The winner of the competition was the Vandemonian-born John Joseph Woods of Lawrence, Otago, who composed the melody in a single sitting the evening after finding out about the competition. A competition to compose music for the poem was held in 1876 by The Saturday Advertiser and judged by three prominent Melbourne musicians, with a prize of ten guineas. 'God Defend New Zealand' was written as a poem in the 1870s by Irish-born, Victorian-raised immigrant Thomas Bracken of Dunedin. Since the late 1990s, the usual practice when performed in public is to perform the first verse of the national anthem twice, first in Māori and then in English. It has English and Māori lyrics, with slightly different meanings. Over the years its popularity increased, and it was eventually named the second national anthem in 1977.

Originally written as a poem, it was set to music as part of a competition in 1876.

Legally the two have equal status, but 'God Defend New Zealand' is more commonly used. 'God Defend New Zealand' (Māori: 'Aotearoa', meaning 'New Zealand') is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being 'God Save the King'. Arranged for the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France.