New Zealand has three official languages: English, Māori (te reo Māori), and New Zealand Sign Language. English arrived with British settlers in the late 18th and 19th centuries and quickly became dominant. Māori is the language of the indigenous Māori people, a Polynesian language brought to Aotearoa (New Zealand) by the original settlers around 1300 CE; it was granted official status in 1987. After declining through much of the 20th century, te reo Māori has experienced a significant revival driven by kura kaupapa Māori (Māori-immersion schools), Māori Television, and growing national pride in indigenous heritage. New Zealand English features a distinctive accent noted for the raising of short vowels, and has absorbed numerous Māori loanwords that are used by speakers of all backgrounds.
