The following lists events that happened during 1912 in New Zealand. The 1911 General Election, the first contested by the Reform Party, left parliament in an indeterminate state, with Reform holding 38 seats,

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

36, Labour 1 and with 5 independents. Liberal, who had been in government for the past 21 years, claimed that Reform did not have a mandate, since many of their seats were the smaller rural electorates, and the Liberals proceeded to form a government under

Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and Un ...

as per the previous two parliaments. Such were the loyalties of the independent members that votes were often deadlocked and dependent upon the casting vote of the

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

. As a result, Joseph Ward resigned on 28 March, to be succeeded by agriculture minister

Thomas Mackenzie Sir Thomas Mackenzie (10 March 1853 – 14 February 1930) was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in ...

. However, the government was defeated on the next occasion that parliament met, and the first Reform Government was formed under

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Ze ...

in July.

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 ...

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

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 Lord Islington

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

GBE DSO PC, succeeded the same year by The Earl of Liverpool

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 Hungerf ...

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Born in Celbridge, County Kildare around 1725, Guinness ...

- (Liberal) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

until 28 March, then

(Liberal) until 10 July, then

(Reform) *

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", " ...

until 28 March, then

Arthur Myers Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers (19 May 1868 – 9 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Auckland City from 1905 to 1909, Member of the House of Representatives from 1910 to 1921, and a Cabinet Minister. Today he is remembered ...

(Liberal) until 10 July, then James Allen (Reform) * Chief Justice — Sir

Robert Stout Sir Robert Stout (28 September 1844 – 19 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both ...

Parliamentary opposition

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

( Reform Party) until 10 July. The Liberal opposition had no recognised leader until the following year.

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 ...

James Parr James Parr may refer to: * James Parr (baseball) (born 1986), American baseball player * James Parr (politician) (1869–1941), New Zealand lawyer and politician * Jim Parr James Gordon Parr (May 26, 1927 – April 5, 2000) was an English-Ca ...

Mayor of Wellington The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of 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 representati ...

David McLaren David McLaren may refer to: * David McLaren (colonial manager) (1785–1850), colonial manager (CEO) of the colony of South Australia (1837–1841) * David McLaren (politician) (1872–1939), mayor of Wellington and member of the New Zealand Parlia ...

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 ...

John Joseph Dougall John Joseph Dougall (1860 – 5 September 1934) was Mayor of Christchurch in 1911–1912. He was a solicitor by profession. In his later life, the Navy League was his main interest. Early life Dougall was born in Aberdeenshire in Scotland in 1 ...

then Henry Holland *

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 ...

William Burnett Sir William Burnett, KCB, FRS (16 January 1779 – 16 February 1861) was a British physician who served as Physician-General of the Royal Navy. Early life Burnett was born in Montrose, Scotland on 16 January 1779 and attended Montrose Gramm ...

then John Wilson

Events

* 24 February: The ''

TSS Earnslaw The TSS ''Earnslaw'' is a 1912 Edwardian twin screw steamer based at Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago, and the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the so ...

'' launched at Kingston on

Lake Wakatipu Lake Wakatipu ( mi, Whakatipu Waimāori) is an inland lake (finger lake) in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori nam ...

.New Zealand Maritime Record - Earnslaw
/ref> * 28 March: Prime Minister

resigns and is replaced by

. * April:

Pelorus Jack Pelorus Jack (fl. 1888 – April 1912) was a Risso's dolphin (''Grampus griseus'') that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand. The animal was reported over a 24 year period, from ...

is seen for the last time. * May:

Waihi miners' strike The Waihi miners' strike was a major strike action in 1912 by gold miners in the New Zealand town of Waihi. It is widely regarded as the most significant industrial action in the history of New Zealand's labour movement. It resulted in one strik ...

commences. * 10 July:

sworn in as Prime Minister after the Liberal Party loses a vote of no confidence. *September–October: French director

Gaston Méliès Gaston Méliès (; February 12, 1852 – April 9, 1915) was a French film director who worked primarily in the United States. He was the brother of the film director Georges Méliès. Biography Gaston and the third and elder Méliès brother, ...

and a company of film-makers make eight films in New Zealand including the first New Zealand feature films; see The River Wanganui. * October: Waihi Goldmining Company reopens the mine with scab labour. * 18 October: The ''

'' makes her maiden voyage on

, from Kingston to Queenstown. * 12 November: 'Black Tuesday', the peak of confrontation during the Waihi miners' strike. One trade unionist is killed.

