The following lists events that happened during 2018 in New Zealand.

Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December 2018 – 4,886,100 * Increase since 31 December 2017 – 80,700 (1.68%) * Males per 100 females – 96.8

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

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, ...

–

Patsy Reddy Dame Patricia Lee Reddy (born 17 May 1954) is a New Zealand lawyer and businesswoman who served as the 21st governor-general of New Zealand from 2016 to 2021. Before becoming governor-general, Reddy was a partner of a law firm, headed a majo ...

File:Elizabeth II 2018 birthday (cropped).jpg, Elizabeth II File:Patsy Reddy in 2018 (cropped).jpg, Patsy Reddy

Government

2018 is the first full year of the 52nd Parliament, which first sat on 7 November 2017. The Sixth Labour Government, elected in 2017, continues. *

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 ...

–

Trevor Mallard Sir Trevor Colin Mallard (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician and diplomat. Since 2023, he has served as Ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2022. He served a ...

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 ...

–

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

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 ...

–

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician. He has led the political party New Zealand First since he founded it in 1993, and since November 2023 has served as the 25th Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), ...

* Leader of the House –

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 ...

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 ...

–

Grant Robertson Grant Murray Robertson (born 30 October 1971) is a retired New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who served as the Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2023, as Minister of Foreign Affairs in November 2023, and as the 19th Deputy Pr ...

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, ...

– Winston Peters File:Trevor Mallard Speaker.jpg, Trevor Mallard File:Ardern Cropped.png, Jacinda Ardern File:Winston Peters - 2017 (38351102806) (cropped).jpg, Winston Peters File:Chris Hipkins 2 crop.jpg, Chris Hipkins File:Grant Robertson 2015 (cropped).jpg, Grant Robertson

Other party leaders in parliament

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

–

Bill English Sir Simon William English (born 30 December 1961) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 39th prime minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017 and Leader of the New Zealand National Party, leader of the New Zealand National Party, ...

until 27 February, then

Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a New Zealand retired politician, broadcaster and lawyer. He served as Leader of the New Zealand National Party, Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of t ...

(

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 ...

) *

New Zealand First New Zealand First (), commonly abbreviated to NZ First or NZF, is a political party in New Zealand, founded and led by Winston Peters, who has served three times as Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, deputy prime minister. The party has form ...

– Winston Peters *

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

– James Shaw and, from 8 April,

Marama Davidson Marama Mere-Ana Davidson (née Paratene; born 29 December 1973) is a New Zealand politician who entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2015 as a list MP (member of Parliament) representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, of which she be ...

ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand (; ), also known as the ACT Party or simply ACT, is a Right-wing politics, right-wing, Classical liberalism, classical liberal, Right-libertarianism, right-libertarian, and Conservatism, conservative List of political parties i ...

–

David Seymour David Breen Seymour (born 24 June 1983) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the 21st deputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2025 and as the 1st minister for regulation since 2023. A member of the ACT Party, he has served as its ...

File:Bill English KNZM (cropped).jpg, Bill English File:Simon Bridges 2019 (cropped).jpg, Simon Bridges File:Winston Peters swearing in (cropped).jpg, Winston Peters File:James Shaw, 2014 (cropped).jpg, James Shaw File:Marama Davidson.jpg, Marama Davidson File:David Seymour (cropped).jpg, David Seymour

Judiciary

* Chief Justice –

Sian Elias Dame Sian Seerpoohi Elias (born 13 March 1949) was the 12th chief justice of New Zealand, and was therefore the most senior member of the country's judiciary. She was the presiding judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand and on several occas ...

* President of the Court of Appeal –

Stephen Kós Sir John Stephen Kós (born 23 January 1959) is a New Zealand judge on the Supreme Court of New Zealand and the former President of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. Early life and career The son of a Hungary, Hungarian refugee, Kós was born ...

* Chief High Court judge – Geoffrey Venning * Chief District Court judge – Jan-Marie Doogue File:Sian Elias 2016 (cropped).jpg, Sian Elias File:Stephen Kós (cropped).jpg, Stephen Kós

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 ...

–

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand retired politician and former diplomat. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, le ...

Mayor of Tauranga The mayor of Tauranga is the head of local government in Tauranga, New Zealand's fifth-largest city. The mayor presides over the Tauranga City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the single transferable vote method. The current mayor i ...

– Greg Brownless * Mayor of Hamilton – Andrew King *

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 ...

– Justin Lester *

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 ...

–

Lianne Dalziel Lianne Audrey Dalziel (; born 7 June 1960) is a New Zealand politician and former Mayor of Christchurch. Prior to this position, she was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister ...

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 ...

–

Dave Cull David Charles Cull (1 April 1950 – 27 April 2021) was the mayor of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. He became the 57th Mayor of Dunedin in October 2010 and was re-elected in both the 2013 mayoralty race and 2016 mayoral election. Before ...

File:Phil Goff CNZM (cropped).jpg, Phil Goff File:Trafinz 2016 Brownless.jpg, Greg Brownless File:Andrew King (crop).jpg, Andrew King File:Justin Lester 2016 (cropped).jpg, Justin Lester File:Lianne Dalziel September 2017.jpg, Lianne Dalziell File:Dave Cull-Blueskin News.jpg, Dave Cull

Events

January

* 31 January – Christchurch's Re:START container mall closes.

February

* 3 February – Murder of Amber-Rose Rush, a

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

teenager. A doctor named Venod Skantha is charged with her murder.

March

* 6 March – The

2018 New Zealand census The 2018 New Zealand census, which took place on Tuesday 6 March 2018, was the thirty-fourth national census in New Zealand. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,699,755 – an increase of 457,707 (10.79%) over the 2013 census. Resu ...

is held.

