The following lists events that happened during 1949 in New Zealand. Most New Zealanders became New Zealand citizens in addition to being British subjects, as the

British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 The British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 (Public Act no. 15 of 1948) was an Act of the New Zealand Parliament passed into law in 1948 establishing New Zealand citizenship for New Zealanders, separate from their previous status ...

came into effect. The National government of Sydney Holland was elected in the

1949 New Zealand general election The 1949 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 29th term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the opposition National Party. This marked the end of the First Labour ...

Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,892,100. * Increase since 31 December 1948: 38,200 (2.06%). * Males per 100 females: 100.7.

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 ...

– Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg VC

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 ...

KCB

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

DSO

Government

The

28th New Zealand Parliament The 28th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1946 general election in November of that year. 1946 general election The 1946 general election was held on Tuesday, 26 November in the Māori ele ...

continued. Government was the

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 ...

until after the November general election, which saw it replaced by National Party.

Iriaka Rātana Iriaka Matiu Rātana (née Te Rio; 25 February 1905 – 21 December 1981) was a New Zealand politician and Rātana Wiktionary:morehu, morehu who won the Western Maori electorate for Labour in 1949. She succeeded her husband Matiu Rātana to be ...

(Labour) is the first Māori woman elected to Parliament. *

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 ...

–

Robert McKeen Robert McKeen (12 July 1884 – 5 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Early life He was born in 1884 in Edinburgh and received his education in West Calder, West Loth ...

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 ...

–

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 Lab ...

then

Sidney Holland Sir Sidney George Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 25th prime minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957. He was instrumental in the creation and consolidation o ...

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

–

Keith Holyoake Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, (; 11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 1977 ...

(from 13 December) *

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 ...

then

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

Frederick Doidge Sir Frederick Widdowson Doidge (26 February 1884 – 26 May 1954) was a journalist in New Zealand and England, then a National Party member in the New Zealand House of Representatives. Biography Early life and career Doidge was born in Co ...

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 directi ...

then

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, in ...

* Chief Justice – Sir

Humphrey O'Leary Sir Humphrey Francis O'Leary (12 February 1886 – 16 October 1953) was the seventh Chief Justice of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1953. Early life and family Born in Redwoodtown in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, in 1886, his father, an Irish im ...

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 ...

–

( National Party) until 13 December, then

(

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 ...

–

John Allum Sir John Andrew Charles Allum (27 January 1889 – 16 September 1972) was a New Zealand businessman and engineer, and was Mayor of Auckland City from 1941 to 1953. Biography Early life and career Allum was born in London and educated at Goldsm ...

* 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 ...

–

Will Appleton Sir William Appleton (3 September 1889 – 22 October 1958) was a New Zealand local body politician, advertising agent and leading company director. He was Mayor of Wellington for two terms from 1944 to 1950 after serving as a city councillor fr ...

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 ...

–

Ernest Andrews Sir Ernest Herbert Andrews (25 June 1873 – 9 November 1961) was a New Zealand teacher, printer and cricketer and local-body politician. He was on the Christchurch City Council from 1919 and Mayor of Christchurch from 1941 until his retirement ...

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 ...

–

Donald Cameron Donald Cameron may refer to: Scottish Clan Cameron * Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c. 1695 or 1700–1748), 19th Chief, and his descendants: ** Donald Cameron, 22nd Lochiel (1769–1832), 22nd Chief ** Donald Cameron of Lochiel (1835–1905), Scott ...

Events

* 1 January: the status of ''New Zealand Citizen'' comes into existence. * 9 March: Referendums on

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

(passed) and extending hotel hours (failed). * 3 August: Referendum on

military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, proceed ...

(passed) * 29 November: Elections to the four

Māori electorates In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that give reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament. Every area in New Zealand is ...

* 30 November:

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 ( ...

won by National Party under

Arts and literature

See

1949 in art Events from the year 1949 in art. Events * Formation of Penwith Society of Arts in St Ives, Cornwall. * Philadelphia Artists Equity is established in Pennsylvania, United States, to protect artists' rights and improve working and economic cond ...

