Story: National anthems

Royal thanks

John Woods held the copyright for 'God defend New Zealand' from 1877 until 1914, and tirelessly promoted the song. In 1897 he asked Premier Richard Seddon to present a copy to Queen Victoria when Seddon attended her diamond jubilee celebrations in England. This is Seddon's letter to Woods, conveying the Queen's thanks.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, John Joseph Woods Collection
Reference: MS-Papers-0355-04

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'National anthems - History of ‘God defend New Zealand’', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/33768/royal-thanks (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 20 Jun 2012