The following lists events that happened during 1978 in New Zealand.

Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,165,200. * Change since 31 December 1977: -1,200 (-0.04%). * Males per 100 females: 99.2. * This was the first year since 1941 in which New Zealand's population declined (due to emigration, largely to Australia).

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

–

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

– The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

CH QSO.

Government

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

– Richard Harrison.Lambert & Palenski: ''The New Zealand Almanac'', 1982. *

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

–

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st prime minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Departing from National Party convention, Mu ...

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

–

Brian Talboys Sir Brian Edward Talboys (7 June 1921 – 3 June 2012) was a New Zealand politician who served as the seventh deputy prime minister of New Zealand for the first two terms of Robert Muldoon's premiership. If the abortive "#Colonels' Coup, C ...

. *

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

–

. *

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

–

. *

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

– Peter Wilkinson until 13 December, then

Jim McLay Sir James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945) is a New Zealand diplomat and former politician. He served as the ninth deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 15 March to 26 July 1984. McLay was also Leader of the National Party and Leader ...

. * Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild (until 20 January), Sir Ronald Davison (starting 3 February)

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

–

Bill Rowling Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the Leader of the New Zealand ...

( Labour). * Social Credit Party –

Bruce Beetham Bruce Craig Beetham (16 February 1936 – 3 May 1997) was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s. A lecturer at Hamilton's University of Waikato and at the Hamilton Teachers' Training Colle ...

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland The mayor of Auckland is the elected head of local government in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 Mayors in New Zealand, mayors in the country. The principle city of the region (and its namesake) is Auckland. The may ...

– Dove-Myer Robinson * Mayor of Hamilton – Ross Jansen *

Mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...

– Michael Fowler *

Mayor of Christchurch The mayor of Christchurch is the elected head of local government in Christchurch, New Zealand; one of 67 Mayors in New Zealand, mayors in the country. The mayor presides over the Christchurch City Council and is directly elected using the First ...

– Hamish Hay *

Mayor of Dunedin The mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

– Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

Events

* The

Pureora Forest Park Pureora Forest Park is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rainforest are an abundance of 1,000-year-old Podocarpaceae, podocarp trees. It is "recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world". Establi ...

was established after a series of protests and tree sittings. * 18 February – The Rangitikei by-election was won by

for Social Credit. * 1 April – Flag carriers

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 28 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline h ...

and the

National Airways Corporation National Airways Corporation (NAC) is a commercial aviation company with its head office on the grounds of Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company offers a range of products and services for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopt ...

merge to form a single airline under the Air New Zealand name. * 25 April – A 506 day long Māori occupation of and protest in

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced ...

ends. * 12 September – Kaimai Rail Tunnel on the

East Coast Main Trunk Railway The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau ...

, at 8896 m the longest tunnel in New Zealand, opened. * December – Holy Name Seminary,

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

(Catholic) closed.

Arts and literature

* Roger Hall and Peter Olds win the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

. See 1978 in art,

1978 in literature This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1978. Events *March 8 – Douglas Adams' comic science fiction series ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' originates as a radio comedy broadcast on the U.K. B ...

, :1978 books

January

Nambassa Nambassa was a series of hippie-conceived New Zealand festivals held from 1976 to 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in the Waikato. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmenta ...

, three-day music, crafts and alternative lifestyles festival on Phil and Pat Hulses' farm in Golden Valley, north of

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby res ...

. Attendance 25,000.

October

winter road show, toured the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of NZ, promoting the 1979 festival.

Music

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

Winners were as follows: *ALBUM OF THE YEAR Hello Sailor – Hello Sailor *SINGLE OF THE YEAR Golden Harvest – I Need Your Love *TOP MALE VOCALIST

John Rowles Sir John Edward Rowles (born 26 March 1947) is a New Zealand singer. He was most popular in the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, and he is best known in New Zealand for his song " If I Only Had Time" and from 1970, "Cheryl Moana Marie", whic ...

*TOP GROUP Hello Sailor *TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O’Neill *ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Ian Morris – Hello Sailor *PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Rob Aicken – Hello Sailor *MOST PROMISING GROUP Citizen Band *MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Kim Hart *MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Dennis O’Brien See:

1978 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978. Specific locations * 1978 in British music * 1978 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1978 in country music * 1978 in heavy metal music * 1978 in jazz Events Janu ...

Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to George Tumahai.

Radio and television

*23 November – the

AM broadcast band AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...

moves from 10 kHz spacing to 9 kHz spacing, in line with the

Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975 The Final Acts of the Regional Administrative LF/MF Broadcasting Conference (Regions 1 and 3) Geneva, 1975 is the internationally agreed frequency plan which was drawn up to implement the provisions of the Final Acts of the Regional Administrati ...

. *Feltex Television Awards: **Best Current Affairs: ''Dateline Monday'' **Best Information: '' Fair Go'' **Best Documentary: ''Birth with R.D. Laing'' **Best Light Entertainment: '' A Week of It'' **Best Drama: '' The Governor'' **Best Speciality: ''Sport on One'' **Best Actor: David McPhail on '' A Week of It'' **Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne **Best Script: ''He Iwi Ko Tahi Tatou'': episode four of ''The Governor'' See:

1978 in New Zealand television Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1978 in television 1978 in television may refer to: * 1978 in American television for television-related events in the United States. * 1978 in Australian television for television-related events in Australia. * 1978 in Belgian television for television-related ...

, List of TVNZ television programming, :Television in New Zealand, :New Zealand television shows,

Public broadcasting in New Zealand Public broadcasting in New Zealand is funded through New Zealand Government body New Zealand On Air, and consists of a number of television channels, radio stations, and websites. In addition to funding solely public media outlets, New Zealand O ...

