'God Defend New Zealand'
'God Defend New Zealand' is one of New Zealand's two national anthems, alongside 'God Save the Queen'. The anthem originated in 1876 from a contest held by The Saturday Advertiser, where Thomas Bracken's lyrics were paired with music composed by John Joseph Woods, a local musician. The song quickly gained popularity, making its public debut on Christmas Day in Dunedin. Although it became a national song in 1939, it wasn't until 1977 that it was officially designated a national anthem, following a petition from thousands of New Zealanders.
The anthem is notable for its bilingual nature, as it has also been translated into Māori, titled 'Aotearoa', with both versions often performed together in contemporary events. This cultural aspect reflects New Zealand's commitment to honoring its Māori heritage while celebrating national identity. The song's history showcases the evolution of patriotism and national pride in New Zealand, making it an integral part of the country's cultural fabric.
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'God Defend New Zealand'
‘God Defend New Zealand’ is one of two national anthems in New Zealand (the other being ‘God Save the Queen’). ‘God Defend New Zealand’ originated in 1876 during a newspaper contest. Editor and journalist Thomas Bracken wrote the lyrics provided by the paper. Teacher John Joseph Woods submitted the winning music. The song became an instant hit in New Zealand. ‘God Defend New Zealand’ became the country’s national song in 1939. In 1977, with permission from Queen Elizabeth II, the song was elevated to one of two national anthems. In addition, the song has been translated into Māori with the title ‘Aotearoa’, and that version is often played together with the English version in modern performances.
Overview
The story of ‘God Defend New Zealand’ began in 1876, when the newspaper The Saturday Advertiser and New Zealand Literary Miscellany ran a contest. Newspaper editors printed a patriotic five-verse poem titled ‘God Defend New Zealand’, written by Thomas Bracken of Dunedin. The contest challenged readers to compose music for that poem to make a new national song for New Zealand, for a potential prize of ten guineas (gold coins).
About twelve readers responded with musical compositions based on the poem. Editors sent their submitted works to a group of professional German musicians in Melbourne, Australia, for evaluation. The judges selected the work they felt was the most melodious. This chosen piece had been composed by ‘Orpheus’, the pen name of John Joseph Woods of Lawrence, New Zealand. Woods was a clerk and teacher as well as an avid avocational musician. He preferred the violin but could play eleven other instruments. When he heard about the musical contest, he was so enthused that he wrote the now-famous song in one evening.
‘God Defend New Zealand’ made its public debut on 25 December 1876 at the Queen’s Theatre in Dunedin. The Royal Artillery Band performed instrumentals while the Opera Burle Troupe and Lydia Howard Burlesque sang the vocals. The song was an immediate hit with the people of Dunedin and its reputation grew quickly from there.
As early as 1878, Governor George Grey asked for the lyrics to be translated into Māori, although this translation had some inaccurate phrasings. The idea of having the same song in two languages persisted, however. In modern times ‘God Defend New Zealand’ and the Māori version, ‘Aotearoa’, are often performed in tandem during sporting events and other large ceremonies.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the populace embraced ‘God Defend New Zealand’, although it would not become an official national anthem for decades to come. Supporters of the song, particularly a post office chief engineer named John McDermott, continued to push for its elevation to the national stage. In 1940, officials chose the tune as the national song. However, ‘God Save the Queen’ remained the only official anthem.
Love for the song only grew from there. In 1976, 7,750 petitioners from across the country asked for the song to become the new national anthem. The following year, Queen Elizabeth II consented to the request. From that time, New Zealand has had two national anthems: ‘God Save the Queen’ and ‘God Defend New Zealand’.
Bibliography
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