1949 in literature This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1949. Events *January 11 – Bertolt Brecht's play ''Mother Courage and Her Children (Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder)'', 1939, is first performed in Germany, at t ...

, :1949 books

Music

See:

1949 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1949. Specific locations * 1949 in British music * 1949 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1949 in country music * 1949 in jazz Events *January 12 – Maro Ajemian, to who ...

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

See: :1949 film awards,

1949 in film The year 1949 in film involved some significant events. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1949 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *April 26–June 21 – Ealing comedies ''Passport to Pimlico'', '' ...

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 * ...

, :1949 films

Sport

Archery

National Champions *Open Men – W. Burton ( Gisborne) *Open Women – D. Johnstone (

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

)

Athletics

* George Bromley wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:40:05.6 in

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 / ...

Basketball

*Interpovincial Champions: Men – Wellington *Interpovincial Champions: Women – Palmerston North

Chess

* The 56th National Chess Championship was held in Wanganui, and was won by A.E. Nield of Auckland.

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 ...

– Loyal Nurse *

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 ...

– Captain Sandy (2nd win)

Thoroughbred racing

* The New Zealand horse

Foxzami Foxzami (1944−1969) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In November 1949 at Flemington Racecourse, Foxzami won the Melbourne Cup. He carried a weight of 8-8 (120 pounds and started at odds of 16/1 in a field of 31 runners. Ridd ...

, ridden by W. Fellows, wins the 1949

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland. * Men's singles champion – S. Gooch (Kahutia Bowling Club) * Men's pair champions – Frank Livingstone, J.H. Mingins (skip) (Onehunga Bowling Club) * Men's fours champions – A.J. Murdoch, H.L. Rule, A. Rivers, Pete Skoglund (skip) (Otahuhu Bowling Club)

Rugby

:Rugby union in New Zealand, :All Blacks * 3 September: The All Blacks lose two tests on the same day *

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 ...

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team (Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

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

Petone Petone (Māori: ''Pito-one''), a large suburb of Lower Hutt, Wellington, stands at the southern end of the Hutt Valley, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The Māori name means "end of the sand beach". Europeans first settled in Pe ...

who beat

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

1–0 in the final. * Provincial league champions: ** Auckland: Eden ** Canterbury: Technical OB ** Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB ** Nelson: ** Otago:

** South Canterbury: Northern Hearts ** Southland: Brigadiers ** Taranaki: City ** Waikato: Rotowaro ** Wanganui: Wanganui Athletic ** Wellington:

Seatoun Seatoun, an eastern suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, lies on the east coast of the Miramar Peninsula, close to the entrance to Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), some seven kilometres southeast of the CBD. The suburb sit ...

Births

* 22 January:

Cilla McQueen Priscilla Muriel McQueen (born 22 January 1949 in Birmingham, England) is a poet and three-time winner of the ''New Zealand Book Award'' for Poetry. Early years and education McQueen's family moved to New Zealand when she was four. She was educ ...

, poet * 24 January:

Bill Bush William Kingita Te Pohe Bush (born 24 January 1949) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A prop, Bush represented Canterbury at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1974 to 1979. He p ...

, rugby player * 28 January:

Mike Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Moore ...

and Director-General of the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

(d. 2020) * 15 February:

Ashraf Choudhary Ashraf Choudhary (born 15 February 1949; Sialkot, Punjab) is a Pakistani-New Zealand scientist in agricultural engineering and formerly a member of the Parliament in New Zealand. He is a member of the Labour Party, and was New Zealand's first ...

, politician * 19 February:

Brenda Matthews Brenda Patricia Matthews (born 19 February 1949, in Auckland) is a former female track and field sprinter and hurdler from New Zealand. She represented her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich Munich ( ; german: Münch ...

