The following lists events that happened during 1971 in New Zealand.

Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,898,500. * Increase since 31 December 1970: 46,400 (1.63%). * Males per 100 females: 99.7.

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 ...

–

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

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 ...

–

Sir Arthur Porritt Colonel Arthur Espie Porritt, Baron Porritt, (10 August 1900 – 1 January 1994) was a New Zealand physician, military surgeon, statesman and athlete. He won a bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in the 100 m sprint. He served as the ...

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 ...

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

Government

The 36th Parliament of New Zealand continued, with the second National government in power. *

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 ...

–

Roy Jack Sir Roy Emile Jack (12 January 1914 – 24 December 1977) was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand National Party, National Party. He was a Cabinet of New Zealand, cabinet minister and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives ...

.Lambert & Palenski: ''The New Zealand Almanac'', 1982. *

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 ...

–

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 ...

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, ...

–

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 ...

. *

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", " ...

–

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in th ...

. *

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 ...

–

. *

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 ...

–

until 2 February, then

Dan Riddiford Daniel Johnston Riddiford (11 March 1914 – 26 October 1974) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life Riddiford was born in Featherston in 1914 a grandson of "King" Riddiford and Sydney Johnston of Oruawha ...

. * Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild

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 ...

–

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at ...

(

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 ...

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 ...

–

Dove-Myer Robinson Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (15 June 1901 – 14 August 1989) was Mayor of Auckland City from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980, the longest tenure of any holder of the office. He was a colourful character and became affectionately known across New ...

* Mayor of Hamilton –

Mike Minogue Michael John Minogue (20 October 1923 – 27 November 2008) was a New Zealand National Party politician, lawyer and mayor. Biography Minogue was born on 20 October 1923. He attended Timaru Boys' High School, St. Patrick's College ...

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 ...

–

Frank Kitts Sir Francis Joseph Kitts (1 May 1912 – 16 March 1979) was a New Zealand politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Wellington, holding the post from 1956 to 1974. He was the Labour Member of Parliament for between and 1960. Early life ...

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 ...

–

Ron Guthrey Albert Ronald Guthrey (15 January 1916 – 8 September 2008) was a New Zealand local politician. He served as a Christchurch City Councillor for 22 years before being elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was a World War II veteran and he and his ...

then

Neville Pickering Neville George Pickering (18 November 1923 – 25 June 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Early life Pickering was born in Hāwera in 1923. He was educated at Hamilton Technical College where he was also keen s ...

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 ...

–

Jim Barnes James Martin Barnes (April 8, 1886 – May 24, 1966) was an English golfer and a leading figure in the early years of professional golf in the United States. He is one of three native Britons (with Tommy Armour and Rory McIlroy) to win three di ...

Events

January

February

March

April

*The

Tiwai Point Tiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and Foveaux Strait to the south. ...

Aluminium Smelter starts production.

June

July

August

* 18 August – The nation's first

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with ...

restaurant opens in

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, beginning a decade of American fast food chains being established in New Zealand.

September

* The

Manapouri Power Station Manapōuri Power Station is an underground hydroelectric power station on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand. At 854 MW installed capacity (although limited to 800 MW due to ...

, the country's largest hydroelectric facility, is completed. It wouldn't export any electricity until April 1972 when transmission lines to Invercargill were completed.

October

* 25 October – The Christchurch to Dunedin overnight express becomes the last revenue

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

-hauled train service, as the New Zealand Railways completes

dieselisation Dieselisation (US: dieselization) is the process of equipping vehicles with a diesel engine or diesel engines. It can involve replacing an internal combustion engine powered by petrol (gasoline) fuel with an engine powered by diesel fuel, as o ...

November

December

Arts and literature

Noel Hilliard Noel Harvey Hilliard (6 February 1929 – 22 October 1996) was a New Zealand journalist and novelist. Background Hilliard was born in 1929 in Napier, New Zealand. He married Kiriwai Mete in 1954 and they were to have two sons and two daughters. ...

wins the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

. See

1971 in art Events from the year 1971 in art. Events * July 22 – The ''Lady of Baza'' Iberian sculpture (4th century BCE) is discovered. * October 24 – English painter Francis Bacon's lover, George Dyer, commits suicide two days before the opening of th ...

