TVNZ God Defend NZ 

I migrated to NZ in Feb 1990 and I heard this song the first time on my first morning in NZ, living with other expats in an apartment in Mt. Victoria, when they started the TV in the morning. Lived there for 7 years and became a NZ citizen. Now living in the US - I'm emotional listening to this song because NZ had given me a lot and gave me a wonderful life that I will never forget. I will always be forever grateful. I love NZ.

I remember waking up to this every morning as a kid right before my mum watched aerobics Oz style and my dad watched te Karare! Lol the things you remember. I always loved waking up to this and going to sleep to Goodnight Kiwi. Gotta love the late 80s & early 90s!

Absolutely Beautiful. Our homeland is not perfect, but we have what many things that so many people envy Beauty Peace Harmony Being Maori, im proud that both of our languages were acknowledged in such a way, even in the eighties. Kia Ora

Im 17 and havent seen this version of the nationol anthem before but I think TVNZ should bring this back. I have lived in Christchurch NZ and will not leave this great country for anything ( Including Earthquakes). KIA KAHA NZ

I love the fact that it embraced ALL aspects of our Kiwi culture and heritage.

Every 6AM on TVNZ One during the 1980s, the anthem was played with a 1970s pop-style march, containing the mix for various lyrics from the hymn. And the visual that was recorded shows the everyday scenes of New Zealand.

When I heard this national anthem during the cricket world cup, it is one of the most beautiful anthems I heard in my life.

@haienbleurgh That represents NZs hard working forestry. It is just a pine tree, planted to be cut down then replanted! Sustainable living! This video was made before ridiculous over the top "greenies" were so overstated. New Zealand is full of trees, rivers, mountains, lakes, beaches etc. But we should also be keen to keep our hard working attitude! We have a great balance here

FINALLY! the better quality version of this song! *YES!*

Awe. Yes! I visited my pen pal and buddy in 1986, 1990, and 1993. PN for trips 2 & 3. I loved this clip! I shot and edited Super VHS. I had my camcorder and US TV. The local TV station was kind to put this on a videotape for me (PAL). I had it transferred to NTSC and showed peeps. I'm a guy, but I get teary every time I watch this. And I love the sheep! 'Saw a sheep crossing there. TBH, I hear the prayer, "God, Defend New Zealand". And as I think about the little slice of history that I have seen, I must say that the prayer has rang true!

E Ihowā Atua, O ngā iwi mātou rā Āta whakarangona; Me aroha noa Kia hua ko te pai; Kia tau tō atawhai; Manaakitia mai Aotearoa Men of every creed and race, Gather here before Thy face, Asking Thee to bless this place, God defend our free land. From dissension, envy, hate, And corruption guard our state, Make our country good and great, God defend New Zealand. Waiho tona takiwā Ko te ao mārama; Kia whiti tōna rā Taiāwhio noa. Ko te hae me te ngangau Meinga kia kore kau; Waiho i te rongo mau Aotearoa May our mountains ever be Freedom's ramparts on the sea, Make us faithful unto Thee, God defend our free land. Guide her in the nations' van, Preaching love and truth to man, Working out Thy glorious plan, God defend New Zealand. God of Nations at Thy feet, In the bonds of love we meet, Hear our voices, we entreat, God defend our free land. Guard Pacific's triple star From the shafts of strife and war, Make her praises heard afar, God defend New Zealand.

How can anyone thumbs down this beautiful singing and Nz tv memory obviously not kiwis 🥝

Awesome anthem, both English and Māori

I left that country more than 10 years ago and I am in no way a patriotic New Zealander, but this is by far the best version of the greatest national anthem in the world.

I remember watching this in the mornings when getting up for school. Still the best rendition of our national anthem. Beautiful !!!

Awww I so miss when they ussed to play this version on TV and radio! God please cause our nation to once again revere you in Jesus's name amen! ! Christchurch.

As a non-New Zealander, I cried at this anthem and it is only the anthem to be proud of.

