Following the performance at the Summer Olympics in Munich, a campaign began to have the hymn officially adopted as a national anthem.

[10] In 1976 a petition was presented to Parliament asking "God Defend New Zealand" to be made the national anthem.

[5] With the consent of Queen Elizabeth II, it was gazetted as the country's second national anthem on 21 November 1977, on equal standing with "God Save the King/Queen".

[2] New Zealand was the first of the current Commonwealth realms to officially adopt a national anthem separate from "God Save the King".

[3] "Te Atua Mou E" and "Ko e Iki he Lagi" are the national anthems of the Cook Islands and Niue, respectively.