0 |
| Te PΔti MΔori | 0 | 2 |