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.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
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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