The following lists events that happened during 2019 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

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 ...

–

Patsy Reddy Dame Patricia Lee Reddy (born 17 May 1954) is a New Zealand lawyer and businesswoman who served as the 21st governor-general of New Zealand from 2016 to 2021. Before becoming governor-general, Reddy was a partner of a law firm, headed a major ...

File:Queen Elizabeth II on 3 June 2019.jpg, Elizabeth II File:Patsy Reddy 2019 (cropped).jpg, Patsy Reddy

Government

The

Sixth Labour Government The Sixth Labour Government has governed New Zealand since 26 October 2017. It is headed by Jacinda Ardern, the Labour Party leader and prime minister. Following the 2017 general election held on 23 September, the New Zealand First party h ...

, elected in 2017, continues. *

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 ...

–

Trevor Mallard Trevor Colin Mallard (born 17 June 1954) is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. First elected to Parliament in 1984, he was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2017 until 2022. Mallard was a Cabinet m ...

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 ...

–

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...

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, ...

–

Winston Peters Winston Raymond Peters (born 11 April 1945) is a New Zealand politician serving as the leader of New Zealand First since its foundation in 1993. Peters served as the 13th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1996 to 1998 and 2017 to 2020 ...

* Leader of the House –

Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and a member of the Sixth Labour Government's Cabinet as Minister of Education, Minister of Police, Minister for the Public Service and Leader of the ...

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", " ...

–

Grant Robertson Grant Murray Robertson (born 30 October 1971) is a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party who has served as the 19th deputy prime minister of New Zealand since 2020 and the minister of Finance since 2017. He has served as Membe ...

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 ...

– Winston Peters File:Trevor Mallard Speaker.jpg, Trevor Mallard File:Ardern Cropped.png, Jacinda Ardern File:Winston Peters, 2019.jpg, Winston Peters File:Chris Hipkins 2019 (cropped).jpg, Chris Hipkins File:Grant Robertson 2015 (cropped).jpg, Grant Robertson

Other party leaders in parliament

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

–

Simon Bridges Simon Joseph Bridges (born 12 October 1976) is a former New Zealand politician and lawyer. He served as Leader of the National Party and Leader of the Opposition between 2018 and 2020, and as the Member of Parliament for Tauranga from the to ...

(

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 ...

) *

New Zealand First New Zealand First ( mi, Aotearoa Tuatahi), commonly abbreviated to NZ First, is a nationalist and populist political party in New Zealand. The party formed in July 1993 following the resignation on 19 March 1993 of its leader and founder, Winst ...

–

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

– James Shaw and

Marama Davidson Marama Mere-Ana Davidson (née Paratene; born 1973) is a New Zealand politician who entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2015 as a representative of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, of which she is the female co-leader. In October 20 ...

* ACT –

David Seymour David Seymour may refer to: * David Seymour (English politician) (died 1557/58), 14th-century Member of Parliament (MP) for Wareham and Great Bedwyn *David Seymour (New Zealand politician) (born 1983), leader of the ACT Party *David Seymour (photo ...

File:Simon Bridges 2019 (cropped).jpg, Simon Bridges File:Winston Peters swearing in (cropped).jpg, Winston Peters File:James Shaw, 2014 (cropped).jpg, James Shaw File:Marama Davidson 2019 (cropped).jpg, Marama Davidson File:David Seymour (cropped).jpg, David Seymour

Judiciary

* Chief Justice –

Sian Elias Dame Sian Seerpoohi Elias (born 13 March 1949) is a New Zealand former Government official, who served as the 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand, and was therefore the most senior member of the country's judiciary. She was the presiding judge o ...

until 13 March, then

Helen Winkelmann Dame Helen Diana Winkelmann (born 1962) is the 13th and current Chief Justice of New Zealand, having been sworn in on 14 March 2019. She is the second woman to hold the position, following her immediate predecessor, Sian Elias. Early life and ...

File:Sian Elias 2016 (cropped).jpg, Sian Elias File:Helen Winkelmann 151sm.jpg, Helen Winkelmann

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 ...

–

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 No ...

Mayor of Tauranga The Mayor of Tauranga is the head of the municipal government of Tauranga, New Zealand, and presides over the Tauranga City Council. There is currently no Mayor of Tauranga. On 9 February 2021, a Crown Commission appointed by the Minister of L ...

–

Greg Brownless The Mayor of Tauranga is the head of the municipal government of Tauranga, New Zealand, and presides over the Tauranga City Council. There is currently no Mayor of Tauranga. On 9 February 2021, a Crown Commission appointed by the Minister of L ...

, then from 24 October

Tenby Powell The Mayor of Tauranga is the head of the municipal government of Tauranga, New Zealand, and presides over the Tauranga City Council. There is currently no Mayor of Tauranga. On 9 February 2021, a Crown Commission appointed by the Minister of L ...

* Mayor of Hamilton – Andrew King, then from 24 October Paula Southgate *

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 ...

– Justin Lester, then from 30 October

Andy Foster Andrew John Whitfield Foster (born 21 December 1961) is a New Zealand politician who served as Mayor of Wellington from 2019 to 2022. Foster served on the Wellington City Council for nine terms from 1992 until 2019. Biography Early life Foste ...

