“I felt overlooked”: Linguistic minorities’ experiences of government multilingual COVID-19 communication in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The public health communication strategies of the Aotearoa New Zealand government during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely commended; however, for linguistic minorities, experiences of this communication were conflicted. We examine these experiences by drawing on 85 in-depth interviews conducted in 14 languages, showing that, while participants widely appreciated the clear visuals and regular COVID-19 updates in the English language, they reported significant challenges in multilingual communication. Four primary issues were identified: (1) the limited amount of timely multilingual information provided by the government; (2) minimal awareness within communities of this information; (3) problems with the accessibility of these resources; and (4) the low adaptability of translated information to cultural nuances. These challenges not only exacerbated existing linguicism but also hindered effective disaster response within linguistic minority communities. The findings emphasise the importance of proactive engagement with these groups by government, suggesting co-designing communication strategies and integrating cultural understanding into multilingual crisis communication practices. This research contributes to the broader scholarship on disaster linguicism, multilingual communication and public health equity.