2010 in New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Regal and Vice Regal

Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

- Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
Monarchy in New Zealand
The monarchy of New Zealand also referred to as The Crown in Right of New Zealand, Her Majesty in Right of New Zealand, or The Queen in Right of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of the Realm of New Zealand,...
Governor-General
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

- The Hon Anand Satyanand
Anand Satyanand
Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ was the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.-Early life and family:...

PCNZM
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...

QSO
Queen's Service Order
The Queen's Service Order was established by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, awarded by the government of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or...

Government

2010 is the second full year of the 49th Parliament

49th New Zealand Parliament

The 49th New Zealand Parliament was elected at the 2008 election. It consists of 122 members, including an overhang of two seats caused by the Māori Party having won two more electorate seats than its share of the party vote would otherwise have given it. The Parliament will serve from 2008 until...

Speaker of the House
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...

- Lockwood Smith
Lockwood Smith
Alexander Lockwood Smith is a New Zealand politician, the 28th and current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Smith is a member of the New Zealand National Party, who has served as a Member of Parliament since 1984...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...

- John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power....

- Bill English
Bill English
Simon William "Bill" English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure of New Zealand.English entered parliament in 1990 as a National party MP representing the Wallace electorate...
Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (New Zealand)
The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....

- Bill English
Bill English
Simon William "Bill" English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure of New Zealand.English entered parliament in 1990 as a National party MP representing the Wallace electorate...
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...

- Murray McCully
Murray McCully
Murray Stuart McCully is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the National Party, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for the Rugby World Cup.-Early life:...

Other party leaders

Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....

- Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...

(Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
Act - Rodney Hide
Rodney Hide
Rodney Hide is a New Zealand politician who was leader of the political party ACT New Zealand from 2004 to 2011. From 2005 to 2011 he represented the electorate of Epsom as its Member of Parliament. Rodney Hide was Minister of Local Government, Associate Minister of Commerce and Minister of...

, since 13 June 2004
Greens
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

- Metiria Turei
Metiria Turei
Metiria Leanne Agnes Stanton Turei is a New Zealand member of Parliament and the female co-leader of the Green Party. she is the Green Party spokesperson on Social Equity, Electoral Reform, Māori and Treaty Issues, Housing and Children....

(since 30 May 2009) and Russel Norman
Russel Norman
Dr Russel William Norman is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. He is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of the Green Party alongside Metiria Turei.- Early life :...

(since 3 June 2006)
Māori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

- Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia is a New Zealand politician. She gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy, and eventually broke with her party as a result...

and Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland
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...

- John Banks
John Banks (New Zealand)
John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO is a New Zealand politician. He served as Mayor of Auckland City for two terms, from 2001 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2010...

since October 2007, followed by Len Brown
Len Brown
Len Brown is the Mayor of Auckland in New Zealand and the head of the Auckland Council. He won the 2010 Auckland mayoral election on 9 October 2010 and was sworn in as Mayor of Auckland on 1 November 2010, being the first to hold that title for the amalgamated Auckland 'Super City'...

for the Auckland super city
Auckland Council
The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...
Mayor of Tauranga
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. The Mayor is directly elected, using the First Past the Post system in 2007....

- Stuart Crosby
Stuart Crosby
Stuart Crosby is the current Mayor of the city of Tauranga, New Zealand.He officially assumed office on 9 October 2004, and has been re-elected to mayor and has served two terms.-References:...

, since October 2004
Mayor of Hamilton
Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand
The Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand is the head of the municipal government of Hamilton, New Zealand, and presides over the Hamilton City Council.In the 2010 Local Government elections, Julie Hardaker was elected as mayor, defeating incumbent Bob Simcock....

