Abstract：In recent years, decolonisation has regained its vitality as a powerful theoretical perspective. Its emphasis lies in taking an epistemological approach to dismantling the coloniality of Western knowledge and confronting the epistemic inequality with alternative models for knowledge production. The decolonisation theoretical perspective takes a critical position on the hegemony of the English language that eliminates the diversity of world languages, which thereby causes calamitous consequences of a language learning crisis in Anglophone countries. Viewing this issue from a decolonial perspective is essential to understanding these deep-rooted problems in Western societies. Due to its successful experience in revitalising indigenous language and knowledge, Aotearoa New Zealand serves as an ideal model for many Western countries undergoing the decolonisation process. Thanks to the constant struggle between the Māori and their colonising counterparts, te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori have survived to become integral parts of New Zealand’s education system and the national identity of New Zealanders. As a result, translanguaging practices stand out as a distinctive feature of language use in New Zealand. Through reviewing the unique features of language politics in New Zealand and the recent development of Chinese language education, this paper finds that the country’s decolonial efforts have important implications for the future of the teaching and research of Chinese as an additional language, and Chinese as a heritage language for linguistic and cultural maintenance in New Zealand.
