Unrest in Muldoon's New Zealand

This 1981 song mocks the attitude of Rob Muldoon, who was prime minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, a time when we were changing from an monolithic rural society to an educated and complex urban economy. He was one of the most polarising figures in New Zealand history, failing to address the growing economic depression and consequent unemployment, the racial unrest and the threat of civil war "World War Three" when a racially repressive Springbok Rugby team toured New Zealand. Muldoon divided New Zealanders into two camps. Some saw "Piggy" Muldoon as a dictatorial Prime Minister who came close to destroying both the economy and social fabric of New Zealand through his arrogance. Others, "Rob's Mob", revered him as a supporter of the "ordinary bloke" and an icon of the New Zealand national character.

Richard von Sturmer

Playwright, poet, songwriter, editor.
Born in Devonport, Auckland, c. 1958,
Educated at Westlake BHS and Auckland University.
1976 writes filmscript, Circadian Rhythms.
1978-80 songwriter for Blam Blam Blam.
1978-86 writes performance pieces and plays.
1978-91 writes books of prose poems
1992 begins ten years of Zen training at a Buddhist Community in upstate New York.
2003 returns to live and work in Auckland.

No Depression in the McGillicuddies

The McGilliduddy Serious Party was formed as a political party to use satire as a way of highlighting the absurdity of other partys' policies.

McGSP leader Graeme Cairns explains:
"In about 1990 Mark Servian of the McGillicuddies was doing a radio broadcast over the Waikato Students' Union radio station. It purported to be the National Radio's Saturday Night Show, 50 years in the future, and the final piece of music they played was Blam Blam Blam's There is No Depression in New Zealand," which Mark prefaced with; "And we'll say goodnight with the National Anthem".

I suggested that its words should be set to the existing anthem's tune, and the McGillicuddies began singing it in public almost immediately.

No Depression Anthem on TV

A few months out from either the '93 or '96 election, KT Julian, co-deputy of the McGSP, had the brainwave of releasing the song as an election stunt. She approached Richard von Sturmer who readily gave his consent, but unfortunately the recording was never made.

However when the McGSP registered as a modern political party for MMP (with 666 members) on 18th April, 1995, both TV stations broadcast them singing the anthem whilst presenting their documation to the bewildered Dr Paul Harris, in Wellington.

No Depression in Parliament, in Maori

Metiria Turei contested several seats for the McGillicuddy Serious Party over the years before the McGSP dismantled itself in Dec 1999. Then, like several other McGillicuddies, she joined the Green Party, but she never left Clan McGillicuddy. So when she became an MP, in 2005, as part of her Maiden Speech, she chose to sing the McGillicuddy National Anthem.

McGSP leader Graeme Cairns explained that the usual McGillicuddy version would have confused, annoyed or amused most people, and so she sung it in Maori, thus teasing the people who were irritated by Te Reo's encroachment into officialdom, and also the Maori Language Orthdoxy, who would view this sort of prank as beneath the language's dignity.

Tune: God of Nations at thy feet... Kaore he pouri i Aotearoa Kaore nga hipi i runga i ou pamu Kaore he pouri i Aotearoa Me noho mahaki tonu tatou Korero nga tangata i World War Three Korero nga tangata i World War Three Kei te pai noa iho tatou noho Kaore he raruraru i tenei whenua

No depression in New Zealand No sheep on our farms No depression in New Zealand We should all stay very calm The people talk of World War Three The people talk of World War Three It is good we can stay quite free, No problems in this country

Metiria explained how these lines were selected and polished.
" KT Julian wrote a text book Maori translation of these verses but the words were very formal and didn't work well when sung. My husband and I reworked it, taking out some words and replacing others in order make it easier to sing.

We had the most dificulty in deciding what to do with the translation of 'World War Three' as it was a fairly long translated phrase. We worked out in the back of a taxi with the help of the taxi driver. All three of us agreed that World War Three was a proper name. I think that this phrasing makes the song.

I sung it during my maiden speech in parliament as the Reo version of the McGillicuddy national anthem to thank the McGillicuddys for the political experiences I had with them. At the time it was highly unusual for anyone to sing during a maiden speech, let alone something so irreverent."

Ms Turei may not have been aware that by singing a specially composed song in the House, she was continuing the tradition of 1960s-70s MP Paddy Blanchfield, "The Bard of the Coast."