1909 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1909 in New Zealand.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Edward VII
 * Governor – The Lord Plunket GCMG KCVO

Government
The 11th New Zealand Parliament commenced.
 * Speaker of the House – Sir Arthur Guinness
 * Prime Minister – Joseph Ward
 * Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward
 * Attorney-General – John Findlay
 * Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Parliamentary opposition
Leader of the Opposition – William Massey (independent until February and thereafter as leader of the Reform Party)

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – Arthur Myers then Charles Grey
 * Mayor of Wellington – Alfred Newman
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Charles Allison
 * Mayor of Dunedin – John McDonald then James Walker

Events

 * 1 January: The Quackery Prevention Act 1908 becomes law, preventing false advertising in relation to ingredients, composition, structure, nature or operation of a medicine.
 * 12 February: Inter-island steamer SS Penguin is wrecked at Cape Terawhiti in Cook Strait with the loss of 75 lives.
 * 14 February: The first North Island Main Trunk passenger express train leaves Auckland for Wellington, an overnight trip scheduled to take 19 hours 15 minutes, with a sleeping car, day cars with reclining seats, postal/parcels vans, and a dining car for part of the way.

Undated

 * The Canterbury (NZ) Aero Club, the first in New Zealand, is formed by George Bolt.

Arts and literature
See 1909 in art, 1909 in literature

Music
See: 1909 in music

Film
See: 1909 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1909 films

Boxing
National amateur champions
 * Heavyweight – M. Ryan (Invercargill)
 * Middleweight – S. Monaghan (Ohakune)
 * Welterweight – G. Watchorn (Palmerston North)
 * Lightweight – J. Finnerty (Invercargill)
 * Featherweight – J. Hagerty (Timaru)
 * Bantamweight – C. Stewart (Timaru)

Chess

 * The 22nd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.K. Kelling of Wellington.

Golf

 * The third New Zealand Open championship was won by J.A. Clements (his second consecutive win).
 * The 17th National Amateur Championships were held in Auckland
 * Men: Arthur Duncan (Wellington) – 6th title
 * Women: Mrs ? Bevan.

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup: Wildwood Junior
 * Auckland Trotting Cup: Havoc

Rugby league
New Zealand national rugby league team

Rugby union

 * Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield only once, beating Taranaki 18-5

Soccer
Provincial league champions:
 * Auckland:	Auckland Corinthians
 * Canterbury:	Burnham Industrial School
 * Otago:	Dunedin City
 * Southland:	Murihiku
 * Taranaki:	Kaponga
 * Wellington:	Wellington Swifts

Tennis

 * Anthony Wilding and Australian Norman Brookes, as the Australasian team, successfully defend the Davis Cup, beating the United States 5–0. The final is held in Sydney.
 * Anthony Wilding wins the men's singles at the Australian Open.

Births

 * 15 April: Jack Watts, politician.
 * 18 April: Tom Skinner, politician, Federation of Labour president.
 * 20 May: Bill Pratney, cyclist.
 * 13 June: Ralph Hanan, politician.
 * 27 July: Charles Brasch, poet and literary editor.
 * 20 August: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
 * 15 September: Jean Batten, aviator.
 * 16 September: Rod MacKenzie, rugby union player
 * 31 October: Frank Bateson, astronomer.
 * 23 December: Don Cleverley, cricketer.

Deaths

 * 14 February: Elsie Dohrmann, scholar, teacher and temperance campaigner
 * 28 April: John Wilson (businessman), businessman and judge
 * 7 August: Arthur Remington, politician
 * 14 August: Samuel Brown, Mayor of Wellington.
 * Maria Sophia Pope, shopkeeper and businesswoman.