The hierarchy of minority languages in New Zealand

This article makes a case for the existence of a minority language hierarchy in New
Zealand. Based on an analysis of language ideologies expressed in recent policy
documents and interviews with policymakers and representatives of minority language
communities, it presents the arguments forwarded in support of the promotion of
different types of minority languages in New Zealand, as well as the reactions of
representatives of other minority language communities to these arguments. The
research suggests that the arguments in favour of minority language promotion are
most widely accepted for the Māori language, followed by New Zealand Sign
Language, then Pacific languages, and finally community languages. While representatives
of groups at the lower levels of the hierarchy often accept arguments
advanced in relation to languages nearer the top, this is not the case in the other
direction. Recognition of connections between the language communities is scarce,
with the group representatives tending to present themselves as operating in isolation
from one another, rather than working towards common interests.