Undergroundnetwork

Considering Christianity is no longer the dominant religion in New Zealand, should we still have “God defend New Zealand” as our national anthem? The only time we ever here it when the All Blacks play and a couple of times at the Olympics. Should the anthem not reflect the whole country and be meaningful for all people? Admittedly the national anthem means nothing to me, as I’m sure it does not resonate with others too. Every time it plays before matches, I confess I have reservations of saying, “God defend New Zealand”, as I do not believe in any god. It seems hollow and insincere. I’m not overly patriotic, but I would like to proudly sing about what is fine about our country, something I can believe in. I sing the Maori version with more heart than I do the English, as although it means roughly the same thing, it reflects this country better than the original as no other country has a Maori version of their anthem. And I don’t know exactly what I’m saying! It is not about wiping away tradition or dismissing history, but having an anthem that applies to the country. Arguably the current one never did, even without the religious references. It is a nothing anthem! You could change New Zealand with any other western countries name and it would work just as well (or poorly!) Just as the flag arguably does not reflect the nation, neither does the anthem. After all, it is hardly the most rousing tune, unlike perhaps the French. I cannot imagine what it would be replaced with, but there is surely something that reflects the country better than the outdated and irrelevant current anthem. I don’t see it being changed any time soon; with Labour so low in the polls it might be seen to be as a little unnecessary by the electorate. Maybe with the rising number of agnostics and atheists, it could perhaps be a worthwhile last throw of the dice for the ailing incumbents!