1874 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1874 in New Zealand.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State — Queen Victoria
 * Governor — The Rt. Hon Sir James Fergusson resigns and is replaced by The Marquess of Normanby

Government and law
The 5th New Zealand Parliament continues.


 * Speaker of the House — Sir Francis Dillon Bell
 * Premier — Julius Vogel.
 * Minister of Finance — Julius Vogel
 * Chief Justice — Hon Sir George Arney

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland — Philip Philips followed by Henry Isaacs followed by Frederick Prime
 * Mayor of Christchurch — Michael Brennan Hart followed by Fred Hobbs
 * Mayor of Dunedin — Henry Fish followed by Andrew Mercer
 * Mayor of Wellington — Charles Borlase

Events

 * 1 January: Wreck of the Surat, carrying 271 passengers and 37 crew, on the Catlins coast. All survived.
 * 5 January: The Poverty Bay Herald begins publishing in Gisborne. It is initially bi-weekly. The paper changed its name to The Gisborne Herald in 1939, and continues to publish as a daily.
 * 15 January: The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, first published in 1842, produces its last issue.
 * 30 June: The Wellington Independent publishes its final issue, and is replaced by The New Zealand Times. The newspaper started in 1845.
 * 18 November: Fire and sinking of the Cospatrick carrying emigrants to New Zealand near the Cape of Good Hope; one of New Zealand's worst disasters as only three of the 472 on board survived.
 * The Marlborough Times begins publication bi-weekly, and absorbs The Marlborough News. It became a daily in 1882. The Marlborough Express bought it in 1895 and closed it in 1905.
 * The Marine Department employs Capt. B.A. Edwin to provide weather maps and forecasts to ships, establishing New Zealand's first weather service.

Horse racing

 * 25 May — Recorded by some sources as the date of first race meeting at Ellerslie.(see also 1857)
 * The Auckland Cup is established at Ellerslie Racecourse.
 * The Wellington Cup becomes an annual race. The first winner of which evidence survives is recorded.

Major race winners

 * New Zealand Cup: Tambourini
 * New Zealand Derby: Tadmor
 * Auckland Cup: Templeton
 * Wellington Cup: Castaway

Rugby union

 * Rugby union spreads quickly, with many new clubs being formed: Ngāruawāhia, Hamilton, Cambridge, New Plymouth (Taranaki club) Hawera (Egmont club), Parnell, Grafton, Ponsonby, and Mount Hobson. Rugby was also taken up at Auckland College and Auckland Grammar School.

Shooting
Ballinger Belt: Captain Skinner (Waiuku Rifles)

Births

 * 8 February: Edmund Anscombe, architect.
 * 20 September: George Smith, athlete and rugby player.

Deaths

 * 22 April: Thomas Brunner, surveyor and explorer.