National Anthem CD for Schools “Inspiring Celebration of our Heritage”

New Zealand schools are being sent a CD with versions of the National anthem to help provide consistency with singing the anthem.

The words and melody are arranged in a contemporary, bicultural style and performed by young singers and musicians from top New Zealand bands and television music shows.

Trevor Mallard today described the result as “inspiring.”

“These performances of our national anthem include a large number of children in a celebration of our heritage,” he said.

The CD includes two versions of the anthem, one for primary school children and one for secondary students.

Trevor Mallard had warm congratulations for the primary singers Holly Walmsley and Ronald Karaitiana, who appear on the MacDonald’s Young Entertainers television show, and for the two signers of the secondary school version, Hinewehi Mohi, best known for her top-selling international album Oceania, and Antony Pickard who is the voice behind the All Blacks’ and Hurricanes’ songs.

The full-mix CD tracks start with the koauau (flute) and purerehua (bull roarer). Then, there is a karanga, which calls all ancestors to join the journey as it introduces the anthem. Linking the Mäori verse and the English verse is a haka that encourages students to be proud and stand tall.

The package includes lead sheets for singers and simple guitar chords to enable students to play and sing along.

Trevor Mallard said the CD provided teachers with many ways to use the national anthem in the classroom, with a music-only track which could be used to accompany sports, concerts and assembly performances.

“The key to the usefulness of this version of God Defend New Zealand is its flexibility as a teaching tool for classrooms,” he said.

Trevor Mallard said there was general agreement and strong endorsement by national sporting organisations for the need for our National Anthem to be sung in a consistent manner by all New Zealanders.

“While the Government is not of the view that it should dictate precisely how the anthem should be performed, we certainly do wish to encourage a standardised approach through the country’s schools.”

A story telling the process of the making of the National Anthem CD will be published shortly in The School Journal.

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