1920 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1920 in New Zealand.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – George V
 * Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool until 7 July, then John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe from 27 September

Government
The 20th New Zealand Parliament commences, with the Reform Party in Government


 * Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
 * Prime Minister – William Massey
 * Minister of Finance – James Allen until 28 April, then William Massey from 12 May
 * Minister of External Affairs – James Allen until 28 April, then Ernest Lee from 17 May

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition – William MacDonald (Liberal Party) until his death on 31 August, then Thomas Wilford

Judiciary

 * Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
 * Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Thacker
 * Mayor of Dunedin – William Begg

Events

 * 1 May – The Colonist, established in 1857, publishes its final issue, and is incorporated into The Nelson Evening Mail.
 * 25 August – Captain Euan Dickson makes the first aerial crossing of Cook Strait, from Christchurch to Upper Hutt, in an Avro 504K.

Arts and literature
See 1920 in art, 1920 in literature, Category:1920 books

Music
See: 1920 in music

Film
See: Category:1920 film awards, 1920 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1920 films

Chess

 * The 29th National Chess Championship, held in Wellington, is won by W. E. Mason of Wellington, his fifth title.

Cricket

 * Plunket Shield

Football

 * Provincial league champions:
 * Auckland – YMCA
 * Canterbury – Nomads
 * Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
 * Otago – Kaitangata FC
 * Southland – No competition
 * Wanganui – Eastbrooke
 * Wellington – Wellington Thistle

Golf

 * The 10th New Zealand Open championship is won by J. H. Kirkwood
 * The 24th National Amateur Championships are held in Hamilton:
 * Men – Sloan Morpeth (Hamilton)
 * Women – N. E. Wright (her second title)

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup – Reta Peter
 * Auckland Trotting Cup – Man O'War

Thoroughbred racing

 * New Zealand Cup – Oratress
 * Auckland Cup – Starland
 * Wellington Cup – Kilmoon / Oratress (dead heat)
 * New Zealand Derby – Duo

Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.
 * Men's singles champion – E. Harraway (Dunedin Bowling Club)
 * Men's pair champions – J. Turnbull, W. Spiller (skip) (Sydenham Bowling Club)
 * Men's fours champions – H. Brookfield, F.L. Anderson, H.F. Tilley, A.P. London (skip) (Wanganui Bowling Club)

Olympic games

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 * New Zealand sends a team of four competitors across three sports
 * Darcy Hadfield wins the bronze medal in the men's single sculls
 * New Zealand also competes at the Inter-Allied Games held in Paris

Rugby league

 * The Great Britain Lions tour New Zealand, winning the test series 3–0
 * 1st test, at Wellington, 23–10
 * 2nd test, at Christchurch, 19–3
 * 3rd test, at Auckland, 31–7

Rugby union

 * The All Blacks tour New South Wales
 * defends the Ranfurly Shield 10 times before losing it to :
 * vs 15–3
 * vs 22–3
 * vs 20–9 (played in Hāwera)
 * vs 20–5
 * vs 23–20 (played in Auckland)
 * vs Taranaki 16–5
 * vs 20–14
 * vs Auckland 20–3
 * vs 32–16 (played in Timaru)
 * vs 16–5 (played in Dunedin)
 * vs Southland 6–17 (played in Invercargill)

January–March

 * 1 January – Ruth Ross, historian
 * 4 January – Murray Gittos, fencer
 * 6 January – Winifred Lawrence, swimmer
 * 11 January – Betty Plant, netball player, coach and administrator
 * 14 January – Don Beard, cricketer
 * 24 January –
 * Len Jordan, rugby league player
 * Gerard Wall, surgeon and politician
 * 26 January – Tapihana Paraire Paikea, politician
 * 29 January – Bob Yule, fighter pilot
 * 9 February – Fred Allen, rugby union player and coach
 * 17 February – Dorothea Anne Franchi, pianist, harpist, music educator and composer
 * 29 February – Mary Sullivan, netball player
 * 9 March – Diggeress Te Kanawa, tohunga raranga
 * 23 March – Peter Quilliam, jurist