1971 in literature This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1971. Events * March 25–December 14 – The 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals reaches a peak. * April 21 – The 13th-century ''Codex Regius'' manuscript is r ...

Music

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

Loxene Golden Disc The Loxene Golden Disc was an annual New Zealand music award. It ran from 1965 to 1972. It was superseded by the Recording Arts Talent Awards (RATA). Background The awards launched in 1965 and is the forerunner of the New Zealand Music Awards. It ...

Craig Scott – Smiley *

Chapta – Say A Prayer See:

1971 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1971. Specific locations *1971 in British music * 1971 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1971 in country music * 1971 in heavy metal music *1971 in jazz Events *February 1 – Af ...

Performing arts

Benny Award The Benny Award is bestowed on a New Zealand variety entertainer. It is presented annually by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, a non-for-profit organisation and showbusiness club, founded in 1966 and awarded to a variety performer who ha ...

presented by the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

to Pat McMinn OBE.

Radio and television

* In 1971 there was a major breakthrough for international news when the Warkworth

Satellite station A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

was opened

* The

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 ...

was the first live international broadcast, in November. * The radio licence fee was abolished, and the television fee set at NZ$20 per year. *Feltex Television Awards: **Best Programme: ''Gallery'' and ''In View of the Circumstances'' **Best Actor:

Bruno Lawrence David Charles Lawrence (12 February 194110 June 1995) known as Bruno Lawrence was an English-born musician and actor, who was active in the industry in New Zealand and Australia. Initially notable as a musician and founder of 1970s ensemble Bl ...

in ''Time Out'' **Best Performance as Frontman: Brian Edwards in ''Post Office Dispute'' **Best Entertainment:

Dinah Lee Diane Marie Jacobs (born 19 August 1943), known as Dinah Lee, is a New Zealand singer who performed 1960s pop and adult contemporary music. Her debut single from early 1964, "Don't You Know Yockomo?", achieved No. 1 chart success in New Zea ...

**TVPDA Award for Allied Crafts: Waynne Williams See: 1971 in New Zealand television,

1971 in television The year 1971 involved some significant events in television. Below is a list of notable TV-related events. Events *January 1 – The final cigarette advertisements are televised in the United States, with the final one occurring during that ...

List of TVNZ television programming This is an incomplete list of television programmes, past and present, screened on Television New Zealand that were made in New Zealand. Programmes Regular shows (screened throughout the year) Seasonal shows One-off series Shows that scre ...

, :Television in New Zealand, :New Zealand television shows,

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: :1971 film awards,

1971 in film The year 1971 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1971 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, ''Eat th ...

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 * ...

, :1971 films

Sport

Athletics

* David McKenzie wins his third national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:16.4 on 6 March in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

Chess

* The 78th National Chess Championship is held in Nelson, and is won by R.J. Sutton of Auckland (his second 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 ...

: True Averil *

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 ...

: Garcon Roux

Soccer

New Zealand National Soccer League The New Zealand National League is the name given to the current New Zealand top football competition. Originally set up as the New Zealand National Soccer League there has been many versions of the competition as well as many different names. Th ...

won by

Eastern Suburbs AFC Eastern Suburbs Association Football Club is a professional Association football club based in the suburb of Kohimarama in Auckland, New Zealand. The club competes in the Northern League. Club history Eastern Suburbs was formed in 1934 as a r ...

* 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

Western Suburbs FC Western Suburbs Football Club is an association football club in Porirua, New Zealand. They play their home matches at Endeavour Park in the Porirua suburb of Whitby and compete in the Central Premier League. Western Suburbs is in partnership ...

of Wellington who beat

Wellington City Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...

