New Zealand First has submitted a member's bill for English to be recognised as an official language of New Zealand.

Te Reo Maori was recognised in 1987 and New Zealand Sign Language in 2006, yet there is no legislation that recognises English.

'The Bill is called the ‘English an Official Language Bill' and that will give English the same legal status as Te Reo Maori and New Zealand Sign Language,” says Tauranga-based New Zealand First list MP Clayton Mitchell.

He says it's ‘common sense' to officially recognise the language that the vast majority of New Zealanders use on a day to day basis.

'English is the primary language that New Zealanders use, whether that's in business, at home, on the sports field or in the media.

'A petition was presented to parliament last year with 6258 signatures asking for English to be recognised. I've travelled around the country and everyone I've spoken to think it's absurd that this isn't already the case.”

A copy of the bill can be found online here.