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 ...

–

Lianne Dalziel Lianne Audrey Dalziel (; born 7 June 1960) is a New Zealand politician and former Mayor of Christchurch. Prior to this position, she was a member of the New Zealand Parliament for 23 years, serving as Minister of Immigration, Commerce, Minister ...

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 ...

–

Dave Cull David Charles Cull (1 April 1950 – 27 April 2021) was the mayor of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. He became the 57th Mayor of Dunedin in October 2010 and was re-elected in both the 2013 mayoralty race and 2016 mayoral election. Before ...

, then from 25 October Aaron Hawkins File:Phil Goff CNZM (cropped).jpg, Phil Goff File:Trafinz 2016 Brownless.jpg, Greg Brownless File:Andrew King (crop).jpg, Andrew King File:Paula Southgate in 2015.jpg, Paula Southgate File:Justin Lester 2016 (cropped).jpg, Justin Lester File:Foster2.png, Andy Foster File:Lianne Dalziel September 2017.jpg, Lianne Dalziell File:Dave Cull-Blueskin News.jpg, Dave Cull File:Aaron-hawkins.jpg, Aaron Hawkins

Events

February

* 5 February – 6 March – Wildfires in Nelson cause thousands to evacuate their homes.

March

* 15 March – Shootings at two Christchurch mosques result in the deaths of 51 people. *16 March –

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

is pulled off the air by independently-owned Sky New Zealand. The decision was made after the channel refused to stop showing graphic video footage that had been live-streamed by the Christchurch shooter at the two mosques in Christchurch.

May

* 30 May – The

2019 New Zealand budget Budget 2019, dubbed the Wellbeing Budget, was the name given to the New Zealand budget for fiscal year 2019/20 presented to the New Zealand House of Representatives by Finance Minister Grant Robertson on 30 May 2019. This was the second budget pre ...

is presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson.

June

*3 June – The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.

July

* 19 July – A Christchurch house destroyed in a gas explosion results in six people being hospitalised.

October

*12 October – (Postal) voting for the 2019 local elections concludes. *22 October – The

Skycity SkyCity (originally known as the Eye of the Needle) was a revolving restaurant and bar situated atop the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, United States. Description and history The restaurant featured a carousel (or ring-shaped) dining fl ...

Convention Centre catches fire while still under construction, causing significant disruption in the

Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson. It is New Zealand's lea ...

November

* 17–23 November –

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

make an official visit to Auckland, Northland, Christchurch and Kaikōura.

December

* 8 December – Severe rain causes landslides and flooding in the South Island, closing two

state highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

( and ) and Inland Scenic Route 72, and trapping 1000 tourists in

South Westland Westland District is a territorial authority district on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is History Westland was originally a part of Canterbury Prov ...

. *9 December – Whakaari / White Island erupts, killing 21 and injuring 26. *31 December – The

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

are announced.

Holidays and observances

Public holidays in New Zealand in 2019 are as follows: * 1 January –

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

* 2 January – Day after New Year's Day * 6 February –

Waitangi Day Waitangi Day ( mi, Te Rā o Waitangi), the national day of New Zealand, marks the anniversary of the initial signing – on 6 February 1840 – of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is regarded as the founding document of the nation. The first Wait ...

* 19 April –

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

* 21 April –

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

* 22 April –

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

* 25 April –

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

* 3 June –

Queen's Birthday The King's Official Birthday (alternatively the Queen's Official Birthday when the monarch is female) is the selected day in the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those ...

* 28 October –

Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

* 25 December –

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

* 26 December –

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

Sports

Cycling

* 27 January –

Aaron Gate Aaron Gate (born 26 November 1990) is a New Zealand road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He represented his country in track cycling at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. Gate is the first New Zealand ath ...

wins the

New Zealand Cycle Classic The New Zealand Cycle Classic (previously known as the Tour of Wellington) is a road cycling race held in and around the Wairarapa near Wellington, New Zealand. The race is a men's competition over five stages and part of the UCI Oceania Tour ...

Rowing

* New Zealand Secondary School Championships (Maadi Cup) ** Maadi Cup (boys U18 coxed eight) –

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven R ...

** Levin 75th Jubilee Cup (girls U18 coxed eight) – St Margaret's College ** Star Trophy (overall points) –

Shooting

*Ballinger Belt – ** Jim Bailey (Australia) ** John Snowden (Ashburton), second, top New Zealander

Rugby union

* England beat the All Blacks 19–7 in the semifinal of the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

Births

* 28 September – Sharp 'N' Smart, Thoroughbred racehorse

Deaths

January

* 1 January ** Ross Allen, cricket umpire and local politician, chair of

Taranaki Regional Council Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

(1989–2001) (born 1928). **

Elizabeth Edgar Elizabeth Edgar (27 December 1929 – 1 January 2019) was a New Zealand botanist, best known for her work in authoring and editing three of the five volumes of the series ''Flora of New Zealand'', which describes and classifies the species of ...

, botanist (

DSIR Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

Landcare Research Landcare may refer to: * Australian Landcare Council, a now superseded Australian government body * Landcare in Australia, umbrella approach promoting land protection in Australia * Landcare Research, New Zealand *The Landcare movement in Australi ...