May

* 2 May – Australian-based video rental chain

Video Ezy Video Ezy was an Australian home video rental business that offered titles on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray, as well as console game, console video games, for rent. At its peak in the mid-2000s, Video Ezy had over 500 company-owned and f ...

pulls out of New Zealand, citing competition from online streaming services and video piracy. * 11 May – A wave of about height, the highest ever recorded, is observed near Campbell Island south of New Zealand; the previous record wave in 2012 was about . * 17 May – The 2018 New Zealand budget is presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson. * 19 May – A yellow bow is placed on the Big Lemon & Paeroa bottle to celebrate its 50th birthday. * 29 May – A state of emergency is declared in Ngongotaha and

Rotorua District Rotorua Lakes District or Rotorua District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. It has one urban area of significant size, the city of Rotorua. The district is governed b ...

due to extreme weather and flooding.

June

* 4 June – The

2018 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

are announced. * 9 June – The Northcote by-election is won by

, who retain the seat.

July

*3 July – The primary teachers' union

New Zealand Educational Institute The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI; in Māori: Te Riu Roa) is the largest education trade union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1883 and has a membership of 50,000. History The NZEI was founded by a merger of district institutes o ...

announces strike action on 15 August after the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

rejected their demand for a 16% pay rise. *9 July – 4,000

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

and the

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ( MBIE; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with "delivering policy, services, advice and regulation" which contribute to New Zealand's economic productivity and business ...

(MBIE) workers go on strike for two hours demanding higher salaries. *12 July – 30,000 nurses went on strike for 24 hours after the

New Zealand Nurses Organisation The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa is New Zealand's largest trade union and professional organisation that represents the nursing profession, midwives, hauora and caregivers. It is one of the old ...

rejected the government's offer of a 12.5% pay rise.

August

* 7 August – Nurses accepted a pay offer from

district health board District health boards (DHBs) in New Zealand were organisations established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 under the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand, Fifth Labour Government, responsible for ensuring the provisio ...

s including pay rights and a commitment to pay equity by the end of next year. * 15 August – Parliament passes the

Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 The Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 is a New Zealand bill that amends the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to ban most non-resident foreigners from buying existing houses, by classifying them as sensitive land and introducing a residency te ...

, which bans the sale of existing homes to most non-resident foreigners

October

* 30 October – Parliament is suspended after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes south-west of

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

December

* 1 or 2 December – Murder of Grace Millane, a British tourist. A 26-year-old man is charged with her murder on 8 December. * 31 December – The

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

are announced.

Sports

Commonwealth Games

* New Zealand sends a team of 253 competitors in 17 sports. :

Olympic Games

* New Zealand sends a team of 21 competitors in five sports. :

Paralympic Games

* New Zealand sends a team of three competitors in two sports. :

Sailing

* 24 February – 18 March: Auckland is a stopover on the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race

Shooting

* Ballinger Belt – John Snowden (Ashburton)

Youth Olympics

* New Zealand sends a team of 61 competitors. :

Births

* 10 November –

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

, Thoroughbred racehorse

Deaths

January

* 4 January ** Owen Hardy, World War II fighter pilot (born 1922). ** Gail McIntosh, politician, MP for Lyttelton (1990–1993),

Tauranga City Council Tauranga City Council is the Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority for the List of cities in New Zealand, city of Tauranga, New Zealand. The council consists of nine councillors, each elected from one of nine wards, and ...

lor (since 2013) (born 1955). * 5 January ** Barry Thomas, rugby union player (

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

) (born 1937). ** Peter Wells, Olympic (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games (

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

) high jumper (born 1929). * 7 January **

Jim Anderton James Patrick Anderton (born Byrne; 21 January 1938 – 7 January 2018) was a New Zealand politician who led a succession of Left-wing politics, left-wing parties after leaving the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party in 1989. Anderton's pol ...

, politician, MP for

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...

(1984–1996) and

Wigram Wigram is a suburb in the southwest of Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb lies close to the industrial estates of Sockburn and the satellite retail and residential zone of Hornby, and has undergone significant growth in recent years due t ...

(1996–2011), Labour Party president (1979–1984),

NewLabour Party The NewLabour Party was a centre-left political party in New Zealand that existed from 1989 to 2000. It was founded by Jim Anderton, a member of parliament (MP) and former president of the New Zealand Labour Party, on 1 May 1989. NewLabour was ...

leader (1989–2000),

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

leader (1991–1994, 1995–2002), Progressive Party leader (2002–2012),

(1999–2002) (born 1938). **

Buster Stiggs Mark John Hough (8 December 1954 – 7 January 2018), known by the stage name Buster Stiggs, was an English-born New Zealand drummer. Hough was born in Harold Wood, Essex, England, in 1954, moving to New Zealand as a child. His family settled in ...

, musician (

Suburban Reptiles The Suburban Reptiles were one of the first two punk rock, punk bands to form in New Zealand, the other being the Scavengers. History The Suburban Reptiles were conceptualised by Auckland students Simon Grigg and Brett Salter in late 1976, w ...

The Swingers The Swingers were a New Zealand rock band who were together from 1979 to 1982 and whose biggest single was the song " Counting the Beat". Background Formed out of the remnants of the Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd (gui ...

Models A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided int ...

) (born 1954). * 12 January – Richard Peterson, British Commonwealth Games fencer (

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, lawyer and sports administrator (born 1940). * 17 January –

Ted McCoy Edward John McCoy (23 February 1925 – 17 January 2018), generally known as Ted McCoy, was a New Zealand architect whose practice was based in Dunedin. He designed the sanctuary of St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, St Paul's Cathedral (completed ...

, architect (

Otago Boys' High School Otago Boys' High School (OBHS) is a secondary school in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's oldest boys' secondary schools. Originally known as Dunedin High School, it was founded on 3 August 1863 and moved to its present site in 18 ...

redevelopment, Aquinas Hall,

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

), president of the

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents approximately 90 per cent of registered architects in Aotearoa New Zealand and supports and promotes architecture in ...

