Hi all, here is the first REAL blog post. It's a bit of a cheat as it's for another campaign I'm pushing, but is something I'm very passionate about - and all New Zealanders should at least take a serious look at.
Below is a positioning statement that we are basing our ongoing PR off, and we'll be looking to take this as far as possible... so if you know anyone who'd be interested in spreading the message, don't hesitate to contact me. Anyway - here is the content!
An Anthem for Everyone
As Kiwis, we all have the right to feel very lucky. New Zealand is a place of great cultural diversity and richness. Migrants from all over the world come to New Zealand to enjoy a peaceful, accepting and egalitarian lifestyle.
A key factor in New Zealand’s cultural success has been a willingness to embrace new ideas about equality very early. Indigenous relations are stronger in New Zealand than in any other colonised nation and we were the first country in the world to give women the vote.
In such a secular country, where the majority do not have strong religious views, having a national anthem that explicitly mentions one specific religion seems curiously old fashioned.
This is secular issue with real importance to our sense of national identity – to celebrate the rich variety of religious and cultural perspectives.
Since 1976, New Zealand’s national anthem has been the Christian hymn – ‘God Defend New Zealand’. Originally a Christian poem written by a Dunedin Freemason in the 1870s, it was given a melody shortly after that. However, more than 100 years passed before it was officially accepted as New Zealand’s national song. It currently holds the same status in this country as ‘God Save The Queen’.
Unlike the flag, which has a long history in our country, ‘God Defend New Zealand’ has no such heritage. If such a song were submitted as our national anthem today (only 34 years later) it would almost certainly be rejected on the basis of religious favouritism.
According to census statistics and trends, more than 40% of people in New Zealand do not identify with the Christian God. Their beliefs vary from agnostics and atheists to the devoutly faithful of a multitude of religious beliefs. As we move forward shaping our culture and identity, it is becoming even more important to hold strongly to our diverse and secular ideals.
In 2007, a government initiative was set in motion to ensure our diversity was embraced and protected. It was called the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme, and it brings together any organisations taking practical steps to:
• Recognise and celebrate the cultural diversity of our society (diverse)
• Promote the equal enjoyment by everyone of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity or national origin (equal)
• Foster harmonious relations between diverse peoples (harmonious)
Diverse, equal and harmonious: those three words encapsulate what society in New Zealand should be. To demonstrate that no one would be left behind, the government publically state that New Zealand is a nation that has no official religion.
It is time for us to have our National Anthem changed.
It is time for us to have a song that represents all New Zealanders.
It is time for the New Zealand government to honour their own words and put no single faith ahead of other beliefs.
We need a song we can all sing with pride, connection and a sense of belonging… an Anthem for Everyone.
Off the back of the Diversity Action Programme, the NZ govt made a public statement, entitled the Statement on Religious Diversity, from which came a definitive and public statement that no religion would be showed any favour in this country. All beliefs treated equally.
The following link is a great resource that outlines the SoRD & the DAP, the organisations currently endorsing the programme, its foundation speech given by Prof
Paul Morris at the National Interfaith Forum, its subsequent 2009 revue, and other direct links relating to equality of belief for all:
http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/racerelations/tengirathenzdiversityactionprogramme/statementonreligiousdiversity/statementonreligiousdiversity.php
If you're interested in the cause, search for 'Anthem for Everyone' on Facebook and show your support, or enter into some discourse.
Or you can visit our website at www.anthemforeveryone.co.nz and find the Facebook link there.
This is an issue that really touches all of our lives and should be something that is seriously considered amongst rational and egalitarian thinkers of all faiths.
NT
On the specific issue, our anthem - like our flag - is a touchstone of our past. On that basis alone, it has value. Written in the 1870's, used as a de facto anthem since the 1950's: these aren't insignificant slices of time for a nation that is so young.
ReplyDeleteMore generally, I am always surprised how often we enter into a furiously circular debate about whether amending our flag or changing our anthem is a must if we are to claim our national identity, or be truly aware of what NZ now represents, or be truly representative of the many cultures and belief-systems that now make up the nation.
In an era of acculturation & true globalisation (as a reality driven by technological, economic & social advances, as opposed to some nebulous concept to argue for or against) and the attendant potential for freedom, peace and prosperity, these discussions we keep returning to seem at best, anachronistic and at worst, backwards-facing and embarassing.
In terms of potential for abuse, concepts that promote selective grouping, such as national identity and patriotism have as much to answer for as religion when it comes to the conflicts of our past and present. Why renew & refresh them?
There are some pretty real issues modern New Zealand needs to face: education, healthcare, literacy, poverty, living standards, economic stability and social discord. For my money, songs and flags don't rate.
Fb
TBH I agree to a large extent mate. Where my point comes in is really working within the current framework. It sounds like you are, in a sense, suggesting that we drop all icons of national identity because of their divisive nature - but on the other hand it seems like you're keen to protect the status of those icons as historically important.
ReplyDeleteMy contention really is that in the current context the anthem has no relevance or bearing on a HUGE number of New Zealanders. If we are to assign importance to things like flags and anthems, then their relevance to the country is totally paramount.
:)
Also it has only been our anthem since 1976/7, not the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteNaw, I'm not saying drop these icons, just that they are more a part of our past than a part of our now, or our future - which I think holds true in most countries. And as pieces of our past, they do have value.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't particularly want the esteem in which national symbols are held to increase, because I think this would be regressive and divisive in terms of where we are going as a species.
I also think contemporising them, as well as devaluing our history and diverting our attention from other more pressing issues, is a really difficult task, and one that inevitably opens up the potential for constant revision.
Asalam Alaykum ;)
I have to agree with Finn on this one, i don't think we should change our Anthem and certainly not before we change our Flag. I am not christian, but i think most religions refer to a "God" of some descript.
ReplyDeleteI really don't mind our anthem and as Finn said there are more important things to deal with than our national song.