Hutton Medal The Hutton Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society Te Apārangi to a researcher who, working within New Zealand, has significantly advanced understanding through work of outstanding scientific or technological merit. Requirements Prior ...

(2000) (born 1929). * 11 January – Wayne Blair, cricketer (

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

) (born 1948). * 18 January – Reg Hart, rugby league player (

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

) (born 1936). * 20 January –

Ian Shirley Ian Francis Shirley (28 February 1940 – 20 January 2019) was New Zealand's first professor of public policy and an advocate for social justice. He established the Institute of Public Policy at Auckland University of Technology. Academic caree ...

, social work and public policy academic (

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

), social justice advocate (born 1940). * 23 January –

Aloysius Pang Aloysius Pang (; 24 August 1990 – 24 January 2019) was a Singaporeans, Singaporean actor managed under NoonTalk Media, best known for his involvement in multiple Mediacorp dramas. He died on 24 January 2019 at 1:45am New Zealand Daylight Time, ...

, Singaporean actor (born 1990). * 25 January – Sir John Jeffries, politician, lawyer and jurist, Deputy Mayor of Wellington (1971–1974), chairmain of

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...

(1975), judge of the High Court (1976–1992), head of the

Police Complaints Authority This is a list of notable authorities, agencies and similar bodies that are responsible for investigating or responding to complaints about police. Asia Hong Kong *Independent Police Complaints Council India * Police Complaints Authority (In ...

(1992–1997), chair of the

New Zealand Press Council The New Zealand Media Council (Māori: ''Te kaunihera ao pāpāho o Aotearoa'') is a non-governmental organisation which exists to uphold standards in the New Zealand media industry and promote freedom of speech in New Zealand. Founded in 1972 as ...

(1997–2005) (born 1929). * 30 January – Murray Loudon, Olympic field hockey player (

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

) (born 1931). File:Elizabeth Edgar Portrait edited small.jpg, Elizabeth Edgar File:Ian Shirley (cropped).jpg, Ian Shirley File:John Jeffries (crop).jpg, Sir John Jeffries

February

* 3 February –

Peter Posa Peter Paul Posa (8 August 1941 – 3 February 2019) was a New Zealand guitarist most famous for his instrumental "The White Rabbit", which was released in 1963. The song is a guitar instrumental that sold 100,000 copies. Career Posa was bor ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

guitarist (born 1941). * 6 February – John Cocks, builder and television personality (''

My House My Castle ''My House My Castle'' is a New Zealand television reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional act ...

'') (born 1966). * 9 February –

Neville Young Neville Garde Austen Young (11 December 1940 – 9 February 2019) was a New Zealand lawyer. He served as president of the National Party from 1986 to 1989. Early life and family Born in Christchurch on 11 December 1940, Young was educated at ...

, lawyer, National Party president (1986–1989), chair of the

Earthquake Commission The Earthquake Commission, ( mi, Kōmihana Rūwhenua), is a New Zealand Crown entity that invests in natural disaster research and education as well as providing natural disaster insurance to residential property owners. In March 2022, a bill ...

(1998–2006) (born 1940). * 11 February – Allan Wild, architect and academic (

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

), Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (since 1968) (born 1927). * 12 February – George Grindley, geologist (

New Zealand Geological Survey GNS Science ( mi, Te Pū Ao), officially registered as the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. It focuses on geology, geophysics (including seismology and volcanology), and nuclear sc ...

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(since 1968) (born 1925). * 14 February –

Barrie Hutchinson John Barrie Skilbeck Hutchinson (19 June 1926 – 14 February 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union and water polo player. At the 1950 British Empire Games he won the silver medal as part of the men's water polo team. As well as playing water ...

, water polo player, British Empire Games silver medallist (

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

), rugby union player (

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 ...

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 ...

) (born 1926). * 18 February **

George Cawkwell George Law Cawkwell (25 October 1919 – 18 February 2019) was a classical scholar who specialised in the ancient history of Greece in the 4th century BC. Life and career Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Cawkwell was educated at King's College, ...

, classical scholar (

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

) and rugby union player ( Scotland national team),

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

(1946) (born 1919). **

Laura Solomon Laura Jane Solomon (28 June 1974 – 18 February 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, playwright and poet. She emerged as part of a new wave of young New Zealand writers in the 1990s anthologised in Mark Pirie's ''New Zealand Writing: The NeXt Wav ...

, novelist, playwright and poet,

Bridport Prize Bridport Arts Centre is an arts centre in Bridport, Dorset, England. Founded in 1973, it is housed in and around a 19th-century, Grade II listed building, formerly known as the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. The complex includes the Marlow Theatre, th ...

(2004, 2005) (born 1974). ** Peter Wells, writer and film-maker ( ''Desperate Remedies''), co-founder of the

Auckland Writers Festival Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki is the largest annual literary festival in Aotearoa New Zealand since 1999. It has about 200 public events each year featuring local and international writers as guests. History and staff The inaug ...

(born 1950). * 23 February – Brian Halton, organic chemist (

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

), president of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (1986–1987),

Shorland Medal The Shorland Medal is awarded annually by the New Zealand Association of Scientists in recognition of a "major and continued contribution to basic or applied research that has added significantly to scientific understanding or resulted in signific ...

