The following lists events that happened during 1940 in New Zealand.

Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,633,600. * Increase since 31 December 1939: -8000 (−0.49%). * Males per 100 females: 99.1.

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 ...

–

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

– The Viscount Galway

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 ...

DSO OBE PC

Government

The 26th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in 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 ...

–

Bill Barnard William Edward Barnard (29 January 1886 – 12 March 1958) was a New Zealand lawyer, politician and parliamentary speaker. He was a member of Parliament from 1928 until 1943, and was its Speaker from 1936 till 1943. He was known for his associ ...

( Labour Party) *

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 ...

–

Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940. Savage was born in the Colon ...

then

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...

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", " ...

–

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

–

then

Frank Langstone Frank Langstone (10 December 1881 – 15 June 1969) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to Canada. Biography Early life Langstone was born in Bulls probably on 10 December 1881. He was the fourth o ...

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

–

Rex Mason Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 – 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the directio ...

* Chief Justice – Sir Michael Myers

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 ...

–

Adam Hamilton Adam Hamilton (20 August 1880 – 29 April 1952) was a New Zealand politician. He was the first non-interim Leader of the National Party during its early years in Opposition. Early life Hamilton was born in Forest Hill, near Winton, South ...

( National Party) until 26 November, then Sidney Holland (National).

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 ...

–

Ernest Davis Ernest Davis may refer to: * Ernie Davis (1939–1963), American football running back * Sir Ernest Davis (brewer) (1872–1962), New Zealand brewer and mayor of Auckland * Ernest Davis (professor), Professor of Computer Science at New York Univer ...

* Mayor of Hamilton – Harold David Caro *

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 ...

– Thomas Hislop *

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, Ph ...

– Robert M. Macfarlane *

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 ...

– Andrew Henson Allen

Events

The state funeral procession for Michael Joseph Savage, April 1940 * 25 March:

John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialism in New Zealand, socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a me ...

is expelled from the governing

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

caucus following his outspoken criticism of dying leader

* 27 March: New Zealand's first

Prime Minister,

dies from cancer in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) 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 second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. * 19 June: The liner is sunk by a mine laid by the off Whangarei. She was carrying British gold destined for America. * 12 July:

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

flying boat service from Hawaii to Auckland via

Canton Island Canton Island (also known as Kanton or Abariringa), previously known as Mary Island, Mary Balcout's Island or Swallow Island, is the largest, northernmost, and , the sole inhabited island of the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati. It i ...

(not

Kingman Reef Kingman Reef is a largely submerged, uninhabited, triangle-shaped reef, geologically an atoll, east-west and north-south, in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. It has an area of 3 hectar ...

) commences. * 14 December: The

Canterbury Pioneer Women's Memorial The Canterbury Pioneer Women's Memorial commemorates the pioneer women of Canterbury Region, Canterbury in New Zealand. After arrival by sea in Lyttelton Harbour, early settlers had to cross the Port Hills via the Bridle Path (New Zealand), Brid ...

was formally opened. * German surface raiders operated in New Zealand waters in 1940 and 1941, sinking four ships.

Arts and literature

See 1940 in art, 1940 in literature

Music

See:

1940 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1940. Specific locations * 1940 in British music * 1940 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1940 in country music * 1940 in jazz Events * January 30 – Soprano Sophie Wys ...

Radio

See:

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

Film

* Rewi's Last Stand (1940) *

One Hundred Crowded Years ''One Hundred Crowded Years'' is a 1940 New Zealand historical documentary film. It was produced by the government film studios at Miramar for the centenary of New Zealand. Cinemas agreed to air the film without charge to the government, and t ...

See: :1940 film awards,

1940 in film The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney films ''Pinocchio'' and '' Fantasia''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1940 released films by box office gross in North America are as foll ...

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 ...

, :1940 films

Sport

Chess

* The 49th National Chess Championship was held in Wellington, and was won by J.B. Dunlop of Dunedin (his 6th and last title).

Cricket

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 ...

– Marlene *

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 ...

– Ned Worthy

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Wellington. * Men's singles champion – G.A. Deare (Carlton Bowling Club) * Men's pair champions – L.G. Donaldson,

Bill Bremner Charles William Henry Chilcott Bremner (25 March 1879 – 4 November 1961) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player who won a gold medal in the men's fours at the 1938 British Empire Games. He also won four national lawn bowls titles. Biography Bor ...

(skip) (West End Bowling Club, Auckland) * Men's fours champions – Bill Whittaker, J.W.T. Macklow, Alec Robertson, Frank Livingstone (skip) (Onehunga Bowling Club)

Soccer

* The

Chatham Cup The Chatham Cup is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's association football. It is held annually, with the final contested in September. The current champions of the Chatham Cup are 2022 winners Auckland City, who defeated Eastern ...

is won by Waterside who beat

Mosgiel Mosgiel (Māori: ''Te Konika o te Matamata'') is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin ...

6–2 in the final. * Provincial league champions: ** Auckland: Comrade ** Canterbury:

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

** Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB ** Nelson: No competition ** Otago:

** South Canterbury: No competition ** Southland: No competition ** Taranaki: RNZAF ** Waikato: No competition ** Wanganui: Technical College Old Boys ** Wellington: Waterside

Births

* 12 January:

Dick Motz Richard Charles Motz (12 January 1940 – 29 April 2007) was a New Zealand cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler and hard-hitting lower order batsman, Motz played 32 Test matches for the New Zealand cricket team between 1961 and 1969. He was the ...

, cricketer (d.

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) * 13 February: Stan Rodger, politician (d.

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

) * 17 February:

James Laurenson James Laurenson (born 17 February 1940) is a New Zealand stage and screen actor. Early life Laurenson was born in Marton, North Island, New Zealand. He was a student at Canterbury University College in Christchurch (now University of Canter ...

