Time for a new anthem?
A 92-year-old is pitching new lyrics as part of a secular do-over of our national song. And he wants it done before he gets ‘‘knocked off his perch’’. Matt Stewart reports.
Nimble ‘‘92-and-a-half year old’’ Bill Wollerman reckons our national anthem is well overdue a secular spruce-up. So six months ago, struck by inspiration on his birthday, he began working on some new lyrics to reflect modern Aotearoa.
‘‘I believe our national anthem should inform the world about our beliefs, behaviour, aspirations, the culture of our society – not largely laud its landscape, or its monarchy or its military prowess,’’ Wollerman says.
The former teacher and advertising executive reckons the themes of a level playing field and a fair go for all should be at the heart of any new anthem. Keeping God Defend New
Zealand’s tune would help bridge the change while linking it to the past but he believes the words need a long overdue update – Wollerman reckons it needs new lyrics in Maori and English (not necessarily his) and should be livelier, less solemn, more confident and much shorter than its five largely unsung verses.
The anthem was written by Irish poet and journalist Thomas Bracken and published in Dunedin’s Saturday Advertiser – which he edited at the time – in 1876.
It wasn’t until 1977 that the anthem was recognised officially when Internal Affairs Minister Allan
Highet announced the national anthems of New Zealand would be
God Save the Queen and God Defend New Zealand.
They would have equal status and be sung as the occasion deemed appropriate.
When Wollerman canvassed feedback on his new version – with the working title Forge Ahead New Zealand – one respondent said:
God Defend New Zealand largely appeals for divine intervention to defend and protect us – appropriate in pioneering Victorian 1876, but not in today’s cosmopolitan, educated society,’’ – sentiments Wollerman agrees with.
Affiliation with Christianity has been steadily declining since 2001. The 2013 census revealed fewer than half of us identify with a Christian religion.
Secularism, humanism and atheism have been surging over the past 25 years – especially among the young – and were philosophies that accounted for more than 40 per cent of those who say they had no religion in 2013. In 1991 the irreligious made up just over 20 per cent.
Wollerman says he is not antireligious but pro-freedom and his new verse and chorus reflected generally held Kiwi principles of freedom of speech, conscience, creed, assembly, equality of status guaranteed under law, toleration and modesty.
‘‘My God is my conscience and my conscience is my God,’’ Wollerman says.
‘‘It’s not anti-religion – quite the reverse – but, if we believe in equality of status, no favouritism, and a level playing field for all beliefs, institutions and positions then our anthem should be secular.’’
Wollerman is not alone in calling for a new anthem – in April, after Kiwi satirist John Clarke died, his song We Don’t Know How Lucky We
Are was again touted as a contender.
Clarke collaborator Graeme Hill said the song, which hit the Top 20 in 1975 and topped the charts in 1998 – was recorded to be our alternative national anthem.
Asked at the time why it should
replace our current anthem, Hill said: ‘‘God Defend New Zealand is awful, no one knows what it means.’’
During the flag referendum debate in 2015, Labour leader Andrew Little called the anthem a ‘dirge’ and its God-fearing lyrics have long stuck in the craw of atheists and non-believers.
After spending $10,000 and two years campaigning for his new lyrics in 2014, Canterbury pensioner David Smith said the anthem, with its many references to Christianity, was out of step with the times and violated the human rights of non-religious citizens.
Judy de Leeuwe, of the Association of Rationalists and Humanists, said the group had long pushed for a secular anthem, and several members have penned their own versions.
As an atheist, de Leeuwe said singing the anthem as a child never gelled and that feeling was likely the same today for irreligious children and those of non-Christian faith.
‘‘How can you feel as one as a country if the anthem doesn’t represent everybody?’’
Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) national president BJ Clark said that despite the occasional call for change, he had felt no great surge of public feeling suggesting people wanted a new or altered national anthem.
Unlike the flag debate the anthem issue had not fired the people’s imagination but if ever it did the RSA – as an organisation – would support the democratic will, even if Clark and some of its members did not privately adopt any new anthem.
The association strived to be modern and relevant and part of that was accepting change.
‘‘We can’t keep our heads in the sand, it’s a healthy thing to have debate and not necessarily accept the status quo, but the country will dictate – if the issue was ignited and a process was put in place then we would go with it but at this stage I have not seen any overwhelming desire for change,’’ Clark said.
ACT party leader David Seymour said he agreed with the sentiments and values of Wollerman’s version but although there needed to be separation between church and state he doubted most people were offended by the mention of God in the anthem.
‘‘It’s a matter of symbolism – people should just live and let live.’’
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry said she didn’t see any need for change. There had been no formal approaches for it and there was no groundswell of public opinion.
‘‘There is also no statutory process for changing the national anthem and the Government is not currently considering it,’’ Barry said.
Despite the minister pouring cold water on the idea, Wollerman reckons he has captured the public mood – based on his small, unscientific sample of 90 responses, just 20 per cent were against change and the rest were in favour of altering the anthem.
‘‘This is a four to one ratio, which I think is really significant,’’ Wollerman said.
With democracy on the wane and global geopolitics seeming to spiral down to new depths of dysfunction, Wollerman reckons Kiwis should stand up and be counted and show pride in our way of life.
‘‘Let’s spell it out, we need to say what we believe in – hopefully this might have some effect in some tyrant-ravaged country. It would also be reassuring for new Kiwis, especially those from non-democratic lands.’’
Having the fundamentals of our national attitude enshrined in a newly-worded anthem could also bring us closer together, as summed up in Wollerman’s final line: ‘‘Every creed and every race, gathered here in freedom’s place. ’’
But Wollerman’s not precious about his version and hopes others will have a crack at it.
‘‘Go for it, writers – forge ahead, nothing but good can come of it.’’