3–2 in the final.Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com

Births

* 23 January:

Adam Parore Adam Craig Parore (born 23 January 1971) is a former wicket-keeper and batsman for the New Zealand cricket team. He played 78 Test cricket matches for New Zealand and 179 One Day International cricket matches. Parore has been the managing direc ...

, cricketer. * 5 March: Cory Hutchings, surf livesaving and ironman competitor. * 29 March:

Julie Seymour Julie Seymour (née Dawson; born 29 March 1971) is a New Zealand netball coach, former international netball player and former representative middle distance runner. Seymour played for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, in ...

, netball player. * 11 April:

Mark Cooksley Mark Stephen Bill Cooksley (born 11 April 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former professional rugby union player and All Black lock. Cooksley was the tallest All Black ever at 2.05 metres and 125 kg, until this was surpassed by Dominic ...

, rugby union player. * 12 April:

Greg Russ Gregory James Russ (born 12 April 1971) is a former New Zealand field hockey player, who finished in eighth position with the men's national team, known as the Black Sticks, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He was born in Auckland and is ...

, field hockey player. * 28 April:

Hamish Carter Hamish Clive Carter (born 28 April 1971 in Auckland) is a New Zealand triathlete. He won the gold medal in triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics, his second Olympic games. Carter also competed on the International Triathlon Union World Cup c ...

, triathlete. * 2 June: Dion Gosling, field hockey player. * 11 June: Mark Richardson, cricketer * 18 June:

Blair Pocock Blair Andrew Pocock (born 18 June 1971) is a New Zealand cricket player who played 15 Test matches for his national side. He was born in Papakura, New Zealand. Pocock was one of the many openers used in the poorly performing New Zealand crick ...

, cricketer. * 20 June:

Josh Kronfeld Joshua Adrian Kronfeld (born 20 June 1971) is a TV presenter and a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand at international level and Otago, the Highlanders and Leicester at first-class level. During his international career, K ...

, rugby union player. * 25 June: Paul Gibbons, pole vaulter. * 9 August:

Jon Toogood Jonathan Charles Toogood (born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 9 August 1971) is the frontman (lead vocals and guitar) of the New Zealand rock band Shihad. He formed the band in 1988 with fellow Wellingtonian Tom Larkin. Toogood and Larkin met a ...

, musician, songwriter. * 15 August:

Umesh Parag Umesh Vasan Parag (born 15 August 1971) is a former field hockey player from New Zealand, who finished in eighth position with the Men's National Team, nicknamed ''Black Sticks'', at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He won a silver ...

, field hockey player. * 18 August:

Jonathan Winter Jonathan Winter (born 18 August 1971 in Masterton) is a member of the Ngāi Tahu Maori tribe and a former backstroke swimmer from New Zealand, who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, for his native country. At the ...

, swimmer. * 24 August:

Heremaia Ngata Heremaia "Harry" Ngata (born 24 August 1971) is a former New Zealand association football player who played as a midfielder. Club career Ngata began his career with Hull City in England, and may have been the first Maori footballer to play in t ...

, soccer player. * 27 August:

Glen Osborne Glen Matthew Osborne (born 27 August 1971) is a New Zealand television presenter, former rugby union player and current Police Constable for the New Zealand Police. Osborne was born in Wanganui and played representative rugby for Wanganui in th ...

, rugby union player. * 15 September:

Nathan Astle Nathan John Astle (born 15 September 1971) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played all formats of the game. A right-handed batsman who played as an opener in One Day Internationals (ODI), while batting in the middle order in Test matches ...

, cricketer. * 18 September: Tom Larkin, musician. * 20 September:

Todd Blackadder Todd Blackadder (born 20 September 1971) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player and professional rugby coach. He captained the national team, the All Blacks 14 times playing a total of 25 games and 12 tests. Blackadder captained the Crusad ...

