page_title: National anthems of New Zealand
section_title: God Defend New Zealand
hierarchical_section_title: National anthems of New Zealand / God Defend New Zealand
caption_attribution_description: English: The original manuscript drafted by John Joseph Woods for God Defend New Zealand, currently the national anthem of New Zealand.
context_page_description: New Zealand is one of only two countries in the world—the other being Denmark—with two official national anthems of equal status. The traditional anthem "God Save the Queen" is generally used only on regal and viceregal occasions. "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used on occasions when the national identity of New Zealand is the focus, such as sports events, where it is sung with English and Māori verses. On a few occasions both anthems may be used.
context_section_description: "God Defend New Zealand" is a poem that was written by Thomas Bracken in the 1870s. It was set to the tune of the Presbyterian funeral hymn "Raise Up Our Souls, Oh Lord", and first publicly performed in 1876. A Māori translation of the original English was produced in 1878 by Thomas Henry Smith. In 1940 the New Zealand Government bought the copyright and made it New Zealand's 'national hymn' in time for that year's centennial celebrations. It was used at the British Empire Games from 1950 onward, and at the Olympics from 1972. Following the performance at the Summer Olympics in Munich, a campaign began to have the hymn officially adopted as a national anthem.
  In 1976 a petition was presented to Parliament asking "God Defend New Zealand" to be made the national anthem. With the permission of Queen Elizabeth II, it was gazetted as the country's second national anthem on 21 November 1977, on equal standing with "God Save the Queen".
  Until the 1990s only the first verse of the English version was commonly sung; it has since been common to sing in both English and Māori. The first verse is sung in Māori then it is repeated in English.
caption: The original sheet music for "God Defend New Zealand"
exif: {}