Undated

*The School Medical Service begins in New Zealand. * Construction of the new Parliament Buildings commences.

Arts and literature

See 1912 in art, 1912 in literature, :1912 books

Music

See: 1912 in music

Film

See: The River Wanganui and Méliès'

Star Film Company The Manufacture de films pour cinématographes, often known as Star Film, was a French film production company run by the illusionist and film director Georges Méliès. History On 28 December 1895, Méliès attended the celebrated first publi ...

;

1912 in film The year 1912 in film involved some significant events. __TOC__ Events * February – Babelsberg Studio outside Berlin begins operation with shooting of '' The Dance of the Dead'' (''Der Totentanz'') by Danish director Urban Gad starring Asta ...

List of New Zealand feature films This is a list of feature films and pre 1910 short films produced or filmed in New Zealand, ordered by year of release. Key * * = Funded in part by the New Zealand Film Commission. * † = Year given is date of principal photography rather th ...

Cinema of New Zealand Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

, :1912 films.

Sport

Chess

* The 25th National Chess Championship was held in Napier, and was won by W.E. Mason of Wellington, his third title.

Golf

Men's

* The sixth

New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it has ...

championship was won by J.A. Clements (his third victory). * The 20th National Amateur Championships were held in Wellington ** Men: B.B. Wood (Christchurch)

Women's

* Matchplay: Miss ? Collins - 2nd title * Strokeplay: Mrs G. Williams - 2nd title

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 Chri ...

: Albert H. *

Auckland Trotting Cup The Auckland Pacing Cup which is sometimes referred to as the Auckland Trotting Cup or merely the Auckland Cup is a race held at Alexandra Park in Auckland, New Zealand for Standardbred horses. It is one of the two major harness races, along with ...

: Mandarene

Olympic Games

*New Zealand competed in the Australasian team. Two New Zealanders won Olympic medals, see Swimming, Tennis below.

Rugby union

* Auckland defended the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

against Taranaki (6-5), Wellington (12-0) and Otago (5-5)

Soccer

Provincial league champions: * Auckland: Everton Auckland * Canterbury: Christchurch Nomads * Otago: Mornington Dunedin * Southland: Nightcaps * Taranaki: Kaponga * Wanganui: Eastbrooke * Wellington:

Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

Swimming

* Malcolm Champion was a member of the Australasian team which won the gold medal in the Men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

in Stockholm.

Tennis

* The

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

final was held in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Australasian team of

Norman Brookes Sir Norman Everard Brookes (14 November 187728 September 1968) was an Australian tennis player. During his career he won three Grand Slam singles titles; Wimbledon in 1907 and 1914 (the first non-British individual to do so) and the Austral ...

(Aus), Roger Heath (Aus) and

Alfred Dunlop Alfred Wallace Dunlop (12 January 1875 – 6 May 1933) was an Australian tennis player, born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He won the doubles title at the Australasian Championships, the future Australian Open, alongside Fred Alexander in 19 ...

(NZ, doubles) lost to Great Britain, 2-3 *

Anthony Wilding Anthony Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wildin ...

won the men's singles at the

Wimbledon Championship The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is play ...

for a third year in succession. * Anthony Wilding won the bronze medal in men's singles (indoor) at the

in Stockholm.

Births

* 1 January:

Martyn Finlay Allan "Martyn" Finlay (1 January 1912 – 20 January 1999) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Labour Party. He was an MP in two separate spells and a member of two different governments, including being a minister in the latter wh ...

