1917 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1917 in New Zealand.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – George V
 * Governor – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, until 28 June
 * Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, from 28 June

Government
The 19th New Zealand Parliament continues as a grand coalition led by the Reform Party. The general election due this year is deferred because of World War I.
 * Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
 * Prime Minister – William Massey (Reform Party)
 * Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward (Liberal Party). Ward retains the title even though he is part of the coalition government.

Judiciary

 * Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
 * Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Holland
 * Mayor of Dunedin – James Clark

Events

 * April – The first Caudron biplane purchased by Henry Wigram for the Canterbury Aviation Company arrives.
 * 1 May – The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) is formed as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
 * 7 May – Cecil McKenzie Hill makes the first flight for the Canterbury Aviation Company.
 * June – Pilot training by the Canterbury Aviation Company commences at Sockburn.
 * 24 September – Ten New Zealand soldiers are killed in England in the Bere Ferrers rail accident.
 * 20 October – 850 New Zealand soldiers are killed in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the greatest loss of life in a single day in the military history of New Zealand.
 * 1 December – Six o’clock closing of hotel bars is introduced as a wartime measure.
 * Undated
 * "Extraordinary and continuous rainfall" throughout the year causes "enormous damage to roads and bridges", and "the country became waterlogged", according to the Public Works Statement.
 * The West Coast Times, established in 1865, is merged into the Hokitika Guardian and Star.

Arts and literature
See 1917 in art, 1917 in literature, Category:1917 books

Music
See: 1917 in music

Film
See: Category:1917 film awards, 1917 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1917 films

Golf

 * The New Zealand Open championship and National Amateur Championships are not held due to the war.

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup – Adelaide Direct
 * Auckland Trotting Cup – Steel Bell (2nd win)

Thoroughbred racing

 * New Zealand Cup – Meelaus
 * Auckland Cup – Fiery Cross
 * Wellington Cup – Bunting
 * New Zealand Derby – Estland

Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Wellington.
 * Men's singles champion – C.R. Ingram (Wellington Bowling Club)
 * Men's pair champions – A. Sawyer, J.J. Martin (skip) (Turanganui Bowling Club)
 * Men's fours champions – J.S. Ryrie, A.R. Coltman, W. Coltman, G.S. Osmond (skip) (Auckland Bowling Club)

Rugby union

 * The Ranfurly Shield (held by ) is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

Soccer

 * Provincial league champions:
 * Auckland – Brotherhood
 * Canterbury – Linwood
 * Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
 * Otago – Northern
 * Southland – No competition
 * Wanganui – No competition
 * Wellington – No competition

January

 * 13 January – Doris Strachan, athlete
 * 19 January – Agnes Ell, cricketer
 * 20 January – Emily Carpenter, home science academic, adult educationalist, consumer advocate
 * 25 January – Rosalie Gascoigne, sculptor
 * 27 January – John Pattison, World War II pilot
 * 28 January – Jack Hatchard, association footballer
 * 31 January
 * Erich Geiringer, writer, doctor, anti-nuclear weapons activist
 * Frank Gill, air force officer, politician

February

 * 19 February
 * Morrie McHugh, boxer, rugby union player
 * Peg Taylor, cricketer
 * 26 February – Clyde Jeffery, politician, mayor of Napier (1974–83)

March

 * 1 March – Bill Sutton, artist
 * 9 March – Clarrie Gordon, boxer
 * 10 March – Tom Pritchard, cricketer
 * 20 March – Haddon Donald, soldier, politician, sports shooter
 * 22 March – Phil Holloway, politician
 * 26 March – Ruth Gilbert, poet

April

 * 13 April – Bruce Ferguson, soldier
 * 18 April – Brian Mason, geochemistry, mineralogist, meteoriticist

May

 * 6 May – Roy Scott, cricketer
 * 21 May – Margaret Milne, potter
 * 22 May – Charlie Munro, jazz musician

June

 * 10 June – Jack Henry, industrialist
 * 11 June – Tom Davis, Cook Islands politician
 * 25 June – Nora Crawford, police officer

July

 * 1 July – Maurice Carter, property developer, politician, philanthropist
 * 6 July – Arthur Lydiard, runner, athletics coach
 * 7 July – John Crichton, furniture and interior designer
 * 13 July – Frank Carpay, ceramics, textile and graphic designer
 * 14 July – Doug Zohrab, public servant, diplomat
 * 19 July – Lewis Johnston, cricket umpire
 * 21 July – Jock Newall, association footballer
 * 23 July – Douglas Goodfellow, businessman, philanthropist
 * 27 July – Ron Meek. economist and social scientist
 * 31 July – Derek Ward, World War II pilot

August

 * 1 August – Esme Tombleson, politician
 * 3 August – Eddie Isbey, politician
 * 7 August – Arthur Cresswell, cricketer
 * 24 August – Ruth Park, writer

