1875 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1875 in New Zealand.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State — Queen Victoria
 * Governor — The Marquess of Normanby

Government and law
The 1875 general election begins on 29 December but does not finish until 4 January the following year. The election marks the end of the 5th New Zealand Parliament.


 * Speaker of the House — The sitting Speaker, Sir Francis Dillon Bell, does not stand in the 1875 election at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Sir William Fitzherbet in 1876.
 * Premier — Daniel Pollen becomes Premier on 6 July replacing Julius Vogel.
 * Minister of Finance — Harry Atkinson takes over from Julius Vogel on 6 July.
 * Chief Justice — Hon Sir George Arney retires and is replaced on 1 April by Hon Sir James Prendergast

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland — Frederick Prime followed by Benjamin Tonks
 * Mayor of Christchurch — Fred Hobbs
 * Mayor of Dunedin — Andrew Mercer followed by Keith Ramsay
 * Mayor of Wellington — William Sefton Moorhouse

Events

 * Contract let for construction of the Rimutaka Incline railway using the Fell system.

Athletics
The first club in the country, the Wellington Amateur Athletic Club, holds its first meeting.

Cricket
The Wellington Cricket Association is formed.

Horse racing

 * New Zealand Cup winner: Nectar
 * New Zealand Derby winner: Daniel O’Rourke
 * Auckland Cup winner: Kingfisher
 * Wellington Cup winner: Tambourini


 * see also Category:Horse races in New Zealand.

Rugby union

 * Rugby union begins in Timaru, Temuka, Blenheim, Picton, Greymouth (with the formation of new clubs) and Napier where the club formed in 1874 adopted rugby rules.
 * A combined Auckland clubs team toured Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and New Plymouth. They lost all matches, despite some of their opposition having only learned rugby rules for a few weeks in preparation for the tour – the Christchurch and Dunedin clubs had primarily been playing football (soccer).

Shooting
Ballinger Belt: Lieutenant Skinner (Auckland)

Births

 * 19 January: Ethel Benjamin, first female lawyer in NZ.
 * 23 March: Alexander Young, politician.
 * 6 June: William Polson, politician.
 * 16 June: Richard Lawson, teacher, university professor and educationalist.
 * 25 July: Elsie Dohrmann, scholar, teacher and temperance campaigner
 * 7 November: Frank Milner, headmaster and educationalist.

Unknown date

 * John Robertson, politician.

Deaths

 * 15 March: William Turnbull Swan, politician (born 1828)
 * 29 May: James Mackay, politician (born 1804).
 * 31 July: Thomas Beckham, politician (born 1810)
 * 8 August: William Tolmie, politician (born 1833).
 * 12 August: John Parkin Taylor, politician (born 1812).
 * 17 October: Archibald Clark, politician (born 1805).
 * 23 December: Felix Wakefield, colonist (born 1807)