, politician. * 5 March:

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

, politician. * 30 March:

Jack Cowie John Cowie (30 March 1912 – 3 June 1994) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in nine Tests from 1937 to 1949. His Test opportunities were restricted by New Zealand's limited programme, and his cricket career was interrupted by World War I ...

, cricketer. * 3 April:

Dorothy Eden Dorothy Enid Eden (3 April 1912 – 4 March 1982) was a New Zealand novelist and short story writer, principally in the Gothic genre. Early life Eden was born in North Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury but she grew up in the area of El ...

, novelist. * 20 May:

Alfred E. Allen Alfred Ernest Allen (20 May 1912 – 9 March 1987) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. In 1972, he was the seventeenth Speaker of the House of Representatives. Biography Allen was born in Onehunga, Auckland, in 1912, a ...

, politician. * 23 May: Connie Soljak (Purdue) trade unionist, anti-abortion campaigner. * 24 May:

Joan Hammond Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, (24 May 191226 November 1996) was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer. Early life Joan Hilda Hood Hammond was born and baptised in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her father, Samuel Hood, w ...

, opera singer. * 26 May:

Eric Halstead Eric Henry Halstead (26 May 1912 – 18 June 1991) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party and later a diplomat. Biography Early life and career Halstead was born in Auckland in 1912, and educated at Auckland Grammar School and A ...

, politician. * 15 June: Oscar Natzka, opera singer. * 31 July: Harry Ayres (1912–1987), New Zealand guide and mountaineer * 17 August:

Elsie Locke Elsie Violet Locke (née Farrelly; 17 August 1912 – 8 April 2001) was a New Zealand communist writer, historian, and leading activist in the feminism and peace movements. Also available to subscribers at Oxford Reference Online'. Probably bes ...

, left-wing activist. * 30 August:

Nancy Wake Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, (30 August 1912 – 7 August 2011), also known as Madame Fiocca and Nancy Fiocca, was a nurse and journalist who joined the French Resistance and later the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, and b ...

, resistance fighter. * 20 September: Richard Wild, 9th Chief Justice of New Zealand. * 15 October:

George Laking Sir George Robert Laking (15 October 1912 – 10 January 2008) was a New Zealand diplomat who served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to the United States, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Chief Ombudsman. Early life Lak ...

, diplomat. * 4 November: Henry Gifford 'Giff' Vivian, cricketer. * 9 December:

Denis Glover Denis James Matthews Glover (9 December 19129 August 1980) was a New Zealand poet and publisher. Born in Dunedin, he attended the University of Canterbury where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently lectured. He worked as a reporte ...

, poet and publisher. * Rosemary Firth, ethnologist. :1912 births

Deaths

* 5 February:

Henry Samuel Fitzherbert Henry Samuel Fitzherbert (11 September 1851 – 5 February 1912) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand and a lawyer. He was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch and Melbourne University. He was a lawyer in ...

, lawyer and politician. * 7 April Isaac Wilson, politician and businessman. * 7 May James McGowan, politician. * 18 May

William Lee Rees William Lee Rees (16 December 1836 – 18 May 1912) was an English-born New Zealand cricketer, politician and lawyer. Early years Rees was born in Bristol in 1836, the son of James Rees, a surgeon, and Elizabeth Pocock. Rees' father died when ...

, politician. * 8 July

William Gilbert Mair William Gilbert Mair, (20 November 1832 – 8 July 1912), was a soldier, resident magistrate, and judge of the Native Land Court in early New Zealand. Born at the Bay of Islands, he was the son of one of the earliest European settlers, trader ...

, soldier and judge * 27 September: Robert Houston, politician. * 10 October: James Mackay, farmer and politician. * 30 October: William Steward, politician * 9 November:

Mahuta Tāwhiao Mahuta Tāwhiao I (c. 1855 – 9 November 1912) was the third Māori King, reigning from 1894 to 1912, and member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1903 to 1910. Early life Born Whatiwhatihoe in the Waikato, probably in 1854 or 185 ...

, 3rd Māori King :1912 deaths

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1912 in New Zealand

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

1910s in New Zealand