September

 * 2 September – Jack Scholes, sailor
 * 6 September – Cecil Hight, World War II pilot
 * 7 September – Ewen Solon, actor
 * 16 September – David Lewis, sailor, Polynesian scholar
 * 23 September – Wiremu Te Tau Huata, Anglican priest, military chaplain
 * 26 September – James Coe, artist, art teacher, industrial designer, ergonomist
 * 30 September – Denis Rogers, politician, mayor of Hamilton (1959–68)

October

 * 2 October – Rosaleen Norton, artist, occultist
 * 17 October
 * Martin Donnelly, cricketer, rugby union player
 * John Oswald Sanders, missionary
 * 18 October – Roy White, rugby union player
 * 31 October – Evan Mackie, World War II pilot

November

 * 6 November – Henry Walters, cricketer
 * 17 November – Tom Larkin, public servant, diplomat
 * 25 November – Paul Beadle, sculptor, medallist

December

 * 2 December – Betty Batham, marine biologist
 * 7 December – Bert Roth, librarian, historian
 * 8 December – Alan Stewart, rugby union player, university administrator
 * 11 December – Owen Snedden, Roman Catholic bishop
 * 12 December – Alan Deere, military pilot, author
 * 13 December – Keith Hay, construction company founder, politician, conservative activist
 * 24 December – Ronald Triner, road cyclist

January–February

 * 3 February – Robert McNab, politician (born 1864)
 * 17 February
 * Graham Gow, government trade representative (born 1850)
 * Sir George McLean, politician (born 1834)
 * 22 February – Hugh Murray-Aynsley, politician (born 1828)

March–April

 * 6 March
 * Tame Parata, politician (born c. 1837)
 * William Salmond, Presbyterian minister, theologian (born 1835)
 * 11 March – William Hosking, doctor (born 1841)
 * 13 March – Percy Dix, vaudeville company manager (born 1866)
 * 27 March – Joseph Braithwaite, bookseller, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1905–06) (born 1848)
 * 30 March – Ferdinand Holm, mariner, ship owner (born 1844)
 * 23 April – Robert Bruce, politician, conservationist (born 1843)

May–June

 * 2 May – Alfred Lee Smith, politician (born 1838)
 * 7 June
 * Bill Bussell, rugby league player (born 1887)
 * George Sellars, rugby union player (born 1886)
 * 8 June
 * George Bollinger, soldier, diarist (born 1890)
 * Charles Henry Brown, military leader (born 1872)
 * Thomas Culling, World War I flying ace (born 1896)
 * 20 June – Reg Taylor, rugby union player (born 1889)
 * 22 June – John Lecky, rugby union player (born 1863)

July–August

 * 8 July – Alexander McKay, geologist (born 1841)
 * 14 July
 * Robert Batley, storekeeper, sheep farmer (born 1849)
 * Alexander Bruce, politician (born c. 1839)
 * 15 July – Bill Mackrell, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1881)
 * 23 July – James Gore, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1881–82) (born 1834)
 * 27 July – Arthur Brown, Mayor of Wellington
 * 30 July – William Baldwin, politician (born 1836)
 * 31 July – William Henry Dillon Bell, politician (born 1884)
 * 4 August
 * Purakau Maika, newspaper editor and publisher (born c. 1852)
 * Cecil Perry, cricketer (born 1846)
 * 5 August – Don Buck, gum digger (born c. 1869)
 * 6 August – Charles James, rugby league player (born 1891)
 * 7 August – Francis Earl Johnston, army officer (born 1871)
 * 14 August – William Sanders, naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1883)
 * 24 August – Alfred Kidd, politician, mayor of Auckland (1901–03) (born 1851)
 * 26 August – William Lane, journalist, utopian (born 1861)

September–October

 * 4 October – Dave Gallaher. rugby union player (born 1873)
 * 6 October – John Davies Ormond, politician (born 1831)
 * 12 October
 * Henry Du Vall, rugby league player (born 1886)
 * George Augustus King, military officer (born 1885)
 * 20 October – Elise Kemp, nurse (born 1881)
 * 22 October – Bob Fitzsimmons, boxer (born 1863)
 * 27 October – William Beehan, politician (born 1853)

November–December

 * 10 November – Charles King, cricketer (born 1847)
 * 13 November – Cecil Fitzroy, politician, mayor of Hastings (1894–99) (born 1844)
 * 15 November – Frank Twisleton, soldier, writer (born 1873)
 * 29 November – Ellen Greenwood, schoolteacher, social worker (born 1837)
 * 12 December – Sir Charles Bowen, politician (born 1830)
 * 14 December – George Wilson, cricketer (born 1887)
 * 23 December – Clive Franklyn Collett, World War I flying ace (born 1886)