(1979–1980),

NZIA Gold Medal The New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal is an award presented annually by the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) to a New Zealand architect. History From 1927 until 1977 a gold, silver or bronze prize wa ...

(2002) (born 1925). * 21 January – Michael Selby, geomorphologist (

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

) (born 1936). * 22 January ** Jack Doms, swimmer, British Empire and Commonwealth Games champion and silver medallist (

) (born 1927). ** Kevin Tate, soil chemist and climate scientist (

Soil Bureau New Zealand Soil Bureau (1936-1992 ) was a division of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research specializing in soil-related research and development. Originally formed as ...

Landcare Research Landcare may refer to: * Australian Landcare Council, a former Australian government body, superseded by the National Landcare Advisory Committee * Landcare Australia, an Australian community not-for-profit organisation, involving local volunteers ...

Marsden Medal The Marsden Medal is a yearly award given by the New Zealand Association of Scientists. It is named after Sir Ernest Marsden and honours "a lifetime of outstanding service to the cause or profession of science, in recognition of service rendere ...

(2005),

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

(since 1995) (born 1943). * 25 January – Graham Williams, rugby union player (

) (born 1945). * 27 January – Grant Fell, musician (

Headless Chickens The Headless Chickens was a New Zealand band. Going against the grain of the Dunedin sound that dominated the Flying Nun Records roster at the time, the Headless Chickens made extensive use of electronic instruments in their music. They reco ...

) (born ). * 31 January –

Pat Booth Pat Booth, Lady Lowe (24 April 1943 – 11 May 2009) was an English model, photographer, and author of romantic fiction. Biography Raised in the East End of London by a boxer father and an ambitious mother, Booth posed for such photographers ...

, journalist (''

Auckland Star The ''Auckland Star'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 16 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Star'', part of its name endures in ''The Sunday Star-Times'', created i ...

'', ''North & South''), editor ( ''Zealandia''), writer, and local-body politician,

Far North District Council Far North District Council () is the territorial authority for the Far North District of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and th ...

lor (2001–2003),

Waitakere City Council Waitakere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city,. with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was a ...

lor (2004–2006) (born 1929). * Late January –

Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published '' The F ...

the gannet of Mana Island. File:1949 08 06 Peter Wells.jpg, Peter Wells File:Jim Anderton, 2010.jpg, Jim Anderton File:Graham Williams rugby union.jpg, Graham Williams File:Pat Booth NZ (cropped).jpg, Pat Booth

February

* 3 February – Ted Corbett, organic chemist (

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

(since 1972) (born 1923). * 6 February –

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, goose in

Waikanae Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kāpiti Coast, north of the Wellington, New Zealand. The name is a Māori language, Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the flathead grey mullet, grey mullet". The area surrounding the town is notable fo ...

. * 8 February – Gary Seear, rugby union player (

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

) (born 1952). * 10 February –

Bevan Congdon Bevan Ernest Congdon (11 February 1938 – 10 February 2018) was a New Zealand cricket all-rounder who played 61 Test matches and 11 One Day Internationals from 1965 to 1978, which included a two-year spell as captain. Captaincy Congdon was c ...

, cricketer (

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

) (born 1938). * 11 February –

Darien Boswell Darien Graham Boswell (23 May 1938 – 11 February 2018) was a New Zealand rower. Boswell was born in Auckland in 1938. At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he won the silver medal as part of the men's eight alongside crew mem ...

, Olympic rower (

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

), British Empire and Commonwealth Games silver medallist (

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

) (born 1938). * 21 February – Beryl Fletcher, feminist novelist,

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...

(South East Asia and South Pacific region) for best first book (1992) (born 1938). * 25 February –

Noel Scott Noel Scott (15 December 1929 – 25 February 2018) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Before entering politics, Scott was the foundation principal of Makoura College in Masterton. Scott unsuccessfully contested th ...

, school teacher and politician, principal of

Makoura College Makoura College (spelled Makora College prior to 1990) is a state co-educational secondary school located in Masterton, New Zealand. The school opened in 1968 as the town's second state secondary school, alongside Wairarapa College. Serving Y ...

(1968–1975), MP for

Tongariro Mount Tongariro (; ) is a complex volcano, compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the ...

(1984–1990),

Minister for Sport and Recreation The Minister for Sport and Recreation is a Ministers in the New Zealand Government, minister in the New Zealand Government appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of Sport New Zealand. The current Minister for Sport and Recreation is M ...

(1990) (born 1929). * 27 February –

Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expan ...

, rugby union player (

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

) (born 1943).

March

* 2 March –

Gordon Challis Cecil Gordon Challis (3 July 1932 – 2 March 2018Robin Archer, rugby union player (

, Southland,

) and coach ( Southland) (born 1930). * 11 March –

Paddy Donovan Thomas Patrick Donovan (23 December 1936 – 11 March 2018) was a New Zealand amateur boxer and rugby union player. He represented his country in boxing at the 1956 and 1964 Olympic Games, and won bronze medals at the 1958 and 1962 Britis ...

, Olympic boxer (

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist (

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

), rugby union player (

) (born 1936). * 14 March **

Peter Entwisle Peter Malcolm William Entwisle (20 September 1948 – 14 March 2018) was a New Zealand art historian and writer, notably on the history of Dunedin and of New Zealand art. Early life Entwisle's parents both worked within the book industry. ...

, art historian and curator (

Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Dunedin Public Art Gallery holds the main public art collection of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located in The Octagon in the heart of the city, it is close to the city's public library, Dunedin Town Hall, and other facilities such as ...