April–June

 * 2 April – David Gay, soldier, cricketer and educator
 * 4 April – Jim Kearney, rugby union player
 * 5 April – Pat Ralph, marine biology academic
 * 12 April – Shona Dunlop MacTavish, dancer, choreographer
 * 14 April – John Chewings, politician
 * 23 April – Colin Horsley, classical pianist and music teacher
 * 26 April – Joyce McDougall, psychoanalyst
 * 17 May – Frank Corner, diplomat
 * 18 May – Molly Macalister, sculptor
 * 19 May – Frank Tredrea, cyclist
 * 26 May
 * Frank Bethwaite, pilot, boat designer
 * Merimeri Penfold, Māori language academic
 * 4 June – Bev Malcolm, netball player
 * 8 June – Manahi Nitama Paewai, doctor, rugby union player, politician and community leader
 * 20 June – John O'Shea, filmmaker
 * 28 June – Kōhine Pōnika, composer of waiata Māori

July–September

 * 10 July – Warwick Snedden, cricketer
 * 11 July – Richard Dell, malacologist
 * 9 August – Albert Jones, amateur astronomer
 * 29 August
 * Eric Batchelor, soldier
 * Jack Laird, potter
 * 3 September – Peter de la Mare, physical organic chemist
 * 9 September – Joan Francis, cricketer
 * 10 September – Russell Pettigrew, businessman and philanthropist
 * 24 September – Alister Abernethy, trade unionist, politician and public servant
 * 30 September
 * Margaret Alington, librarian and historian
 * Trevor Horne, politician

October–December

 * 6 October – Hugh Sheridan, boxer
 * 7 October – James Brodie, geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist
 * 8 October – Jean Wishart, magazine editor
 * 24 October – Ron Westerby, rugby league player
 * 28 October
 * Peggy Dunstan, poet, writer
 * Bob Stuart, rugby player and administrator
 * 1 November – Harry Dansey, journalist, cartoonist, broadcaster, politician and race relations conciliator
 * 9 November – John Macdonald, forensic psychiatrist
 * 16 November – Ronald Davison, jurist
 * 11 December – Gus Fisher, fashion industry leader and philanthropist
 * 15 December – Peg Batty, cricketer
 * 27 December – Warren Freer, politician
 * 28 December – Marty McDonnell, Australian rules footballer

Exact date unknown

 * Entreaty, Thoroughbred racehorse

January–March

 * 5 January – Walter Gudgeon, farmer, soldier, historian, land court judge, colonial administrator (born 1841)
 * 15 January – Richard Cockburn Maclaurin, mathematical physics academic (born 1870)
 * 24 January – William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket, Governor of New Zealand (1904–1910) (born 1864)
 * 27 January – William Fitzgerald, teacher, educationalist (born 1838)
 * 29 January – Constance Frost, doctor, bacteriologist, pathologist (born c. 1863)
 * 3 March – George Vesey Stewart, politician (born 1832)

April–June

 * 10 April – Courtney Nedwill, doctor, public health officer (born 1837)
 * 21 April – Jesse Piper, politician (born 1836)
 * 26 April
 * George Robertson, rugby union player (born 1859)
 * George Hogben, educationalist, seismologist (born 1853)
 * 2 May – A. L. Beattie, locomotive designer/engineer (born 1852)
 * 6 May – James Black, cricketer (born 1873)
 * 13 May – Fred Hobbs, politician (born 1841)
 * 20 May – Henare Kaihau, politician
 * 20 June – John Grigg, astronomer (born 1838)

July–September

 * 23 July – Robin Dods, architect (born 1868)
 * 28 July – Edward Shillington, librarian (born 1835)
 * 17 August – Amey Daldy, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1829)
 * 23 August – David Cossgrove, teacher, soldier, scout leader (born 1852)
 * 25 August – Donald Reid, politician (born 1855)
 * 31 August – William MacDonald, politician (born 1862)
 * 26 September – Appo Hocton, servant, landlord, carter, farmer (born c. 1823)

October–December

 * 1 October – Henare Wepiha Te Wainohu, Māori leader, Anglican clergyman, army chaplain (born 1882)
 * 7 October – Chew Chong, merchant, fungus exporter, butter manufacturer (born c. 1844)
 * 10 October – Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1868)
 * 14 October – Samuel Carnell, politician (born 1832)
 * 21 October – Mary Gibbs, community leader (born 1836)
 * 12 November – Thomas Porter, soldier, land purchase officer (born 1843)
 * 14 November – Edward Ker Mulgan, newspaper editor, teacher, school inspector (born c. 1858)
 * 17 November – Alexander Hogg, politician (born 1841)
 * 23 November – Cyril Mountfort, architect (born 1853)
 * 28 November – Peter Webb, rugby union player (born 1854)
 * 13 December – Joseph Tole, politician (born 1846)
 * 16 December – George Jones, politician (born 1844)
 * 27 December – Charles Button, politician, solicitor, judge (born 1838)