The following lists events that happened during 1879 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

–

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

– The term of The Marquess of Normanby ends on 21 February. Sir Hercules Robinson takes up the appointment on 27 March.

Government and law

The

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

is held between 15 August and 1 September; a law was passed to confirm the result in three electorates (, and ); and to clarify the law about electoral petitions (1880). The

7th New Zealand Parliament The 7th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 28 August and 15 September 1879. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 8 Sept ...

commences. *

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 Hungerf ...

– Maurice O'Rorke becomes Speaker when his predecessor, Sir William Fitzherbert, is appointed to the Legislative Council. *

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

–

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

replaces

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

on 8 October. *

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

–

replaces

on 8 October. Grey had taken up the post on 10 July after John Ballance had resigned on 1 July. * Chief Justice –

Hon Hon or HON may refer to: People * Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon * Louis Hon (1924–2008), French footballer * Priscilla Hon (born 1998), Australian tennis player Other uses * Hon (Baltimore), a cultural stereotype of ...

Sir James Prendergast Voting rights are extended to all males.New Zealand Parliament - Parliament timeline
/ref> The term of parliament is reduced from five years to three years.

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amalga ...

–

Thomas Peacock 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 ...

Mayor of Christchurch The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Phil ...

– Henry Thomson followed by

Charles Thomas Ick Charles Thomas Ick (9 January 1827 – 27 April 1885) was Mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand, from December 1878 to December 1880. Born in Shropshire, he learned the trade of a mercer and draper. The Icks had five children when they emigrated to ...

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 ...

–

Henry John Walter Henry John Walter (died 1905) was Mayor of Dunedin from 1875 to 1876, and 1878 to 1880. Walter was born in Jamaica, and arrived in Victoria in 1853, moved to Dunedin in 1864, and became proprietor of the Occidental Hotel on the corner of Manse an ...

* Mayor of Wellington –

Joseph Dransfield Joseph Dransfield (1827 – 21 September 1906) was the Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand, from 1870 to 1872. He was the first mayor of the reconstituted Wellington City since William Guyton was (briefly) mayor of the previous Wellington Borough i ...

followed by George Allen followed by William Hutchison

Events

* 21 February: An explosion in the coal mine at Kaitangata kills 34 men. * 30 March: ''The Ross Guardian'' ceases publication. It began in 1866. * Education (secular or denominational) was being debated. In two by-elections the winner was described as a ''Secularist:'' David Goldie in the

1879 City of Auckland West by-election The 1879 City of Auckland West by-election was a by-election held on 4 March 1879 in the electorate during the 6th New Zealand Parliament The 6th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term we ...

and

Acton Adams William Acton Blakeway Adams (1843 – 24 January 1924), known as Acton Adams, was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson, New Zealand. Early life Adams was born at Wilden Manor, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, Engl ...

in the

1879 City of Nelson by-election The 1879 City of Nelson by-election was a by-election held on 6 February 1879 in the electorate during the 6th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent MP John Sharp. The by-election was won by Ac ...

. They opposed Curtis's bill before parliament.

Sport

Chess

* The first

New Zealand Chess Championship The New Zealand Chess Championship was first conducted in 1879. Note: Up until 1934 foreign players were eligible for the title. The eligibility rules were changed in 1935 to preclude this; John Angus Erskine (twice champion in 1929 and 1935) was ...

is held and was won by H. Hookham (

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

)List of New Zealand Chess Champions

Horse racing

Major race winners

*New Zealand Cup – Chancellor *New Zealand Derby – Hornby *Auckland Cup – Ariel *Wellington Cup – Maritana

Lawn bowls

The first annual competition between clubs from different centres begins between Christchurch and Dunedin clubs.Todd, S. (1976) ''Sporting Records of New Zealand.'' Auckland: Moa Publications.

Rugby union

*26 July: The first union in New Zealand, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, is formed at Timaru, incorporating Christchurch, Christ's College, Temuka, North Canterbury, Eastern, South Canterbury, Ashburton, and Southbridge rugby clubs. *20 October: The

Wellington Rugby Football Union The Wellington Rugby Football Union (known as the Wellington Lions for competition reasons) are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Wellington Region. The main stadium is Sky Stadium (formerly named Westp ...

is formed, initially consisting of the Wellington and Athletic clubs.

Shooting

Ballinger Belt – Corporal W. Ballinger (Wellington)

Births

* 18 January:

Agnes Weston Dame Agnes Elizabeth Weston, GBE (26 March 1840 – 23 October 1918), also known as Aggie Weston, was an English philanthropist noted for her work with the Royal Navy. For over twenty years, she lived and worked among the sailors of the Royal N ...

, politician (MLC). * 25 May: Andrew Kennaway Henderson, illustrator, cartoonist and pacifist * 30 August (in London): Maud Ruby "Daisy" Basham, radio personality. * 15 June: Miriam Cummings (later Miriam Soljak), activist. * 28 December:

Claude Weston Claude Horace Weston (28 December 1879 – 10 November 1946) was a New Zealand lawyer, a lieutenant-colonel in World War I, and effectively the first president of the National Party (1936–1940). Early life Weston was born in Hokitika in 18 ...

, politician.

Deaths

* 2 February (in England): General Sir Thomas Pratt, commander British forces in NZ 1860–61. * 3 March: Jerningham Wakefield, politician and pioneer settler. * 24 April – John Munro, politician (b. 1798/99) * 14 May:

Henry Sewell Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an office th ...

, politician. * 14 July: Thomas Outhwaite, first registrar of the Supreme Court.

References

;General * Romanos, J. (2001) ''New Zealand Sporting Records and Lists.'' Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett. ;Specific

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1879 in New Zealand