- Bob Simcock
Bob Simcock
Robert Simcock is a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament and then Mayor of Hamilton.-Early career:Simcock attended St John's College before graduating from the University of Waikato with a M Soc Sci ....

since May 2007, followed by Julie Hardaker
Julie Hardaker
Julie Hardaker is the Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand. Born in New Zealand, she was self-employed in Australia in the 1980s. After graduating from the University of Waikato, she joined the Hamilton law firm McCaw Lewis Chapman and eventually became a partner and held senior management roles. She...

in October 2010
Mayor of Wellington
Mayor of Wellington
The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, New Zealand, and presides over the Wellington City Council. The Mayor of Wellington administers only Wellington City itself — other municipalities in adjacent areas of the Wellington Region such as Lower Hutt, Upper...

- Kerry Prendergast
Kerry Prendergast
Kerry Leigh Prendergast, CNZM was the 33rd Mayor of Wellington . She was the second woman to serve as Mayor of Wellington, succeeding Mark Blumsky.-Before politics:...

since October 2001, followed by Celia Wade-Brown
Celia Wade-Brown
Celia Wade-Brown is the 34th and current Mayor of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She is the third woman to fill that role, replacing centre-right Kerry Prendergast. She is the second Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand mayor of a major New Zealand city, after Dunedin's Sukhi Turner...

in October 2010
Mayor of Christchurch
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...

- Bob Parker, since October 2007
Mayor of Dunedin
Mayor of Dunedin
The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the municipal government of Dunedin, New Zealand, and presides over the Dunedin City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the Single Transferable Vote system in 2007....

- Peter Chin
Peter Chin (mayor)
Peter Wing Ho Chin CNZM is a lawyer and was the 56th Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand. He served two terms as Mayor from 2004 to 2010....

succeeded by Dave Cull
Dave Cull
David Charles "Dave" Cull, QSO JP is the mayor of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. He became the 57th Mayor of Dunedin in October 2010.-Early life and career before politics:...

Events

17–19 January: Prince William of Wales visits New Zealand, and represents The Queen officially for the first time by opening the new Supreme Court building in Wellington.
25 April: Three members of the air force are killed when their Iroquois helicopter crashes on the way to Wellington for Anzac day commemorations.
4 August: Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell becomes the first New Zealand fatality of the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

after his convoy is attacked.

September

4 September: The 7.1 magnitude 2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....

causes widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in Christchurch.
4 September: All nine passengers on board are killed in a Fletcher FU24 crash, the worst aircraft crash in New Zealand in 17 years.
17 September: MP and Corrections Minister David Garrett
David Garrett (politician)
David Garrett is a former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He entered parliament at the 2008 general election as a list MP for ACT New Zealand, having been ranked fifth on that party's list. He was ACT's spokesman on law and order until he resigned from the party on 17 September...

resigns from the ACT party caucus after revelations that in 1984 he obtained a false passport using details of a deceased child.
17–22 September: A "storm the size of Australia" passes to the south of New Zealand bringing snow, rain, gales, tornadoes and causing widespread damage - 72,000 homes lost power, a the roof of a stadium collapsed under snow load in Invercargill and numerous roads are closed.

October

1 October: The largest reform in the tax system since the 1980s takes effect: GST
Goods and Services Tax (New Zealand)
Goods and Services Tax is a value added tax introduced in New Zealand on 1 October 1986 at 10%. It later increased to 12.5% on 1 July 1989 and was further increased to 15% on 1 October 2010....

is raised to 15%, company tax rates drop from 30% to 28%, and the top tax bracket falls from 38% to 33%.
5 October: Breakfast broadcaster Paul Henry is suspended by TVNZ after questioning if New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's ethnic minority Governor-General
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

Anand Satyanand
Anand Satyanand
Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ was the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.-Early life and family:...

