| English: God of Truth | |
|---|---|
 | |
National anthem of theCook Islands | |
| Lyrics | Pa Tepaeru Terito Ariki, Lady Davis |
| Music | Sir Tom Davis |
| Adopted | 1982 |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version | |
"Te Atua mou ē" ("God of Truth") is thenational anthem of theCook Islands. It was adopted in 1982, replacing "God Defend New Zealand", the New Zealand anthem.
The music was written bySir Tom Davis, thenPrime Minister of the Cook Islands. The lyrics are by his wife,Pa Tepaeru Terito Ariki, Lady Davis.[1] In 1982, article 76(D) of the constitution of the Cook Islands declared the song the official anthem of the Cook Islands. The country used "God Defend New Zealand", theNew Zealand national anthem, before that.[2]
In 2017, theHouse of Ariki proposed to change two words from the song, replacingpa enua ("all the islands of the sea") withKuki Airani (Cook Islands). The change was heavily disliked by residents of the islands. They pointed out the new words were not part of their language,te reo Māori, and claimed the change was offensive towards Sir Tom Davis and Pa Tepaeru Ariki Lady Davis.[2]
| Cook Islands Māori original | IPA transcription[a] | English translation[3] |
|---|---|---|
Te Atua mou ē | [te a.tu.a mou̯ eː] | God almighty, |