The National Anthem of New Zealand

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New Zealand holds a unique position in the world in that it has two national anthems of equal standing - "God Defend New Zealand" (Maori-Aotearoa) and "God Save The Queen". The other country with this distinction is Denmark, where the royal and national anthems have equal status. "God Defend New Zealand" was adopted as national hymn in 1940 and as co-national anthem in 1977. "God Save the Queen" was adopted when New Zealand became an British colony in 1840.

"God Defend New Zealand" was written by Irish-born poet and New Zealand citizen Thomas Bracken in 1870, and the music composed by John Joseph Woods as a result of a newspaper contest in 1876. (Woods actually composed the music in one sitting, starting as soon as he read about the contest and not resting until he was finished.) Gaining popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, it was adopted as New Zealand's national song in 1940 (New Zealand's centennial year), but "God Save the Queen" remained the sole national anthem. A petition in 1976 prompted the government to seek royal assent to make "God Defend New Zealand" as a national anthem on equal status with "God Save the Queen". This was signed into law by the Queen on November 21, 1977.

The Māori words, translated numerous times, were officially translated by Thomas Henry Smith. They were made to fit the melody, as such, they don't translate exactly to the English lyrics.

God Save the Queen was adopted as New Zealand's official anthem since 1840, when she became a British colony. The second verse, which is in a more militaristic vein, and the third verse, have been replaced in New Zealand with a "Commonwealth verse", usually used when more than one stanza is needed. Despite being declared an "official anthem" by the New Zealand government, along with "God Defend New Zealand", "God Save the Queen" is rarely sung in the country, "God Defend New Zealand" is more common.

The postal card above features the score of the New Zealand anthem

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