, is a proper New Zealander. On 7 October Henry is embroiled in further controversy as his mockery of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
Sheila Dikshit
Sheila Dikshit is the Chief Minister of Delhi. She is from the Indian National Congress. Dikshit was sworn in as the Chief Minister for a third consecutive term of the Government of Delhi state in January 2009 after pulling a victory in November 2008 state elections...

is declared "racist" and "unacceptable" and New Zealand's ambassador to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

is summoned for a dressing down. Henry resigns from TVNZ on 10 October.
9 October: Elections
New Zealand local elections, 2010
The 2010 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select local government officials and district health board members. All elections are conducted by postal ballot, with election day being Saturday 9 October 2010.Elected were:...

held for all of New Zealand's city, district
Territorial authorities of New Zealand
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council...

and regional councils
Regions of New Zealand
The region is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Eleven are governed by an elected regional council, while five are governed by territorial authorities which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities...

, and all District Health Boards
District Health Board (New Zealand)
District Health Boards in New Zealand are organisations established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, responsible for ensuring the provision of health and disability services to populations within a defined geographical area. They have existed since 1 January 2001 when the ...

.
27 October: After crisis talks with Warner Bros executives, Prime Minister John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

announces the $670 million project to film The Hobbit will go ahead in New Zealand. Acting unions had threatened to boycott the movies, leading Warner Bros and New Line to consider taking the production elsewhere.

November

19 November: A gas explosion in the Pike River coal mine traps 29 workers underground.
20 November: Labour candidate Kris Faafoi
Kris Faafoi
Kris Faafoi is a New Zealand politician for the Labour Party. He represents the Mana electorate in the New Zealand Parliament.-Early life and family:...

wins the 2010 Mana by-election
Mana by-election, 2010
A by-election was held in the New Zealand electorate of Mana on 20 November 2010. The seat was vacated by former Labour Pacific Island Affairs Minister Winnie Laban, who announced her resignation from the New Zealand Parliament on 10 August 2010 following her appointment as Assistant Vice...

Holidays and observances

6 February - Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day commemorates a significant day in the history of New Zealand. It is a public holiday held each year on 6 February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840.-History:...
25 April - ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
2 June - Queen's Birthday Monday
5 June - Matariki
Matariki
In the Māori language Matariki is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and also of the season of its first rising in late May or early June - taken as the beginning of the new year...
27 October - Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...

New Zealander of the year

The inaugural awards take place.

New Zealander of the Year: Ray Avery
Ray Avery (New Zealand scientist)
Sir Raymond "Ray" John Avery, GNZM is a New Zealand scientist who won New Zealander of the Year award for his invention of technology to produce low cost intraocular lenses....
Senior New Zealander of the Year Sir: Eion Edgar
Young New Zealander of the Year: Divya Dhar
Divya Dhar
Divya Dhar is a Doctor and the CEO of the P3 Foundation . She has been awarded the inaugural Young New Zealander of the Year award 2010 and inaugural Indian New Zealander of the Year award 2011 .-P3 Foundation:...
Community of the Year: Victory Village
Local Hero: Haami (Sam) Tutu Chapman

Thoroughbred racing

Rowing
Rowing New Zealand
Rowing New Zealand is sport governing body for rowing in New Zealand. Its purpose is to provide leadership and support to enable an environment of success for the New Zealand rowing community. This includes secondary schools, clubs, masters, universities and high performance.Rowing New Zealand was...

The 2010 World Rowing Championships

2010 World Rowing Championships

The 39th 2010 World Rowing Championships were held at Lake Karapiro, near Cambridge, New Zealand between October 29 – November 7. The annual week-long rowing regatta was organised by FISA . Usually held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer, they were held later in the year in the southern...

will be held at Lake Karapiro

Lake Karapiro

Lake Karapiro is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. The lake, near Cambridge and some south-east of the city of Hamilton, was created in 1947 to store water for the Karapiro Power Station, the last of the eight hydroelectric power stations on the...

, near Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

between 29 October – 7 November.

Rugby league
Rugby league in New Zealand
Rugby league in New Zealand dates back to the very beginning of the sport in England. It is today a popular team sport played in New Zealand with participation and interest considered to be concentrated in the Auckland region. There are around 22,000 registered rugby league players in New...