(2001),

(since 1992) (born 1941). * 24 February –

Ian Eliason Ian Matheson Eliason (6 June 1945 – 24 February 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A lock, Eliason represented Taranaki at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1972 to 1973. He p ...

, rugby union player (

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

) (born 1945). * 27 February –

Bill Playle William Rodger Playle (1 December 1938 – 27 February 2019) was a New Zealand cricketer who played eight Tests for the national team between 1958 and 1963, making 151 runs as a specialist batsman. Cricket career In New Zealand Bill Playle's ...

, cricketer (

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

) (born 1938). File:JohnCocks2017.jpg, John Cocks File:Laura Solomon.jpg, Laura Solomon File:Peter wells(3113).jpg, Peter Wells

March

* 1 March – Mike Tamoaieta, rugby union player ( North Harbour,

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

) (born 1995). * 2 March – Keith Davis, rugby union player (

, New Zealand Māori,

) (born 1930). * 3 March –

Leo de Castro Leo de Castro (born Kiwi Leo de Castro Kino; c. 1948 – 3 March 2019) was a New Zealand funk and soul singer-guitarist. From 1969 to 1995 he worked in Australia in a variety of bands before returning to Auckland. He contributed to ''Rocco'' ( ...

, musician (born ). * 5 March – David Kear, geologist (

) and science administrator,

director-general (1980–1983),

(since 1973) (born 1923). * 7 March –

Ron Russell Ronald Stanley Thornton Russell (22 July 1926 – 7 March 2019) was a Canadian politician and pilot who lived in Nova Scotia. Early life and education Russell was born in Ngongotahā, New Zealand. He was a pilot for the Royal New Zealand Air Fo ...

, Canadian politician (born 1926). * 8 March – Ian Lawrence, local politician and Jewish community leader,

(1983–1986),

Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, public ...

lor (1989–1995) (born 1937). * 11 March – John Dawson, botanist (

New Zealand Post Book of the Year The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...

(2012) (born 1928). * 14 March – Thomas Goddard, lawyer and jurist, chief judge of the

Employment Court The New Zealand Employment Relations Act 2000 (sometimes known by its acronym, ERA) is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand. It was substantially amended by the Employment Relations (Validation of Union Registration and Other Matters) A ...

(1989–2005) (born 1937). * 15 March –

Atta Elayyan Atta Mohammed Elayyan ( ar, عطا عليان; 21 June 1985 – 15 March 2019) was a Jordanian-New Zealand futsal player, coach, businessman, and developer. As a futsal player, Elayyan played on the New Zealand national futsal team and coached f ...

, futsal player (

) (born 1985). * 22 March –

Denzil Meuli Pierre Denzil Meuli (22 September 1926 – 22 March 2019) was a writer, former newspaper editor, Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Auckland and a leading traditionalist Catholic in New Zealand. In 1969 Meuli was appointed editor of the new ...

, writer, newspaper editor, lawyer and Catholic priest, editor of ''Zealandia'' (1969–1971) (born 1926). * 24 March – Finn Lowery, water polo player (

) and lawyer,

(2014) (born 1990). * 28 March –

Bill Culbert William Franklin Culbert (23 January 1935 – 28 March 2019) was a New Zealand artist, notable for his use of light in painting, photography, sculpture and installation work, as well as his use of found and recycled materials. He was born in ...

, artist (born 1935). * 30 March – Ron Elvidge, rugby union player (

), oldest living

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

(since 2016) (born 1923). File:Keith Davis c1951.jpg, Keith Davis File:Ian Lawrence 2012.jpg, Ian Lawrence

April

* 4 April – Ray Harper, rugby union player (

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

) and administrator, NZRFU councillor (1974–1987) (born 1927). * 5 April –

Trevor McKee Trevor John McKee (22 September 1937 – 5 April 2019) was a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He was best known as the trainer, in partnership with his son Stephen, of the champion racehorse Sunline. Biography McKee was born in the ...

, Thoroughbred racehorse trainer (

Sunline Sunline (29 September 1995 – 1 May 2009) was a champion New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was the world's highest earning race mare of her time. She won 32 of her 48 races with earnings of NZ$14,200,000. She was named the New Zealand ...

) (born 1937). * 8 April –

Anzac Wallace Anzac Hohepa Wallace, also known as Zac Wallace, born Norman Pene Rewiri (1943 – 8 April 2019), was a New Zealand actor and former trade union delegate. He is best known for his role as Te Wheke in the 1983 New Zealand film '' Utu''. Early life ...

, actor ( ''Utu'', ''The Quiet Earth'', ''Mauri'') (born 1945). * 9 April –

George McConnell George McConnell is an American singer from Vicksburg, Mississippi. He played for the bands Widespread Panic, Kudzu Kings, and Beanland. History George McConnell attended the University of Mississippi, where he was in the Sigma Alpha Epsilo ...

, cricketer (

) (born 1938). * 13 April – Dame Yvette Corlett,

track and field athlete, Olympic long jump champion (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

), long jump world record holder (1954–1955), British Empire and Commonwealth Games long jump (

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

), discus throw (

) and shot put (

) champion,

New Zealand Sportsman of the Year The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Murray Halberg, Sir Murray Halberg. The ...