), writer, and heritage advocate (born 1948). ** Mac McCallion, rugby union player (

Counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

, New Zealand Māori) and coach ( Counties Manukau,

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

) (born 1950). * 20 March –

Dylan Mika Dylan Gabriel Mika (17 April 1972 – 20 March 2018) was a New Zealand-born rugby union player who represented the national teams of both Samoa and New Zealand. Born in Auckland, Mika was initially educated at Marcellin College, before movin ...

, rugby union player (

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

) (born 1972). * 28 March – Norm Wilson, cricketer ( Northern Districts, Northland) and cricket administrator, groundsman (

Cobham Oval Cobham Oval is a cricket ground in Whangārei, New Zealand, next to the Okara Park rugby stadium. It stages daytime-only first-class and List A matches. It is the home ground and headquarters of the Northland cricket team and one of the hom ...

) (born 1931). File:PeterEntwisle.jpg, Peter Entwisle

April

* 6 April – Colin McLeod, civil engineer, Commissioner of Works (1973–1981) (born 1921). * 10 April – Fergie McCormick, rugby union player (

) (born 1939). * 11 April – Robert Matthews,

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

athlete, octuple Paralympic champion (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

) (born 1961). * 16 April –

Ivan Mauger Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018; last name pronounced "Major") was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Champ ...

motorcycle speedway rider, speedway world champion (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1979), long-track world champion (1971, 1972, 1976), New Zealand Sportsman of the Year (1977, 1979) (born 1939). * 23 April – Haddon Donald, soldier ( 2NZEF) and politician, MP for

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

(1963–1969) (born 1917). * 24 April –

Arthur Eustace Arthur Richard Paton Eustace (22 April 1926 – 24 April 2018) was a New Zealand sprinter, athletics coach, and national and International track and field administrator. Biography In 1944, Eustace was the athletics champion of Takapuna Grammar ...

, athlete, athletics coach and administrator, British Empire Games bronze medallist (

), New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association president (1984–1985), patron of

Athletics New Zealand Athletics New Zealand (ANZ) is the national governing body for athletics (sport), athletics in New Zealand. This includes responsibility for Track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking. History The organisation was fou ...

(since 2009), Halberg lifetime achievement award (2012) (born 1926). * 25 April – Margo Buchanan-Oliver, marketing academic (

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

) (born 1952). * 26 April – David Mitchell, architect ( Tauranga Art Gallery,

Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery (commonly known as Te Uru, formerly known as Lopdell House Gallery) is a contemporary art gallery located in Titirangi, Auckland. The gallery, which serves the West Auckland region, was originally opened wi ...

), writer and television presenter,

(2005) (born 1941). File:Fergie McCormick c1961.jpg, Fergie McCormick File:Ivan Mauger (cropped).jpg, Ivan Mauger File:Haddon Donald, 1951.jpg, Haddon Donald

May

* 2 May –

Katherine O'Regan Katherine Victoria O'Regan (née Newton, 24 May 1946 – 2 May 2018) was a New Zealand politician. She was a member of parliament from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. She served as a minister for the National Government for six ...

, politician, Waipa County Councillor (1977–1985), MP for Waipa (1984–1996),

list MP A list MP is a member of parliament (MP) elected from a party list rather than a geographic electoral district. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs only in ...

(1996–1999), Minister of Consumer Affairs (1990–1996) (born 1946). * 4 May – Tony Steel, rugby union player (

), sprinter, educator and politician, headmaster of

Hamilton Boys' High School Hamilton Boys' High School (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Kura Tamatāne o Kirikiriroa'') is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand and is the largest secondary school in the Waikato region. The school was estab ...

(1979–1990), MP for Hamilton East (1990–1993, 1996–2002) (born 1941). * 9 May ** Norma, Lady Beattie – viceregal consort (1980–1985) (born 1925). **

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

, musician (

House of Shem House of Shem is a roots reggae band from New Zealand. They have had songs featured on the Conscious Roots compilations. In May 2008, their debut album, ''Keep Rising'' was released throughout New Zealand. It was released again in April 2009 th ...

) (born ). * 15 May – Hopeful Christian, founder of Gloriavale Christian Community (born 1926). * 16 May – Tom Hadfield, rugby league player (

) (born 1934). * 19 May – John Moorfield, Māori language academic (

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

) (born 1943). * 28 May –

Dick Quax Theodorus Jacobus Leonardus "Dick" Quax (1 January 1948 – 28 May 2018) was a Dutch-born New Zealand runner, one-time world record holder in the 5000 metres, and local-body politician. Quax stood for Parliament for the ACT Party in 199 ...

athlete and politician, Olympic silver medallist (

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

), British Commonwealth Games silver medallist (

), 5000 metres world record holder (1977–1978),

Manukau City Council Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is also referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does not ...

lor (2001–2007),

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

lor (since 2011) (born 1948). File:Norma Beattie (cropped).jpg, Norma, Lady Beattie File:John Moorfield 2001 (cropped).jpg, John Moorfield File:Dick Quax (1977).jpg, Dick Quax

June

* 4 June – J. B. Munro, politician and disability advocate, MP for

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

(1972–1975),

Invercargill City Council The Invercargill City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Invercargill, New Zealand. The council is made up of an elected mayor and 12 councillors elected at-large. They are elected using First-past-the-post voting in triennial ...

lor (1971–1974, 1976–1977), national secretary / chief executive of

IHC New Zealand IHC New Zealand is a New Zealand organisation providing support and care for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. It began as the Society for Intellectually Handicapped Children, hence the IHC acronym. IHC advocates for the rights, ...

(1977–1998) (born 1936). * 7 June – Sir Neil Waters, inorganic chemist (

) and academic administrator, vice-chancellor of

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

(1983–1995), chair of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (1995–1998), chair of the

New Zealand Qualifications Authority The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA; ) is the New Zealand government Crown entity tasked with administering educational assessment and qualifications. It was established by the Education Act 1989. NZQA administers the National Cert ...