New Zealand co-hosted the 2010 Four Nations
2010 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand in October and November 2010. The tournament was the second time the Four Nations had been held, following on from the 2009 edition held in England and France....

and also won the tournament, defeating Australia in the final at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...

.
The New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...

finished fifth in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...

, before being eliminated in the first round of the play-offs. The Junior Warriors won the Toyota Cup.
Auckland
Auckland rugby league team
The Auckland rugby league team is the team which traditionally represents all of the clubs which play in the Auckland Rugby League competition. The Auckland Rugby League team has traditionally been a powerhouse of New Zealand domestic rugby league...

won the Albert Baskerville Trophy, defeating Counties Manukau
Counties Manukau rugby league team
The Counties Manukau rugby league team represents the Counties Manukau zone in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. Previously, teams representing Counties Manukau have competed in the Lion Red Cup and Bartercard Cup. They are nicknamed the Stingrays...

in the final.

Soccer
Soccer in New Zealand
Association football, also known as football or soccer, is a popular recreation sport in New Zealand. The sport is administered in New Zealand by the governing body New Zealand Football ....

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

finals in South Africa, New Zealand finish third in their pool after achieving three draws: 1-1 vs Slovakia, 1-1 vs Italy and 0-0 vs Paraguay.

Deaths

28 March: Sir Gaven Donne
Gaven Donne
Sir Gaven John Donne, KBE, was a New Zealand-born former Chief Justice of Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu....

, jurist, former Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...

of various Pacific nations
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....

(born 1914
1914 in New Zealand
New Zealand showed no hesitation in emulating Britain's declaration of war on Germany and entering World War I. New Zealand troops became the first to occupy German territory when they took over Samoa in November.-Regal and Vice Regal:...

)
20 May: Hugh Morris
Hugh Morris (businessman)
Hugh Morris was a New Zealand businessman who founded McDonald’s New Zealand in 1976.Morris founded the first McDonald's in New Zealand in 1976. He established the company with the aid of several business partners, including Lionel Whitehead, Gary Lloydd, Ray Stonelake, and his brother, Wally...

, founder of McDonald’s New Zealand
30 May: Dame Pat Evison
Pat Evison
Dame Helen June Patricia Evison, DBE , known as Pat Evison, was a New Zealand actress.-Early life and education:...

, actress
31 May: Merata Mita
Merata Mita
Merata Mita, CNZM was a significant filmmaker in New Zealand as well as a key figure in the growth of the Māori screen industry. Mita was from the Māori tribes of Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāi Te Rangi.-Background:...

, filmmaker
1 August: Eric Tindill
Eric Tindill
Eric William Thomas Tindill was a New Zealand sportsman. Tindill held a number of unique records: he was the oldest ever Test cricketer at the time of his death, the only person to play Tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby union , and the only person ever to play Tests in both sports,...

, cricketer and rugby player
11 August: Sir Ron Trotter, businessman
17 August: Koro Dewes
Koro Dewes
Te Kapunga Matemoana "Koro" Dewes was a kaumatua of the Ngāti Porou iwi of New Zealand. He was a pioneer of Māori education and an advocate for the Māori language....

, Ngāti Porou kaumatua and Māori language advocate
9 November: John Jerome Cunneen
John Jerome Cunneen
John Jerome Cunneen was a New Zealand prelate who served as the eighth Bishop of Christchurch from 1995 until 2007. He was succeeded as Bishop by Barry Philip Jones.-Death:Cunneen died on 9 November 2010 at the age of 78...

, eighth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
The Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. Its cathedral and see city are located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand...
15 December: Tom Newnham
Tom Newnham
Thomas Oliver "Tom" Newnham QSO was a New Zealand political activist and former educationalist. He was involved in several left wing causes: attacking institutional racism in New Zealand, and opposing the 1981 Springbok Tour and apartheid in general .He spoke Cantonese and Mandarin fluently after...

, political activist and former educationalist
31 December: Syd Ward
Syd Ward
Sydney William "Syd" Ward was an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. Ward was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace...

, cricketer