(1950, 1952) (born 1929). * 16 April – Len Hoogerbrug, architect (born 1929). * 17 April – Peter Cartwright, lawyer and statesman, viceregal consort (2001–2006) (born 1940). * 19 April – Philip Liner, radio broadcaster (

National Radio RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...

) (born 1925). File:Yvette Williams 1954b.jpg, Dame Yvette Corlett File:Peter Cartwright (cropped).jpg, Peter Cartwright

May

* 2 May ** Duncan MacRae, rugby league player (

) (born 1934). ** Sister Pauline O'Regan, educator and writer, principal of

Villa Maria College Villa Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1960 by the Felician Sisters. History The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and was establishe ...

(1950–1966), principal of Mercy College (1967–1968) (born 1922). * 7 May –

Te Wharehuia Milroy James Te Wharehuia Milroy (24 July 1937 – 7 May 2019) was a New Zealand academic and expert in the Māori language. He was of Ngāi Tūhoe descent. Together with Tīmoti Kāretu and Pou Temara, Milroy was a lecturer at Te Panekiretanga o te ...

, Māori language academic (

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

) (born 1937). * 10 May **

Carey Adamson Air Marshal Carey William Adamson, (5 September 1942 – 10 May 2019) was a senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Adamson grew up in Fairlie before attending Timaru Boys' High School, where he was a boarder apart from his final y ...

, air force officer, Chief of the Air Staff (1995–1999), Chief of Defence Force (1999–2001) (born 1942). ** Malcolm Black, musician (

Netherworld Dancing Toys Netherworld Dancing Toys was a New Zealand band from Dunedin formed in 1982. In 1985, their single "For Today" reached number 3 in the New Zealand singles chart. History The group formed at the University of Otago. The band members included Ma ...

) and music lawyer,

APRA Silver Scroll The APRA Music Awards are several annual and two-yearly award ceremonies run in New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members. APRA hold the annual Silver S ...

(1985) (born 1961). * 11 May ** Sir Hector Busby, Māori traditional navigator and waka builder (born 1932). **

Pua Magasiva Pua Magasiva (10 August 1980 – 11 May 2019) was a New Zealand actor of Samoan descent, best known for his roles as Shane Clarke, the Red Ranger from ''Power Rangers Ninja Storm'', and Vinnie Kruse in the soap opera ''Shortland Street'', both ...

, actor (''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously ...

'', ''

Power Rangers Ninja Storm ''Power Rangers Ninja Storm'' is a television series and the eleventh season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 26th Super Sentai series ''Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger''. The season marked a series of firsts in the franchise, being t ...

'', ''

Sione's Wedding ''Sione's Wedding'' (also marketed outside New Zealand as ''Samoan Wedding'') is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures. Plot Set in Au ...

'') and radio host ( Flava) (born 1980). * 15 May – Roger Blackley, art historian (

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

) (born 1953). * 18 May **

Quentin Pongia Quentin Lee Pongia (9 July 1970 – 18 May 2019) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1990s and 2000s. Background He was the grandson of fellow Kiwi international Jim Calder. His sister Megan Tahapeehi ...

, rugby league player (

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

Auckland Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

) (born 1970). ** Doug Wilson, rugby union player (

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

) (born 1931). * 24 May – Sharon McAuslan, lawyer and jurist, District Court judge (1995–2015) (born 1945). * 26 May –

Percy Erceg Charles Percy Erceg (28 November 1928 – 26 May 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A wing three-quarter, Erceg represented North Auckland and at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, ...

, rugby union player (

North Auckland The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitematā ...

, New Zealand Māori,

Tom French Cup In rugby union, the Tom French Cup is an honour awarded by New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to the Tom French Memorial Māori player of the year. The cup has been awarded annually since 1949, when it was donated to the New Zealand Māori coach To ...

(1951) (born 1928). * 27 May –

Guy Jansen Guy Elwyn Jansen (27 May 1935 – 27 May 2019) was a New Zealand music educator and choral musician. Early life and family Born in Carterton on 27 May 1935, Jansen was educated at Horowhenua College. In 1960, he married Judy Mary Rolls, and t ...

, music educator (

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Wheaton College Conservatory of Music The Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College is a music conservatory located in Wheaton, Illinois. It is both a department and professional school of Wheaton College. It currently has 21 full-time faculty members and approximately 200 undergraduat ...

), choral founder and director (

New Zealand Youth Choir The New Zealand Youth Choir is a mixed choir consisting of around 50 singers, auditioned nationally every 3 years from around New Zealand. The choir accepts members aged between 18 and 25 at the time of audition, and places will generally be offe ...

) (born 1935). * 30 May –

Jim Bell James Dalton Bell (born 1958) is an American crypto-anarchist who created the idea of arranging for anonymously sponsored assassination payments via the Internet, which he called "assassination politics". He was imprisoned on felony charges of ...

, association footballer (

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 ...

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...