(1995–1999),

(since 1992) (born 1931). * 13 June –

Milan Mrkusich Milan Mrkusich (5 April 1925 – 13 June 2018) was a New Zealand artist and designer. He was considered a pioneer of abstract painting in New Zealand. Retrospective exhibitions of his work were organised by the Auckland Art Gallery in 1972 and 19 ...

, artist and designer,

Arts Foundation of New Zealand The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The foundatio ...

Icon (since 2003) (born 1925). * 14 June ** Vincent Gray, entertainer (

The Alberts The Alberts were a British music/comedy troupe of the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, featuring brothers Anthony "Tony" and Douglas "Dougie" Gray, along with Bruce Lacey. They were notable for their surreal performances. Career Educated at the Orator ...

), physical chemist and climate-change denier, director of the

Building Research Association of New Zealand A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

(1970–1973) (born 1922). ** Steve Kuzmicich, statistician, Government Statistician (1984–1991) (born 1931). * 18 June –

Graham Davy Graham John Davy (4 October 1936 – 18 June 2018) was a New Zealand athlete and sports administrator. He won one national athletics title, and served as the chair of directors of the New Zealand Sports Foundation. Biography Born in the Auckla ...

, athlete, sports administrator, president of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association (1976–1977),

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games () were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Participants competed in ten sports: at ...

director of athletics (born 1936). * 23 June –

Koro Wētere Koro Tainui Wētere (22 June 1935 – 23 June 2018) was a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1969 to 1996, representing the Labour Party. He served as Minister of Māori Affairs in the Fourth Labour Government (1984–1990). Biograph ...

, politician, MP for

Western Maori Western Maori was one of New Zealand, New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Eastern Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996 New Zealand general election, 1996, with the MMP in New Z ...

(1969–1996), Minister of Maori Affairs (1984–1990) (born 1935). * 30 June –

Mark Irwin Mark Irwin (born August 7, 1950) is a Canadian cinematographer. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, and studied political science at the University of Waterloo and filmmaking at York University. He is widely known for his early collaborations ...

, rugby union player (

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

) (born 1935). File:John-Baldwin-Munro.jpg, J. B. Munro File:Neil Waters 1985 (cropped).jpg, Sir Neil Waters File:Vincent Gray (chemist).JPG, Vincent Gray File:Koro Wetere.jpg, Koro Wētere File:Mark William Irwin c1960.jpg, Mark Irwin

July

* 1 July – Merv Richards, pole vaulter, British Empire and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist (

), gymnastics coach ( Rowena Davis, Deborah Hurst), pole vault coach, and lapidarist (born 1930). * 3 July – Gary Bold, physicist (

) (born 1938). * 4 July – Harry M. Miller, impresario and media agent (born 1934). * 9 July **

Sam Chisholm Samuel Hewlings Chisholm AO (8 October 1939 – 9 July 2018) was a New Zealand-born Australian media executive who was a significant figure in the Australian media. Career Chisholm attended King's College, Auckland. Chisholm had been ...

, media executive (

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

BSkyB Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers ...

) (born 1939). **

Colin Quincey Colin Quincey (8 May 1945 – 9 July 2018) was the first person to row across the Tasman Sea. Early life Quincey was born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, Yorkshire, England, in 1945. As a young man, he travelled frequently, and crewed on the Ge ...

, first person to row solo across the Tasman Sea (born 1945). * 13 July – Naturalism, Thoroughbred racehorse,

Australian Derby The Australian Derby is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights held at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April, during the Autumn ATC Championships Carnival. The race is considered to b ...

(1992),

Rosehill Guineas The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...

(1992),

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, ...

(1993) (foaled 1988). * 14 July – Janet Holm, environmental activist, and historian (born 1923). * 17 July – David Stevens, playwright ( ''The Sum of Us''), screenwriter ( ''Breaker Morant'', ''The Sum of Us'', ''

A Thousand Skies ''A Thousand Skies'' is a 1985 Australian mini series about the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. It was based on the novel ''The Empty Sky'' by Tasman Beattie and was partly financed by Film Victoria. The budget was $4.5 million.Ed. Scott Mu ...

''), director ( ''A Town Like Alice'', ''

''), and novelist ('' Queen: The Story of an American Family'', ''

Mama Flora's Family ''Mama Flora's Family'' is a 1997 historical fiction novel by Alex Haley and David Stevens. The story spans from the 1920s to the 1970s as it follows Flora, a daughter of poor black Mississippi sharecroppers, and her descendants. Haley died be ...

'') (born 1940). * 24 July – Rick Littlewood, Olympic judoka (

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

) (born 1940). * 29 July ** Graham Finlay, Olympic (

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games (

) boxer (born 1936). **

Phillip Orchard Phillip Charles Orchard (28 July 1948 – 29 July 2018) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1972 and 1975 World Cups. He was later named in the New Zealand Rugby League's Team of the Century. His brothe ...

, rugby league player (

) (born 1948).

August

* 2 August – Bob Berry, dendrologist, founder of

Hackfalls Arboretum Hackfalls Arboretum is an arboretum in New Zealand. It was founded in the 1950s by Bob Berry (dendrologist), Bob Berry. It is part of Hackfalls Station, a sheep and cattle farm of about 10 square kilometres, owned by the Berry family. The farm is ...

Veitch Memorial Medal The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize awarded annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Goal The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement ...

(2015) (born 1916). * 3 August ** Reinhart Langer, botanist ( Lincoln College) and university administrator, acting principal of Lincoln College (1984–1985),

(since 1972) (born 1921). ** Murray Matthewson, orthopaedic surgeon (

Addenbrooke's Hospital Addenbrooke's Hospital is a large teaching hospital and research centre in Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county to ...

