evidence: New Zealand is one of only two countries in the world—the other being Denmark—with two official national anthems of equal status.[2] The traditional anthem "God Save the King" is generally used only on royal and viceregal occasions.[3] "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used on occasions when the national identity of New Zealand is the focus, such as sports events, where it is sung with English and Māori verses.[4] On a few occasions both anthems may be used.[2] [...] God Defend New Zealand [edit]"God Defend New Zealand" is a poem[2] that was written by Thomas Bracken in the 1870s. It was set to music and first publicly performed in 1876.[5] A Māori translation of the original English was produced in 1878 by Thomas Henry Smith.[10] In 1940 the New Zealand Government bought the copyright and made it New Zealand's 'national hymn' in time for that year's centennial celebrations. It was used at the British Empire Games from 1950 onward, and at the Olympics from 1972. Following the performance at the Summer Olympics in Munich, a campaign began to have the hymn officially adopted as a national anthem.[10] [...] - ^ "New Zealand Music Guide Book – "God Defend New Zealand" (National Anthem)". nz.com. New Zealand on the Web Limited. Retrieved 6 September 2017.