, sprinter * 28 April:

Steve Gilpin Stephen Ellis Gilpin (28 April 19496 January 1992) was a New Zealand singer and a founder of new wave band Mi-Sex. In November 1972, he won the national final of TV talent show, ''New Faces''. In 1977 he was a founder of Mi-Sex, which became ...

, musician (d. 1992) * 8 June:

Sherryl Jordan Sherryl Jordan (born 8 June 1949) is a New Zealand writer for children and young adults, specialising in fantasy and historical fiction. She has written a number of children's and young adult works published in New Zealand and overseas. She is be ...

, writer (d. 2023) * 6 July:

Grant McAuley Grant R. F. McAuley (born 6 July 1949) is a New Zealand rower. McAuley was born in 1949 in Auckland, New Zealand. He rowed with the coxed eight in the 1975 World Rowing Championships in Nottingham, Great Britain, and won a bronze medal. He repr ...

, rower * 20 September:

Alan McIntyre Alan McIntyre (born 20 September 1949 in Wanganui) is a former field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that won the golden medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montré ...

, field hockey player * 10 October:

Lance Cairns Bernard Lance Cairns (born 10 October 1949) is a former all-rounder who played for the New Zealand cricket team, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns. He was also known for the unusual bat he played with throughout much of h ...

, cricketer * 2 November:

Bruce Biddle Bruce William Biddle (born 2 November 1948 in Warkworth) is a former road racing cyclist from New Zealand, who was a professional rider from 1974 to 1979. He won the gold medal in the men's individual road race at the 1970 Commonwealth Games i ...

, road cyclist * 29 November (in England):

Dave Bright David John Bright (born 29 November 1949 in England) is a former footballer who represented New Zealand gaining 8 A-international caps from 1979 to 1982. Born in England, Bright emigrated to New Zealand in 1974 and made his first appearance fo ...

, soccer player *

Laurence Aberhart Laurence Geoffrey Aberhart (born 1949) is a New Zealand photographer. Biography Aberhart was born in Nelson in 1949, along with three siblings, and was educated at Nelson College from 1963 to 1966.''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–200 ...

, photographer * Laurence Clark, cartoonist *

John Hanlon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, musician *

Donna Awatere Huata Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere; born 1949) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the ACT New Zealand Party and activist for Māori causes. Early life Donna Awatere wa ...

, politician *

Nigel Brown Nigel Roderick Brown (born 1949) is a New Zealand painter living in Dunedin, New Zealand. Early years Born in Invercargill in 1949, Brown grew up in Tauranga and was fortunate to have the established artist Fred Graham as an art teacher at T ...

, painter *

Ian Ewen-Street Ian Ewen-Street (born 1949) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the Green Party and a Member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Greens from 1999 to 2005. He has been prominent in advocacy for organic farming, organic gardening and ...

, politician

Deaths

* 25 May:

George William von Zedlitz George William Edward Ernest von Zedlitz (10 March 1871– 24 May 1949) was a New Zealand professor of modern languages. Background Von Zedlitz was born in 1871 at Herrmannswaldau, which at the time was located in Germany. His mother was an ...

, professor of languages * 20 August: Annie Lee Rees, writer. * 7 October: Matiu Ratana, politician and Ratana church leader * 29 October: Patrick Harvey, rugby union player * 20 December:

Jane Mander Mary Jane Mander (9 April 1877 – 20 December 1949) was a New Zealand novelist and journalist. Early life Born in the small community of Ramarama south of Auckland, she had little schooling, yet was teaching at primary school while being ...

, novelist * 28 December:

Jack Lovelock John Edward Lovelock (5 January 1910 – 28 December 1949) was a New Zealand athlete who became the world 1500m and mile record holder and 1936 Olympic champion in the 1500 metres. Early life Lovelock was born in the town of Crushingto ...

, athlete

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1949 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

Archery

Athletics

Basketball

Chess

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

Thoroughbred racing

Lawn bowls

Rugby

Rugby league

Soccer

Births

Deaths

See also

References