ABSTRACT
New Zealand has recently renewed focus on the establishment of a national languages policy, which would seek to encourage multilingualism among all of its residents. As such, issues surrounding heritage language policies have become major points of discussion. It is therefore both timely and useful to provide a historical overview of language policy in New Zealand, especially which languages have or have not been included in heritage language policy, as well as which languages will likely be included under the term ‘heritage language’ moving forward. To facilitate this discussion, three languages serve as case studies for the different types of heritage language policy situations found in New Zealand. Te reo Māori is included as both the Indigenous language of New Zealand and as a language with official status and dedicated government support. Samoan is included as the largest Pasifika language and as a language of unofficial status but still with dedicated government support. Finally, Ukrainian represents the more than 150 languages in New Zealand with no official status and little to no dedicated government support. The unique and shared challenges experienced by these types of heritage languages are discussed, and recommendations for moving forward are presented.
