"God Defend New Zealand" (English pronunciation: /gɒd dəˈfend nju: ˈzi:lənd/), called "Aotearoa" (Māori pronunciation: [aɔˈtearɔa]; simply "New Zealand") in Māori, is the title of the most popular national anthem of New Zealand. It was originally a poem written by Thomas Bracken in the 1870s until it was set to music by John Joseph Woods as part a competition for ten guineas in 1876. Two years later, Thomas Henry Smith wrote the lyrics in Māori—one of the country's official languages. The anthem was adopted in 1977.
"God Save the Queen", the national anthem used for the United Kingdom and used as a royal anthem for a number of countries and territories, is also a national anthem of New Zealand.