Hear our voices, we entreat : the extraordinary story of New Zealand's national anthems / Max Cryer ; foreword by Kiri Te Kanawa.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 130-132) and index.

The story of God Defend New Zealand is a curious one. After enterprising Irish settler Thomas Bracken penned the words, he held a competition for people to compose the music. The winner was John Joseph Woods, an obscure schoolteacher from Lawrence, central Otago. The story of its acceptance as our national anthem was long and fraught; there were many rivals, and dozens of songs purporting to be 'New Zealand's national song' were written and published. It was not until 1972 that God Defend New Zealand was first heard at an Olympic Games (when the rowing eight won gold), and it took a further five years before it officially became one of our two national anthems. Max Cryer tells the full story of the rise, fall, rise and fall again of God Defend New Zealand, unearthing many fascinating and little-known facts along the way, and correcting some popular misconceptions. Heavily illustrated, this delightful book will enlighten, astonish and entertain.