2020!! This version must be on air again!! So great to feel pure NZ ..🇳🇿 🇰🇷

It's a time when life was simple and not so PC. Growing up in the 1980s I believe most people my age group would agree

Love hearing Annie Crummer on this! When singing at the rugby etc, I always hear her voice going hard, doing the song proud! Go Dalvanius and Peter Morgan too!

So thankful for RU-vid that we can still see these types of videos.My childhood right there.

I cant believe I stumbled upon this. Ha vent seen this since i was a young child.amazing theme Maori/English and so much beauty from our back country and coastlines to the city life.now Im a parent and watching this kinda refreshes my memory of my childhood.

Left NZ in 1991 when I was 10. Really missed it for a long time. Wish I could get a Jelly Tip ice lolly where I am now :D

I remember closedown! It was to tell me that I was up too late on a school night. haha

I worked at the Remarks in 89 and first saw the TVNZ1 sign-off then. 20 yrs later I still get emotional over this video - thinking of my friends in NZ and the really great and fun times. It's a great country filled w/great people and spectactular terrain. The US has it's share of NZ youth visitors, bringing extreme sports enthusiasts (which is good and all), but this classic video can't be beat by any modern day extreme. It blends everything: sport, natural beauty, culture, art, society....

TVNZ needs to start playing this at 6AM again.

This made me cry, reminds me of my mid teens. So many memories

Loved watching this as a kid.

They should start playing this again, I remember when this was on in the mornings sometimes. Bring back national pride on television, the anthem is never played on tv anymore unless it's the start of some sporting fixture.

Really Classy Job by TVNZ - Shame that there is no more closedowns these days!

The best version STILL by far!!

Great, so great to see that again, i been here in New Zealand for 13 years now.. 13 years ago, when i first wake up at 6am each morning, i always hear this national anthem!!! Then follow the Te Karere news (the maori news, it still the same!!!)

Yeah thats awesome. Always brings a lump to my throat and makes me so damn proud to be a Kiwi and to live in this gorgeous country we have here. bring out the flags !!

I feel proud listening to this anthem

While being a little turgid the anthem sequence was nonetheless rather classy...then the radio took over with measured tones and a jazzy nighttime feeling. Made me feel like I was back in the 1980s drinking warm cocoa and setting my clock radio for school tomorrow morning. ✌

I remember this as a kid when TV started in the morning. I like the Maori version at the start and then the Patea Maori Club English version with some real pride in it.

right as. I visited NZ for a month in 2007. Anyone who lives there is damn lucky. Amazing place. Brit in Japan

I'm 34 and use to watch this as a little kid and finally found it on RU-vid!

I remembered this going to school And i had to memorize the words. luckily I got to wake up with this Beautiful anthem.

Bring it back every morning, I watch with a heavy heart a week after the 🕌 shooting

wow wot a bloody good anthem :o I wish I lived in New Zealand!!!

If this video was all you knew of New Zealand, you'd think it was mostly a mountainous land, permanently covered in snow, with a very small population who got about by skiing. And a steel smelter.

I wish the US stations had a video this awe inspiring! This was about the time MTV was starting up... hell, now MTV doesn't even do music videos anymore (does it?).

The singers are Annie Crummer, Bunny Walters and John Rowles.

I thought this was played in the mornings for TV1. The close down was the goodnight kiwi.

Bring this back NZ bring it back this has been around since the eighties.

Fantastush! Super! NZ in the 1980's was a blast and would love to do the 80's again. Super video and I believe its been remade for TV2 now.

About 4 years ago, I had a copy of this up on RU-vid which I closed captioned for people, in Māori and English. I'm gonna grab a copy, Duncster, and if you want, I'll pass the caption file onto you for this video :) 5 stars mate.

This is earliest upload I've seen to youtube. Been going 2 years at this point.

Proud to be a kiwi !

I was waiting for "What Now " to start up at the end of that.

F in the chat for TVNZ1 not using the Kiwi.

That is so kool! I'm a new NZ Resident, and had not yet heard the national anthem! Thanks to jimmynz24 also for clarifying the verse order. Gotta learn some Maori now.

Remember this version of the anthem from childhood. Thank you for sharing. Love it!