), president of the

British Society for Surgery of the Hand The British Society for Surgery of the Hand exists to "promote and direct the development of Hand Surgery, to foster and co-ordinate education, study and research in Hand Surgery, and to disseminate knowledge of Hand Surgery among members of the me ...

(2003) (born 1944). * 4 August –

Delwyn Costello Delwyn Anne Costello (14 January 1960 – 4 August 2018) was a New Zealand cricketer who played as a right-arm medium bowler. She appeared in 1 Test match and 7 One Day Internationals for New Zealand in 1985. She played domestic cricket for Ca ...

, cricketer (

) (born 1960). * 6 August – Helen Mackenzie, British Empire Games swimmer (

), and bacteriologist (born 1930). * 17 August – Warwick Roger, journalist and magazine editor, founder of ''Metro'' (born 1945). * 18 August –

Ronnie Moore Ronald David Moore (born 29 January 1953) is an English football manager and former player. He has taken charge of several clubs, including Rotherham United, Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United. He is currently the chief scout at Hartlepool ...

speedway rider, individual world champion (

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

), world pairs champion (

) (born 1933). * 19 August – Margaret Reid, first woman in New Zealand ordained as a Presbyterian minister, moderator of the general assembly of the

Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) is a major Christian denomination in New Zealand. A part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in New Zealand, and known for its relatively progressive stan ...

(1987) (born 1923). * 20 August –

Greg Boyed Gregory Stephen Boyed (27 March 1970 – 20 August 2018) was a New Zealand journalist and television presenter. He was best known as the presenter of TVNZ 1's '' 1 News Tonight''; he also hosted ''Breakfast'', ''1 News At 6pm'', '' Q+A'', and ''S ...

, television presenter (

TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...

) (born 1970). * 21 August –

Spencer P. Jones Spencer Patrick Jones (28 October 1956 – 21 August 2018) was a New Zealand guitar player and singer-songwriter from Te Awamutu. From 1976 he worked in Australia and was a member of various groups including The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Paul ...

, musician (

The Johnnys The Johnnys are an Australian Pub rock (Australia), pub rock band from Sydney. The band was formed in 1982 and is still active today. The band combines country music, country and punk musical styles. Members are Graham Hood, Billy Pommer Jr and ...

Beasts of Bourbon Beasts of Bourbon were an Australian blues rock band formed in August 1983, with James Baker on drums (ex-Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists), Spencer P. Jones on guitar ( The Johnnys), Tex Perkins on vocals (Dum Dums), Kim Salmon on guitar and Bo ...

) (born 1956). * 23 August – Wendy Hutton, travel and food writer (born 1940). * 30 August –

Jack Garrick John Andrew Frank Garrick (24 March 1928 – 30 August 2018) was a New Zealand ichthyologist. Career Garrick specialised in elasmobranchs and published many books and articles about shark and ray biology. In 1982, he published a thorough taxonom ...

, ichthyologist (

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

) (born 1928). File:Reinhart Langer in 1985 (cropped).jpg, Reinhart Langer File:Warwick Roger ONZM (cropped).jpg, Warwick Roger File:Ronnie Moore (cropped).jpg, Ronnie Moore File:Spencer Jones (cropped).jpg, Spencer P. Jones

September

* 5 September ** Alan Peart, World War II fighter ace ( No. 610 Squadron, No. 81 Squadron) (born 1922). ** John Stacpoole, heritage architect ( Ewelme Cottage, Alberton,

Mission House The Mission House at Kerikeri in New Zealand was completed in 1822 as part of the Kerikeri Mission Station by the Church Missionary Society, and is New Zealand's oldest surviving building. It is sometimes known as Kemp House. History Samuel ...

), architectural historian, and bibliophile (born 1919). * 7 September – John O'Sullivan, rugby league player (

) (born 1950). * 14 September – Ruth Dowman, long jumper and sprinter, British Empire Games bronze medallist (

) (born 1930). * 16 September –

Assid Corban Assid Khaleel Corban (1 February 1925 – 16 September 2018) was a New Zealand local-body politician and company director. He was the first Mayor of Waitakere City and previously Mayor of the Henderson Borough Council. Biography Early life Cor ...

, businessman (

Corbans Wines Corbans Wines was one of New Zealand's oldest wineries, established in 1902 by Assid Abraham Corban, a Lebanese immigrant who had arrived in New Zealand ten years earlier. Corbans Wines grew to become the second largest producer of wine in New Z ...

) and politician, Mayor of Henderson (1974–1989),

Mayor of Waitakere City Waitakere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city,. with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was a ...

(1989–1992),

lor (1998–2001, 2007–2010) (born 1925). * 22 September –

Hayden Poulter Hayden Tyrone Poulter (August 1961 – 22 September 2018) was a New Zealand serial killer who murdered three people in Auckland in October 1996. Convicted of all three murders but boasted of committing more, he was sentenced to Life imprisonment ...

, convicted serial killer (born 1961). * 24 September – Merv Smith, radio personality ( 1ZB), and railway enthusiast (born 1933). File:Alan Peart with Spit 8.jpg, Alan Peart

October

* 2 October – Barry Linton, comic artist (born 1947). * 3 October – David Fergusson, psychologist ( University of Otago, Christchurch), founder of the Christchurch Health and Development Study,

(since 2006) (born 1944). * 4 October ** Penny Bright, activist (born 1954). ** Barrie Frost, psychologist and neuroscientist (

Queen's University at Kingston Queen's University at Kingston, commonly known as Queen's University or simply Queen's, is a public university, public research university in Kingston, Ontario, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Queen's holds more than of land throughout Ontario and ...

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life" ...