) (born 1935). * 31 May – Sir Grant Hammond, lawyer, legal academic (

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

) and jurist, High Court judge (1992–2004), Court of Appeal justice (2004–2011), president of the

Law Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

(2010–2016) (born 1944). File:Wharehuia Milroy CNZM (cropped).jpg, Te Wharehuia Milroy File:Hec Busby (cropped).jpg, Sir Hec Busby File:Douglas Dawson Wilson 1953.jpg, Doug Wilson File:Sharon McAuslan QSO (cropped).jpg, Sharon McAuslan File:Guy Jansen MNZM (cropped).jpg, Guy Jansen File:Grant Hammond KNZM (cropped).jpg, Sir Grant Hammond

June

* 2 June –

Alistair Browning Alistair Browning (8 February 1954 – 2 June 2019) was a New Zealand actor who won several awards for his work in film, television and theatre, best known for his roles in ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''Rain'', ...

, actor (''

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence , also known in many European editions as , is a 1983 war film co-written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, co-written by Paul Mayersberg, and produced by Jeremy Thomas. The film is based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Post (portrayed b ...

'', ''Rain'', ''

Futile Attraction ''Futile Attraction'' is a 2004 New Zealand film directed by Mark Prebble. It is an anti-romantic comedy filmed in mockumentary style. The movie attracted media attention for the fact that it was largely funded by web donations. Plot A film cre ...

''), New Zealand Film Awards best supporting actor (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) (born 1954). * 13 June – Merilyn Wiseman, potter, Arts Foundation Laureate Award (2007) (born 1941). * 18 June ** Shirlene Colcord, one of the Lawson quintuplets (born 1965). ** Bill Deacon, rugby league player (

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

) (born 1944). **

Shona Dunlop MacTavish Shona Katrine MacTavish (née Dunlop; 12 April 1920 – 18 June 2019) was a New Zealand dancer, teacher, author, choreographer and pioneer in liturgical dance in the Asia-Pacific. She was known as "the mother of modern dance in New Zealand". ...

, dancer (

Bodenwieser Ballet Gertrud Bodenwieser (3 February 1890 – 10 November 1959), also known as "Gertrude", was a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and pioneer of expressive dance. Early life The daughter of Theodore and Maria Bondi, a wealthy Jewish couple ...

), choreographer, and academic (

Silliman University Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private university, private Research institute, research university in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, the Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyte ...

) (born 1920). * 21 June –

Geraldine Harcourt Geraldine Millais Harcourt (25 May 1952 – 21 June 2019) was a New Zealand translator of modern Japanese literature. Early life and education Harcourt was born in Auckland on 25 May 1952. She graduated from the University of Auckland, and firs ...

, Japanese–English translator ( ''Requiem'') (born 1952). * 25 June – Arthur Candy, Olympic (

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

) and British Empire and Commonwealth Games (

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

) cyclist (born 1934). * 30 June –

Jim Gill James Clifford Gill (October 8, 1865 – April 10, 1923) was an American professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the M ...

, cricketer (

) (born 1928).

July

* 4 July – Vernon McArley, cricketer (born 1923) * 6 July –

Denis Pain Denis Blake Pain (7 January 1936 – 6 July 2019) was a New Zealand jurist and sports administrator. He was a judge of the District Court from 1970 to 1990, subsequently serving as deputy director of the Serious Fraud Office. In the 1980s and ...

, jurist, eventing team manager (born 1936) * 9 July –

Heather Nicholson Heather Nicholson is a British animal rights activist.Peachey, Paul (23 August 2014)"Animal rights group ends 15-year campaign against experiments at Huntingdon" ''The Independent. Nicholson set up Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) to clos ...

, geologist, writer (born 1931) * 12 July – Matthew Trundle, classics and ancient history academic (born 1965) * 15 July –

Brian Coote Brian Coote (26 November 1929 – 15 July 2019) was a New Zealand legal academic. He wrote the influential book ''Exception Clauses'', published in 1964, and served as dean of the law faculty at the University of Auckland from 1983 to 1987. Ea ...

, legal academic (born 1929) * 17 July – Warren Cole, rower (born 1940) * 19 July – Shirley Peterson, athlete (born 1928) * 20 July ** Paddy Bassett, agricultural scientist (born 1918) ** Lance Pearson, cricketer, basketball (born 1937) * 21 July – Peter Ramsay, educationalist, daffodil breeder (born 1939) * 23 July –

Ruth Gotlieb Ruth Gotlieb (née Wolman, 16 May 1923 – 23 July 2019) was a local politician in Wellington, New Zealand, serving as a Wellington City Councillor from 1983 to 2001. Biography Early life and career Gotlieb was born in England on 16 May 19 ...

, local-body politician (born 1923) * 29 July –

John Wybrow John Francis William Wybrow (2 April 1928 – 29 July 2019) was a New Zealand politician and diplomat. He was the secretary of the Labour Party and later New Zealand's High Commissioner to Canada. Biography Early life and career Wybrow w ...

, politician, diplomat (born 1928) File:Paddy Bassett 2003 (cropped).jpg, Paddy Bassett File:Ruth Gotlieb (cropped).jpg, Ruth Gotlieb File:John Wybrow.jpg, John Wybrow

August

* 1 August ** Raymond Boyce, stage and costume designer, puppeteer (born 1928) **

Llew Summers Llewelyn Mark Summers (21 July 1947 – 1 August 2019) was a sculptor based in Christchurch, New Zealand, known for his distinctive sculptures of the human form. Biography Born in Christchurch on 21 July 1947, Summers was educated at Linwood Co ...

