<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> "God Defend New Zealand" is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the Queen". Legally they have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used and is widely (albeit incorrectly) referred to as "the national anthem". Originally written as a poem, it was set to music as part of a competition in 1876 . Over the years its popularity increased, and it was eventually named the second national anthem in 1977 . The anthem has English and Māori lyrics, with slightly different meanings . When performed in public, the usual practice is to sing the first verse in both Māori and English . </P> <P> "God Defend New Zealand" was written as a poem in the 1870s by Irish - born, Victorian - raised immigrant Thomas Bracken of Dunedin . A competition to compose music for the poem was held in 1876 by The Saturday Advertiser and judged by three prominent Melbourne musicians, with a prize of ten guineas . The winner of the competition was the Tasmanian - born John Joseph Woods of Lawrence, New Zealand who composed the melody in a single sitting the evening after finding out about the competition . The song was first performed at the Queen's Theatre, Princes Street, Dunedin, on Christmas Day, 1876 . In 1897, Prime Minister Richard Seddon presented a copy of words and music to Queen Victoria . </P> <P> A Māori version of the song was produced in 1878 by Thomas Henry Smith of Auckland, a judge in the Native Land Court, on request of Governor George Edward Grey . A copy of the Māori lyrics, under the title "Aotearoa", was printed in Otago newspapers in October 1878 . In Smith's original text the word "whakarangona" was used to translate' hear', rather than the modern "whakarongona". </P>

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