Man this is patriotic.

I remember this version as a kid with Annie Crummer & Frankie Stevens singing. Love it.

Brings back old memories. What a great compilation of all things Kiwi shown in the clip

Ttrust me before this version, all we had were mundaine Victorian versions at school, accompanied by a badly butchered piano accompaniment with no heart. Annie Crummer wow, to this day sings it with the most heart. First time NZ heard a Maori version too, where it first originated from I think. Bunny Walters, Dalvanius Prime and Patea Maori club with little Annie made our anthem cool. Great arrangement and well orchestrated, still gives me goose pumps more than any other version.

Took me back wayyyy back! Glad I stumbled across this

Love the 80's childhood memories.

I'm very bad at being patriotic (the measles of mankind and all that), but I have to admit, this brought a smile to my face. I remember closedown! I think the Goodnight Kiwi is somewhere on RU-vid...

Best network sign-off of any worldwide: graphics, music/song, concept.

If I could like this clip a thousand times i bloody well would by cripes!!!!

I miss the innocent, united, conscientious Nation that this was played in.......... what happened to us?

Memories... What an apt song

I'm a young person who stayed in NZ and have no intention of leaving, I've managed to save for a house, I guess the irrationality of living here is in the eye of the beholder

The is the greatest TV channel sign-off in world history.

I am a Indian and I practice cricket and I want to be a New Zealand player and I know that I can be and the third and last time I want to say that I know the New Zealand national anthem up to god defend New Zealand the first one. when I see India Vs New Zealand I am the team of New Zealand

That was really beautiful !!

Great clip! There are five verses to God Defend New Zealand. The order they are sung in the video are I - First verse sung in Maori; "E Ihoa Atua" II - Second verse sung in english; "Men of every creed and race" III - Fourth verse sung in Maori; "Waiho tona takiwa" IV - Fifth verse sung in english; "May our mountains ever be" V - First verse sung in english The third verse was ommitted. There is a military/war-like theme to this verse and is sometimes sung on ANZAC Day.

NZ anthem is the best in the world

That was frickin awesome! Cheers for the upload.

2019!! God Defend New Zealand!

Brings back good memories this.

I was wondering if anyone had a copy of this... awesome to see it again after all these years.

love from Bangladesh

I love our anthem !

Brings a tear to your eye.

Ah, yes, better times. When New Zealand was "bicultural" and not "multicultural". The average Kiwi could actually afford a home. "Bicultural" has now been erased from history. Disappeared down the memory hole.

Alan Duncan, (in HKI at 2:21) the legend of legends.

What's there not to like about NZ?!?! Best place under the sun, eh?

awesone song, thank god i live in aotearoa,

I can't remember if this was before or after the second channel was added. Second channel was added 1977.

I remember this being the first thing before televised programming in the morning. I'd get up at 6.30am and sit through the test pattern waiting for the cartoons to come on early Sunday morning.

Wasn't close dwon Hine e Hine with the kiwi and cat. I thought this was only opening of the day.

May our Nation be blessed.

Apparently the female singer is Annie Crummer, and the first male voice is Bunny Walters.

Linking to this in the wake of the terrible news from Christchurch.

remember when tv used to shut down at night? i feel old

Not "overblown". - Brilliant!

This sounds like Annie Crummer. Amazing.

"... country of the Gods..." excellently put!

Kiwi hard 😍😎

Back when society was great and being a KIWI meant being a KIWI it's all different now

Does anyone remember this being played any time in the early 2000s (between about 2000 and 2007)? I think I remember this on TVNZ sometimes but don't remember closedown as this was before my time.

As a kid growing up on a sheep ranch in the western US, I used to dream of going to New Zealand to live for a time -- until I learned that New Zealanders these days hate Americans who don't hate America. Oh well. I still love the idea of the British Commonwealth, and wish I had lived in the days when the whole Anglosphere hung together. And New Zealand still seems like one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

That's Me, I'm New Zealand!

Unfortunately it's changed a lot in the 15-20 years since that clip was made... :(

I love New Zealand

also played at start of day after rolling teletext pages