, sculptor (born 1947) * 2 August **

Stuart O'Connell Stuart France O'Connell (11 May 1935 – 2 August 2019) was the fifth Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga (1996–2011). Early life O'Connell was born on 11 May 1935 in Lower Hutt. He completed his education at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream in 19 ...

, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1935) **

Rob Storey William Robson Storey (16 July 1936 – 2 August 2019), generally known as Rob Storey, was a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1996, representing the National Party. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1984 election as ...

, politician (born 1936) ** Helen Young, radio manager, arts advocate (born 1926) * 3 August – Sir Brian Lochore, rugby union player and coach (born 1940) * 6 August – Rod Coleman, motorcycle road racer (born 1926) * 8 August –

Mazhar Krasniqi Mazhar Shukri Krasniqi (1931–2019) was a New Zealand Muslim and Albanian community leader of Kosovar Albanian descent, businessman and human rights activist. He was both the first president of the New Zealand Albanian Civic League and Federati ...

, Muslim community leader (born 1931) * 11 August – Geoff Malcolm, physical chemist (born 1931) * 15 August – Noel Pope, local-body politician (born 1931) * 16 August –

Bruce Deans Ian Bruce Deans (25 November 1960 – 16 August 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Canterbury during the 1980s and was a key part of the squad for many years. He played for two seasons for New Zealand. He was selected ...

, rugby union player (born 1960) * 21 August – Lawrence Reade, cricketer (born 1930) * 23 August –

Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", whic ...

, Thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 2015) * 25 August **

Sam McGredy Sam McGredy refers to four generations of Northern Irish rose hybridizers. Sam McGredy I founded the family nursery in 1880. Sam McGredy II focused the nursery on roses in 1895. Sam McGredy III took over in 1926, and was the first to name roses ...

, rose hybridiser (born 1932). **

Ian Sinclair Ian McCahon Sinclair (born 10 June 1929) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the National Party from 1984 to 1989. He was a government minister under six prime ministers, and later Speaker of the House of Representative ...

, cricketer (born 1933) * 26 August **

Felix Donnelly Father Felix Cornelius Donnelly (23 November 1929 – 26 August 2019) was a New Zealand priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland. He was well known as a social activist, writer, academic and radio talkback host.''New Zealand Who's Who, A ...

, Roman Catholic priest, social activist, writer, broadcaster (born 1929) **

Ray Henwood Charles Raymond Henwood (15 January 1937 – 26 August 2019) was a Welsh-born New Zealand actor. He was married to district court judge Carolyn Henwood, and was the father of New Zealand comedian Dai Henwood. Born in Swansea, Wales, on 15 ...

, actor (born 1937) **

Pita Paraone Rewiti Pomare Kingi "Pita" Paraone (30 November 1945 – 26 August 2019) was a New Zealand politician and chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board. He was a member of the New Zealand First party. Early life and family Paraone was born on ...

, politician (born 1945) * 27 August –

Tahu Potiki Tahu Potiki (23 December 1966 – 27 August 2019) was a New Zealand Māori leader who served as chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu from 2002 to 2006. Biography Potiki was born in Palmerston to Les and Rona Potiki, and grew up in Kar ...

, Ngāi Tahu leader (born 1966) * 29 August – Don Aickin, obstetrician and gynaecologist (born 1934) * 30 August –

Ken France Kenneth France (22 February 1941 – 30 August 2019) was an association football player who represented New Zealand at international level. France made his full All Whites debut as a substitute in a 3–1 win over Singapore on 8 November 1967 ...

, association footballer (born 1941) File:Brian Lochore ONZ 2018 (cropped).jpg, Sir Brian Lochore File:Mazhar Shukri Krasniqi, Q.S.M. (cropped).jpg, Mazhar Krasniqi File:Professor Geoff Malcolm.jpg, Geoff Malcolm File:1987 LC Old Boys Rugby World Cup (Bruce Deans).tif, Bruce Deans File:Pita Paraone crop.jpg, Pita Paraone File:Tahu Potiki (cropped).jpg, Tahu Potiki

September

* 4 September – Peter Ellis, childcare worker wrongly convicted of child sexual abuse (born 1958) * 7 September – Lawrie Creamer, protein chemist (born 1937) * 8 September –

Ray Hitchcock Raebern Brooks Hitchcock Jr (born June 20, 1965) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, who drafted him in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He played college foot ...

, cricketer, racehorse breeder (born 1929) * 9 September –

Alister Taylor Rupert Alister Halls Taylor (21 September 1943 – 9 September 2019) was an innovative and controversial New Zealand publisher. He published ''The Little Red Schoolbook'' in the 1970s (widely criticised by morals campaigners for its subversive ...

, publisher (born 1943) * 12 September **

Wade Doak Wade Thomas Doak (23 February 1940 – 12 September 2019) was a New Zealand marine conservationist, scuba diver, photographer and filmmaker. Born in Christchurch, Doak was educated at Christchurch Boys' High School from 1954 to 1958. He began d ...

, marine conservationist (born 1940) **

ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Samiuela ʻAkilisi Pōhiva (7 April 1941 – 12 September 2019) was a Tongan pro-democracy activist and politician. Pohiva, the leader of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands (DPFI), served as the Prime Minister of Tonga from 2014 to h ...

