CA Country Anthems

New Zealand National Anthem History

God Defend New Zealand · God Defend New Zealand / Aotearoa

First written in the 1870s with lyrics by Thomas Bracken and music by John Joseph Woods, "God Defend New Zealand" became the national song in 1940. It was granted equal status as a co-national anthem with "God Save The Queen" in 1977.

New Zealand God Defend New Zealand

New Zealand

Language
English
Anthem
God Defend New Zealand
Duration
1:03
Status
Today, "God Defend New Zealand" is one of two official national anthems, sharing equal status with "God Save The King," and is the anthem much more commonly heard and sung in the country.

History timeline

  1. 1870

    Irish-born poet Thomas Bracken writes the English lyrics for "God Defend New Zealand".

  2. 1876

    John Joseph Woods composes the music for the anthem as a result of a newspaper contest.

  3. 1940

    The song is adopted as New Zealand's national song during the country's centennial celebrations.

  4. 1976

    A public petition prompts the New Zealand government to seek co-national anthem status for the song.

  5. 1977

    On November 21, "God Defend New Zealand" officially becomes a co-national anthem with "God Save the Queen."

Composer John Joseph Woods famously wrote the music for "God Defend New Zealand" in a single sitting immediately after reading about the newspaper contest.