(since 1990) (born ). * 6 October – Wilf Malcolm, mathematician (

) and university administrator, vice-chancellor of the

(1985–1994) (born 1933). * 13 October – Bob Doran, computer scientist and computing historian (

) (born 1944). * 14 October – Tom Delahunty, association football referee, FIFA international referee (1968–1984) (born 1935). * 17 October **

Denis Adam Denis Frederick Adam (born Dieter Frederick Adam; 1 February 1924 – 17 October 2018) was a New Zealand businessman and patron of the arts. Born in Berlin, he relocated to England with his Jewish family at a young age soon after the Nazis cam ...

, insurance broker, art collector and philanthropist (

Adam Art Gallery The Adam Art Gallery (in Māori language, Māori: ''Te Pātaka Toi'') is a purpose-built arts gallery located in the Kelburn Campus of Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. History On 15 July 1997, Jenny Harper and Tin ...

) (born 1924). ** Sir Ngātata Love, Māori leader (

Te Āti Awa Te Āti Awa or Te Ātiawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with about 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in We ...

), local-body politician, public servant, business development academic (

), and convicted fraudster, Petone Borough Councillor (1965–1968),

Te Puni Kōkiri Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK, also called in English the Ministry of Māori Development) is the principal policy advisor of the Government of New Zealand on Māori people, Māori wellbeing and development. Te Puni Kōkiri was established under the Māor ...

chief executive officer (1995–2000) (born 1937). ** Sir Thomas Thorp, lawyer and jurist, High Court judge (1979–1995) (born 1925). * 19 October – Sir John McGrath, lawyer and jurist,

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

(since 1987),

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

(1989–2000),

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

judge (2000–2005),

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judge (2005–2015) (born 1945). * 24 October – Keith Hunter, marine and freshwater chemist (

(2014),

(since 1997) (born 1951). * 27 October – Murray Khouri, clarinettist ( Royal Ballet Orchestra, NZBC Symphony Orchestra,

Australia Ensemble Australia Ensemble UNSW is an Australian chamber group active since 1980. The group was founded in 1980 as the University of New South Wales Ensemble after a proposal put to the University of New South Wales by musicologist Roger Covell and ...

), clarinet lecturer (

Canberra School of Music The ANU School of Music is a school in the Research School of Humanities and the Arts, which forms part of the College of Arts and Social Sciences of the Australian National University. It consists of four buildings, including the main School of ...

), and broadcaster (

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

) (born 1941). * 29 October ** Peter Hawes, television presenter and scriptwriter ('' A Week of It''), actor, playwright, and novelist, best performance in a short film (

2011 Aotearoa Film & Television Awards The 2011 Aotearoa Film & Television Awards were the 2011 iteration of the annual New Zealand film and television awards, which have assumed different names over the years. Background and description After previously being known as the Qantas Fil ...

) (born 1947). **

June Kerr June Kerr (née Greenhalgh; 12 June 1932 – 29 October 2018) was an English-born New Zealand ballet dancer who danced for 11 years with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Biography Kerr was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, the youngest of t ...

, ballerina (

Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danis ...

) (born 1932). * 31 October ** Sir Thomas Eichelbaum, lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice (1989–1999), president of the

New Zealand Law Society The New Zealand Law Society () is the parent body for barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was established in 1869, and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand. Membership of the society is voluntary, although any person wishing ...

(1980–1982),

(since 1978),

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

(since 1989) (born 1931). ** Maurice Mahoney, architect (

Christchurch Town Hall The Christchurch Town Hall, since 2007 formally known as the Christchurch Town Hall of the Performing Arts, opened in 1972, is Christchurch, New Zealand's premier performing arts centre. It is located in the Christchurch Central City, central ...

Michael Fowler Centre The Michael Fowler Centre is a concert hall and convention centre in Wellington, New Zealand. It was constructed on Reclamation of Wellington Harbour, reclaimed land next to Civic Square, Wellington, Civic Square, and is the pre-eminent concert s ...

), Distinguished Fellow of the

(since 2017) (born 1929). File:BobDoran2012.jpg, Bob Doran File:Ngatata Love 1998 (cropped).jpg, Sir Ngātata Love File:Keith Hunter 2003 (cropped).jpg, Keith Hunter File:Peter Hawes 1994.jpg, Peter Hawes File:Maurice Mahoney ONZM (cropped).jpg, Maurice Mahoney

November

* 4 November – Tama Renata,

musician (

Herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

), and composer ( ''Once Were Warriors'' theme). * 6 November – Gordon Whiting, lawyer and judge,

Environment Court The Environment Court of New Zealand () is a specialist court for plans, resource consents and Natural environment, environmental issues. It mainly deals with issues arising under the Resource Management Act 1991, Resource Management Act, meani ...

judge (1997–2012) (born 1942). * 13 November –

Sir John Anderson John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, (8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958), was a Scottish Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant and politician who is best known for his service in the War Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he ...

banker ( National Bank, ANZ), health and sports administrator, chair of Capital and Coast (2007–2010) and

(2008–2010) District Health Boards, chair of

New Zealand Cricket New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand. New Zealand Cricket operates the New ...

(1995–2008) (born 1945). * 14 November – Douglas Wright, dancer and choreographer (

Limbs Dance Company The Limbs Dance Company was formed in Auckland, New Zealand in May 1977 and disbanded in Wellington in September 1989. Limbs was "the first contemporary dance company in New Zealand to win a general following", and performed alongside notable New Z ...

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of M ...

, Douglas Wright Dance Company), Arts Foundation laureate (2000) (born 1956). * 18 November –

Peter Peryer Peter Chanel Peryer (2 November 1941 – 18 November 2018) was a New Zealand photographer. In 2000, he was one of the five inaugural laureates of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand. Career Born in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, on 2 November 1941, Perye ...

, photographer, Arts Foundation laureate (2000) (born 1941). * 19 November – Neil Collins, broadcaster ( 4XD, 4ZB,

Radio Dunedin Radio Dunedin is a radio station, broadcasting from Dunedin, New Zealand on 1305 AM, in the central city on 106.7 FM, and online: https://stream.radioaotearoa.com/4XDRadioDunedin/ The station was launched in late 1922, by the Otago Radio Associ ...