, Tongan Prime Minister (born 1941) * 18 September –

Lady Anne Berry Lady Anne Sophia Berry (née Walpole, 11 December 1919 – 18 September 2019) was an English-New Zealand horticulturist who founded Rosemoor Garden. She offered the garden to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1988. In 1990 she married Bob Ber ...

, horticulturalist (born 1919) * 27 September –

Jack Lasenby John Millen Lasenby (9 March 1931 – 27 September 2019), commonly known as Jack Lasenby, was a New Zealand writer. He wrote over 30 books for children and young adults, many of which were shortlisted for or won prizes. He was also the recipient ...

, children's author (born 1931) File:Wade Doak QSM (cropped).jpg, Wade Doak File:Akilisi Pohiva ITU 2016.jpg, ʻAkilisi Pōhiva

October

* 2 October –

Tiny Hill Tiny may refer to: Kane Places * Tiny, Ontario, a township in Canada * Tiny, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * Tiny Glacier, Wyoming, US Computing * Tiny BASIC, a dialect of the computer programming language BASIC * Tiny Encrypti ...

, rugby union player and selector (born 1927) * 7 October –

Harvey Benge Harvey Benge (27 July 1944 – 7 October 2019) was a New Zealand photographer who lived in Auckland and Paris. He exhibited his work in European galleries. Life and work Benge claimed that his photography was inspired by anything that attracted h ...

, photographer (born 1944) * 10 October – Marie Darby, marine biologist (born 1940) * 11 October – Heather Robson, badminton and tennis player (born 1928) * 18 October –

Rom Harré Horace Romano "Rom" Harré (; 18 December 1927 – 17 October 2019), was a New Zealand-British philosopher and psychologist. Biography Harré was born in Āpiti, in northern Manawatu, near Palmerston North, New Zealand, but held British citiz ...

, philosopher (born 1927) * Between 16 and 22 October – Mike McClennan, rugby league player and coach (born 1944) * 28 October – Ken McCracken, rugby league player File:Tiny Hill.jpg, Tiny Hill File:Rom Harre (cropped).jpg, Rom Harré

November

* 2 November –

Ian Cross Ian Robert Cross (6 November 1925 – 2 November 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, journalist and administrator, and contributed significantly to New Zealand letters. His first novel, ''The God Boy'', was released in 1957 to critical acclaim. ...

, writer, journalist, broadcasting executive (born 1925) * 5 November – Ed Dolejs, softball coach (born 1929) * 9 November – Les Downes, cricketer (born 1945) * 16 November –

Nancy Brunning Nancy Brunning (1971 – 16 November 2019) was a New Zealand actress, director, and writer who won awards in film and television and made a major contribution to the growth of Māori in the arts. Brunning was of Māori descent from the tribes of ...

, actress and playwright (born 1971) * 18 November **

Ryan Costello Ryan Anthony Costello (born September 7, 1976) is an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representa ...

, baseball player (born 1996) ** Sandra Easterbrook, netball player (born 1946) * 20 November – Alastair Smith, information science academic (born 1948) * 21 November – Wally Clark, zoologist (born 1927) * 25 November – Bevin Hough, rugby league player, long jumper (born 1929) File:Ryan Costello baseball.jpg, Ryan Costello

December

* 1 December –

Sacred Falls Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. T ...

, Thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 2009) * 3 December –

Arthur Baysting Arthur Baysting (17 April 1947 – 3 December 2019Bourke, C.,Arthur Baysting: Farewell to a champion of NZ music and TV" ''Radio New Zealand'', 3 December 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.) was a New Zealand writer, producer and children's advocat ...

, writer, songwriter, New Zealand music advocate (born 1947) * 5 December –

Rick Bryant Donald Richard Bryant (1948 – 5 December 2019), generally known as Rick Bryant, was a New Zealand blues and rock singer/songwriter. Bands include Rick Bryant and the Jive Bombers, The Jubilation Gospel Choir, and Windy City Strugglers. With ove ...

, musician (born 1948) * 6 December – Jules Mikus, convicted murderer (born 1958) * 8 December ** Joe Moodabe, cinema chain manager (born 1937) ** Tessa Temata, diplomat (born ) * 12 December ** Norman Kingsbury, educational administrator (born 1932) ** Brian Muller, rugby union player (born 1942). ** Sir Peter Snell, athlete (born 1938). * 21 December ** Peter Bartlett, architect and academic (born 1929) **

Sam Strahan Samuel Cuningham Strahan (25 December 1944 – 21 December 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He represented Manawatu at a provincial level, and represented New Zealand in the national team, the All Blacks. Rugby career A lock, Stra ...

, rugby union player (born 1944) * 22 December – Bill Lambert, politician (born 1930) * 29 December – Ken Strongman, psychology academic, book and television reviewer (born 1940) * 31 December – Diana Martin, microbiologist (born 1942) File:Brian Muller.jpg, Brian Muller File:Peter Snell 1964.jpg, Sir Peter Snell File:Gg-investitures-government-house-wellington-sep-2008-sep-2008-martin (cropped).jpg, Diana Martin

References

{{Year in Oceania, 2019 2010s in New Zealand Years of the 21st century 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 ...