The following is an announcement of alternative arrangements of God Defend New Zealand, for general use.
Source: the Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette, Thursday, 31 May 1979.
Recognising the difficulties which could be experienced in the singing or playing of the national anthem God Defend New Zealand by the general public, new arrangements of this anthem have been commissioned from Mr A Maxwell Fernie.
The original score composed in 1875 by Mr J J Woods in A flat (concert pitch) lent itself best to solo or choral singing but was not most appropriate for general or massed singing, bearing present tastes in music in mind.
The new arrangements allow for a strong presentation at a reasonable pace. One is more suitable for massed singing, the other for choral work.
The commissioning and publication of these arrangements is intended to enhance the presentation of the national anthem for general purposes. They should not be regarded as the only arrangements suitable for all occasions.
D A Highet,
Minister of Internal Affairs.
Download the musical score
The score has been provided in a screen version and a higher quality (but larger download) print version. These images have been scanned directly from the NZ Gazette.
File download
anthem1-screen.jpg (51.89 KB)
God Defend New Zealand (page one from the New Zealand Gazette)
anthem2-screen.jpg (56.94 KB)
God Defend New Zealand (page two from the New Zealand Gazette)
anthem3-screen.jpg (22.6 KB)
God Defend New Zealand (page three from the New Zealand Gazette)
anthem.zip (830.78 KB)
Higher quality print version of God Defend New Zealand (zip file 831k)
429641-National Anthem score.pdf (499.39 KB)
God Defend New Zealand (all five versions in Maori and English) [pdf version]