, rugby union player. * 8 October: Marc Ellis, rugby union and rugby league player, television personality. * 20 October: Rachel House, actress and comedian * 25 October: Martin Leslie, rugby union player. * 31 October:

Phil Tataurangi Phillip Mikaera Tataurangi (born 31 October 1971) is a New Zealand golfer. Tataurangi was born in Auckland. In 1992 he was a member of the New Zealand's winning Eisenhower Trophy team and was the leading individual player in the tournament. He ...

, golfer. * 20 November:

Dion Nash Dion Joseph Nash (born 20 November 1971) is a New Zealand entrepreneur and former cricketer. He played for the New Zealand cricket team, captaining the team in 1999 with the injury of regular captain Stephen Fleming. Nash was a right-arm fast m ...

, cricketer. * 30 November:

Heath Davis Heath Te-Ihi-O-Te-Rangi Davis (born 30 November 1971) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He played five Tests and eleven One Day Internationals in the 1990s. He played his provincial cricket for Wellington. Early and personal life Davis was ...

, cricketer. * 13 December:

Vaughan Coveny Vaughan Coveny (born 13 December 1971) is a retired football player who frequently represented New Zealand in international matches. Coveny's senior club career spanned 20 years, with his most notable stint being at South Melbourne during their ...

, soccer player. * 20 December:

Simon O'Neill Simon John O'Neill (born 1971) is a New Zealand-born operatic tenor. In 1998, his image appeared on the New Zealand one-dollar performing arts postage stamp. Biography O'Neill was born in Ashburton, New Zealand, and received his musical tra ...

, opera singer. * 24 December:

Geoff Allott Geoffrey Ian Allott (born 24 December 1971) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in 10 Tests and 31 One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1996 to 2000. He retired from all cricket in 2001, following series of injuries International career ...

, cricketer. :1971 births

Deaths

* 16 January: Harold Abbott, rugby union player. * 12 March:

Robert Laidlaw Robert Alexander Crookston Laidlaw (8 September 1885 – 12 March 1971) was a New Zealand businessman who founded the Farmers Trading Company, one of the largest department store chains in New Zealand. He was also a Christian writer and philanth ...

, businessman. * 28 March:

Miriam Soljak Miriam Bridelia Soljak (; 15 June 1879 – 28 March 1971) was a pioneering New Zealand feminist, communist, unemployed rights activist and supporter of family planning efforts. Born in Thames, New Zealand, she was raised as a Catholic and studie ...

, feminist and activist * 24 June:

Jack Dunning John Angus Dunning (6 February 1903 – 24 June 1971) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in four Test matches between 1933 and 1937 and 60 first-class matches from 1923 to 1938. He later became a headmaster in Australia.

, cricketer. * 13 July:

R. A. K. Mason Ronald Allison Kells Mason (10 January 1905 – 13 July 1971) was a New Zealand poet. Described by Allen Curnow as New Zealand's "first wholly original, unmistakably gifted poet", he was born in Penrose, New Zealand, Penrose, Auckland on 10 ...

, poet. * 19 September:

Ted Badcock Frederick Theodore Badcock (9 August 1897 – 19 September 1982) was a New Zealand first-class and Test cricketer. Perhaps the best all-rounder in New Zealand in the inter-war period, he played seven Test matches for New Zealand between 1930 a ...

, cricketer. * 10 October:

John Cawte Beaglehole John Cawte Beaglehole (13 June 1901 – 10 October 1971) was a New Zealand historian whose greatest scholastic achievement was the editing of James Cook's three journals of exploration, together with the writing of an acclaimed biography of Co ...

, historian and biographer. * 15 December: Air Marshall

Roderick Carr Air Marshal Sir Charles Roderick Carr, (31 August 1891 – 15 December 1971) was a senior Royal Air Force commander from New Zealand. He held high command in the Second World War and served as Chief of the Indian Air Force. Education and mi ...

* 22 December:

Mary Grigg Mary Victoria Cracroft Grigg, Lady Polson, (née Wilson; 18 August 1897 – 22 December 1971) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Early life She was born as Mary Victoria Cracroft Wilson at Culverden in 1897. Her parents were ...

, politician.