) and local-body politician,

Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council () is the Local government in New Zealand, local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since O ...

lor (1989–2013) (born 1941). * 20 November –

Cyril Belshaw Cyril Shirley Belshaw (3 December 1921 – 20 November 2018) was a New Zealand-born Canadian Anthropologist and was professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) from 1953 until his retirement in 1987. Belshaw attended New ...

, anthropologist (

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

) (born 1921). * 24 November –

Gordon Copeland Gordon Frank Copeland (19 August 1943 – 24 November 2018) was a New Zealand politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2008. He entered the House of Representatives as a list MP for the United Future New Zealand Party from ...

, politician,

United Future United Future New Zealand, usually known as United Future, was a Centrism, centrist List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand. The party was in government between 2005 and 2017, first alongside New Zealand Labou ...

(2002–2007) and independent

(2007–2008) (born 1943). * 28 November – Georgie Salter, netball player (

) and coach ( Otago Rebels, Auckland Diamonds), world championship bronze medallist (

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) (born 1950). File:Peter Peryer 2017 (cropped).jpg, Peter Peryer File:Neil Collins ONZM (cropped).jpg, Neil Collins File:Gordon Copeland (New Zealand politician).jpg, Gordon Copeland

December

* 1 December – Vivian Lynn, artist (born 1931). * 2 December –

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

, naval officer (

Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). History Early history The first Naval Volunteer Force (New Zealand), Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nels ...

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

) (born 1922). * 3 December –

Geoff Murphy Geoffrey Peter Murphy (12 October 1938 – 3 December 2018) was a New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director, and screenwriter best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the second half of the 1970s. His ...

, film director and screenwriter (''

Goodbye Pork Pie ''Goodbye Pork Pie'' is a 1981 New Zealand comedy film directed by Geoff Murphy, co-produced by Murphy and Nigel Hutchinson, and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film was New Zealand's first large-scale local hit. One book described it ...

'', ''Utu'', '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory''), New Zealand Film Awards lifetime achievement award (

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Icon (since 2013) (born 1938). * 5 December – John Armstrong, politician and businessman, New Plymouth City Councillor (1977–1989), MP for

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

(1990–1993) (born 1935). * 6 December –

Robin Clark Robin Clark is an American vocalist known for her work as a vocalist on David Bowie's 1975 album ''Young Americans'' and Simple Minds' 1985 album ''Once Upon a Time''. Clark was born in New York. In 1967, when Clark was 17, she and future s ...

, inorganic chemist (

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

(since 1990), Bakerian Medal (2008) (born 1935). * 11 December **

Winifred Griffin Winifred Clare "Winkie" Ashby (née Griffin, 17 November 1932 – 11 December 2018) was a New Zealand freestyle swimmer. At the 1950 British Empire Games she won the silver medal as part of the 4 x 110 yards freestyle relay. She was also a memb ...

, Olympic (

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games (

) swimmer, British Empire Games silver medallist (

) (born 1932). ** Hiwi Tauroa, rugby union player ( Manawatu,

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

, New Zealand Māori) and coach (

), teacher and public servant, principal of Wesley College (1968–1974) and Tuakau College (1974–1979),

Race Relations Conciliator The Human Rights Commission () is the national human rights institution (NHRI) for New Zealand, operating independently from direction by the Cabinet. Founded in 1977, the commission addresses issues of discrimination, equality, and human right ...

(1980–1986) (born 1927). * 20 December ** Randall Carrington, cricketer (

) (born 1934). **

Trevor Chinn Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn (born 24 July 1935) is a British businessman, philanthropist, and political activist. He is a Labour Party supporter and donor as well as active in Jewish and pro-Israel causes. Career Chinn was educated at Clifton Coll ...

, glaciologist ( Ministry of Works,

New Zealand Geological Survey GNS Science (), officially registered as the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. It focuses on geology, geophysics (including seismology and volcanology), and nuclear science (partic ...

NIWA The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintai ...

) (born 1937). * 21 December –

Fay Gock Fay Gock (25 March 1933 – 21 December 2018) was a New Zealand horticulturalist. With her husband Joe Gock, she made numerous innovations in the growing and selling of fruit and vegetables, for which they jointly won Horticulture New Zealand's Ble ...

, market gardener and horticulturalist (born 1933). * 25 December –

Bill Baillie William David Baillie (28 May 1934 – 25 December 2018) was a New Zealand runner, who represented his country at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. There, he placed sixth in the 5000 m. He also competed at the 1954, 1958, 1962, and 1966 Bri ...

Olympic (

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games (

) athlete, Lonsdale Cup (1963) (born 1934). * 30 December –

Harry Atkinson Sir Harry Albert Atkinson (1 November 1831 – 28 June 1892) served as the tenth Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Minister of Finance (New Zealand), Colonial Tr ...

, physicist (

Atomic Energy Research Establishment The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), also known as Harwell Laboratory, was the main Headquarters, centre for nuclear power, atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned ...

Rutherford Laboratory The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) is one of the national scientific research laboratories in the UK operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). It began as the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory, merged with the Atla ...

) and science administrator, chair of the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

Council (1984–1987) (born 1929). File:Geoff Murphy (cropped).jpg, Geoff Murphy File:Winifred Griffin 1956.jpg, Winifred Griffin File:Hiwi Tauroa 1950 (cropped).jpg, Hiwi Tauroa File:S23 41 2.1971 Trev Chinn on Jeremy Sykes Glacier.jpg, Trevor Chinn File:Bill Baillie 1958 (cropped).jpg, Bill Baillie

References

{{Year in Oceania, 2018 2010s in New Zealand Years of the 21st century 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 ...