, actor * 23 March:

Brian Hastings Brian Frederick Hastings (born 23 March 1940) is a former New Zealand cricketer. A middle-order batsman, he played 31 Test matches between 1969 and 1976, scoring four centuries. He played first-class cricket for Wellington, Central Districts a ...

, cricketer * 14 April:

Robin Tait Robin Douglas Tait (14 April 1940 in Dunedin, Otago – 20 March 1984 in Auckland) was a Discus throw, discus thrower representing New Zealand at two Summer Olympics: 1968 and 1972. He represented New Zealand at six Commonwealth Games: 1962 Bri ...

, discus thrower (d.

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 Southeast A ...

) * 7 June: Felicity Riddy, author and academic * 10 June (in the USA):

Augie Auer August H. "Augie" Auer Jr (10 June 1940 – 10 June 2007) was an atmospheric scientist and meteorologist in New Zealand. Life As a boy growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Auer was reportedly fascinated by weather. After a freak winter storm caus ...

, meteorologist (d.

) * 23 June:

Mike Shrimpton Michael John Froud Shrimpton (23 June 1940 – 13 June 2015) was a New Zealand cricketer and coach. A middle-order batsman and leg-spinner, he played 10 Tests from 1963 to 1974, but was never able to establish himself in the side. He played fo ...

, cricketer (d.

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

) * 1 July (in Australia):

Judith Binney Dame Judith Mary Caroline Binney (née Musgrove, 1 July 1940 – 15 February 2011) was a New Zealand historian, writer and Emerita Professor of History at the University of Auckland. Her work focussed on religion in New Zealand, especially ...

, historian (d.

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

) * 8 July:

Waka Nathan Waka Joseph Nathan (8 July 1940 – 24 September 2021) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played rugby union for the New Zealand national team (the "All Blacks") as a flanker. His feats on the field gained him the nickname "The Black Pan ...

, rugby union player (d.

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

) * 15 July:

Ian Athfield Sir Ian Charles Athfield (15 July 1940 – 16 January 2015) was a New Zealand architect. He was born in Christchurch and graduated from the University of Auckland in 1963 with a Diploma of Architecture. That same year he joined Structon Group A ...

, architect (d.

) * 11 August:

Glenys Page Glenys Lynne Page (11 August 1940 – 7 November 2012) was a New Zealand cricketer who played as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. She appeared in two One Day Internationals for New Zealand, both at the 1973 World Cup. She played domestic cric ...

, cricketer (d.

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

) * 31 August: Maurice (John) Belgrave, public servant and chief ombudsman (d.

) * 3 September:

Brian Lochore Sir Brian James Lochore (3 September 1940 – 3 August 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the ...

, rugby player (d.

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * 18 September ** Bruce Murray cricketer ** Jon Trimmer, ballet dancer. * 24 September:

Don Brash Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940) is a former New Zealand politician who was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from October 2003 to November 2006, and the Leader of ACT New Zealand from April to ...

, Governor of the

Reserve Bank of New Zealand The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ, mi, Te Pūtea Matua) is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for N ...

, politician * 6 October:

Merv Wellington Mervyn Langlois Wellington (6 October 1940 – 7 September 2003) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Early life and family Wellington was born in Inglewood in 1940, and received his education at New Plymouth Boys' High School a ...

, politician (d.

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) * 24 October:

Martin Campbell Martin Campbell (born 24 October 1943) is a New Zealand film and television director based in the United Kingdom. He is known for having directed ''The Mask of Zorro'' as well as the James Bond in film, James Bond films ''GoldenEye'' and ''Cas ...

, film and TV director *''date unknown'' **

David Baragwanath Sir William David Baragwanath (born 3 August 1940) is a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He served as president of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon between 2011 and 2015. Early life and education Baragwanath was born in Balclutha ...

, High Court judge. **

Robyn Donald Robyn Donald (born 14 August 1940) is a prolific New Zealand writer of romance novels since 1977. Her books have print runs of up to 500,000 copies at a time. Biography Donald was born in Warkworth where her father owned a dairy farm. She tra ...

, writer. **

Tessa Duder Tessa Duder (née Staveley, born 13 November 1940) is a New Zealand author of novels for young people, short stories, plays and non-fiction, and a former swimmer who won a silver medal for her country at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth ...

, writer. ** Joe Hawke, politician. *

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, poet, anthropologist **

Maurice McTigue Maurice Patrick McTigue (born 1940, in Methven) is a former New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Fourth National Government from 1990 to 1993, holding the Employment portfolio, among others. He repres ...

, politician and diplomat.

Deaths

* 12 January:

Taurekareka Henare Taurekareka "Tau" Henare (1878 – 12 January 1940) was a Māori member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1914 to 1938, sitting for the Reform Party for most of that time, until it merged with the United Party to form the National Party in 1 ...

, politician. * 27 March:

, Prime Minister. * 28 May:

Florence Young Florence Selina Harriet Young (10 October 1856 – 28 May 1940) was a New Zealand-born missionary who established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in order to convert Kanaka (Pacific Island worker), Kanaka labourers in Queensland, Australia. In addit ...

, missionary. * 6 June: F.O. Edgar "Cobber" Kain, first RAF ace of WWII. * 17 November: Frank Moore, political activist. * Hannah Retter, New Zealand

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

(born 1839)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1940 in New Zealand Years of the 20th century in New Zealand

Population

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Government

Parliamentary opposition

Main centre leaders

Events

Arts and literature

Music

Radio

Film

Sport

Chess

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

Lawn bowls

Soccer

Births

Deaths

See also

References

External links