The Māori Language Act 1987 was a piece of legislation

Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

 passed by the New Zealand Parliament. It gave Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) official language

Official language

An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...

 status, and gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as in court. It also established the Māori Language Commission

Maori Language Commission

New Zealand's Māori Language Commission is an autonomous crown entity set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 with the following functions:...

 (initially called Te Komihana Mo Te Reo Māori but later renamed Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori) to promote the language and provide advice on it.http://www.tereo.govt.nz/act87/index.shtml

Despite the Act, Māori does not have the same status under law as English, for example, tax records must be kept in English.

1991 Amendment

As well as renaming the Māori Language Commission, the 1991 Amendment slightly expanded the range of legal settings in which Te Reo could be used, to include bodies such as the Tenancy Tribunal and certain commissions of enquiry.

Context

The Act was the result of many years of campaigning by Māori, particularly those involved in the Māori protest movement

Maori protest movement

The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous rights movement in New Zealand. While this movement has existed since Europeans first colonised New Zealand its modern form emerged in the early 1970s and has focused on issues such as the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land rights, the Māori language and...

. It was also the result of shifts in thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....

. By the mid-1980s, the Treaty had acquired increased relevance thanks primarily to the Waitangi Tribunal

Waitangi Tribunal

The Waitangi Tribunal is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975...

. The Act also drew on a number of international precedents, primarily the Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 Bord Na Gaeilge Act 1978, which is cited several times in the legislation but also the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's Welsh Language Act 1967

Welsh Language Act 1967

The Welsh Language Act 1967 , is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave some rights to use the Welsh language in legal proceedings in Wales and gave the relevant Minister the right to authorise the production of a Welsh version of any documents required or allowed by the Act...

, which enabled the use of the Welsh language

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

 in Welsh

Courts of England and Wales

Her Majesty's Courts of Justice of England and Wales are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales; they apply the law of England and Wales and are established under Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The United Kingdom does not have...

court proceedings.