Film

* Angel Mine * Skin Deep See: :1978 film awards,

1978 in film The year 1978 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1978 released films by box office gross in the United States and Canada are as follows: Events * February 6 – David Begelman resigns as pres ...

, List of New Zealand feature films,

Cinema of New Zealand The cinema of New Zealand refers to films made by New Zealand–based production company, production companies in New Zealand or films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries. New Zealand produces many films that are co-finan ...

, :1978 films

Sport

Athletics

* Paul Ballinger wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:33 on 11 March in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

Chess

* The 85th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by Craig Laird of Tauranga.

Commonwealth Games

Cricket

* 15 February: After 48 years of trying, New Zealand beats

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in a Test match for the first time, winning the Test at the

Basin Reserve The Basin Reserve, also known as the Cello Basin Reserve for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the Basin, is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It is used for Test cricket, Test matches, and is the main home ground of t ...

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup The New Zealand Cup for standardbred horses, also known as either the New Zealand Trotting Cup or the New Zealand Pacing Cup is a Group One (G1) harness race held annually by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in C ...

: Trusty Scot * Auckland Trotting Cup: Sole Command. From 1978–86 the race was over 2700m and there was no handicapping.

Soccer

New Zealand National Soccer League The New Zealand National League is the name given to the current New Zealand top association football, football competition. Originally set up as the New Zealand National Soccer League there has been many versions of the competition as well as ma ...

won by

Christchurch United Christchurch United Football Club is a Professionalism in association football, professional football club in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in various Mainland Football competitions at Junior and Senior level. The club has won six N ...

* The

Chatham Cup The Chatham Cup is New Zealand's premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout tournament in men's association football. It is held annually, with the final contested in September. The current champions of the Chatham Cup are Wellington Olymp ...

is won by

Manurewa Manurewa is a suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located south of Manukau, Manukau Central, and southeast of the Auckland City Centre. It is home to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, which receives over a million visitors a year. Manurewa h ...

who beat Nelson United 1–0 in the final.

Births

* 2 January: Dan Ward-Smith, rugby union player * 5 January: Adi Dick, musician. * 21 January (in the United States): Mike Chappell, basketballer. * 3 February: Keith Cameron, rugby union player.Keith Cameron profile
* 26 February:

Rico Gear Rico Levi Gear (born 26 February 1978) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He was a specialist right wing but also covered midfield positions. He is the older brother of New Zealand winger Hosea Gear Club career Gear was educated at G ...

, rugby union player. * 8 April: Nathan Mauger, rugby union player. * 29 April: Donna Loffhagen, netball and basketball player. * 19 May: Willie Walker, rugby union player. * 28 May: John Dennison, poet. * 1 June:

Ben Lummis Ben Lummis (born Isileli Junior Brown on 1 June 1978) is a New Zealand R&B/pop/gospel recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the first season of ''New Zealand Idol'' in 2004. Biography ''New Zealand Idol'' 2004 Lummis aud ...

, singer and winner of New Zealand Idol (season 1). * 11 June: Daryl Tuffey, cricketer. * 4 July: Bianca Russell, field hockey player. * 6 July: Kevin Senio, rugby union player. * 12 July: Claire Chitham, actor. * 26 July: David Kosoof, field hockey player. * 28 July:

Jacob Oram Jacob David Philip Oram (born 28 July 1978) is a former New Zealand international cricketer, who played all forms of the game for 10 years. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His ability with both bat and ball mad ...

, cricketer. * 14 August (in South Africa): Greg Rawlinson, rugby union player. * 5 September: **

Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand politician who has served as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), leader of the Opposition since November 2023. H ...

, politician. **

Chris Jack Christopher Raymond Jack (born 5 September 1978) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a lock. He played for Canterbury and the Tasman Mako in the National Provincial Championship and its successor, the Air New Zealand Cup; ...

, rugby union player. * 10 September: Nish Selvadurai, comedian. * 13 September:

Andrew Hore Andrew Keith Hore (born 13 September 1978) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for the All Blacks between 2002 and 2013. His position was hooker. He notably played for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, but also represented the ...

, rugby union player. * 18 September: Iain Lees-Galloway, politician. * 21 September:

Doug Howlett Douglas Charles Howlett (born 21 September 1978) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He was primarily a wing, but he also sometimes played as a fullback. He played for Auckland, and the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Blues ...

, rugby union player. * 10 October: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (twins), rowers, Olympic gold medallists ( 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing) * 26 October:

Ricky Cockerill Ricky Cockerill (born 26 October 1978) is a New Zealand former competitive figure skater. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion and competed in the free skate at five Four Continents Championships. Life and career Cockerill was b ...

, figure skater. * 6 November: Dean Kent, swimmer. * 11 November: Lou Vincent, cricketer. * 19 November (in Australia):

Mahé Drysdale Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale (born 19 November 1978) is a New Zealand politician and retired rower. Drysdale is a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time world champion in the single sculls. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion ...

, rower, Olympic gold medallist ( 2012 London) * 21 November: Paul Urlovic, soccer player. * William Dwane Bell, convicted murderer. * Mok TzeMing, writer. :1978 births

Deaths

* 6 January: Burt Munro, record-setting motorcyclist * 30 March: Sir Charles William Hamilton (Bill Hamilton), inventor of the

jetboat A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses an external propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jetboat draws the water from under the boat through a ...

. * 13 May: Alby Roberts, cricketer. * 22 May: Sir Richard Wild, 9th Chief Justice of New Zealand. * 23 July: Sir Ronald Algie, politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives. * 18 August: Ronald L. Meek, economist. * John Hutton, glass engraver :1978 deaths

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1978 in New Zealand

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Years of the 20th century in New Zealand