1926 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1926 in New Zealand.

Population
The 1926 New Zealand census is held on 20 April.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – George V
 * Governor-General – Sir Charles Fergusson

Government
The 22nd New Zealand Parliament continues with the Reform Party governing.


 * Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
 * Prime Minister – Gordon Coates
 * Minister of Finance – William Nosworthy until 24 May, then William Downie Stewart
 * Minister of External Affairs – Francis Bell until 18 January, then from 24 May William Nosworthy

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition – vacant until 26 June, then Harry Holland (Labour Party)

Judiciary

 * Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout, then Charles Skerrett from 1 February

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – George Baildon
 * Mayor of Wellington – Charles Norwood
 * Mayor of Christchurch – John Archer
 * Mayor of Dunedin – Harold Tapley

Events

 * 15 April – The Eden by-election is won by Rex Mason (Labour). As a result, Labour became the dominant party in opposition, with 12 seats compared to the Liberals' 11.
 * 15 November – The Balfour Declaration asserts the right of New Zealand and other dominions to exist as independent countries
 * 3 December – Nine miners die in an explosion in the Dobson coal mine near Brunner
 * Undated
 * Writer and adventurer Zane Grey first visits New Zealand, helping to popularise big-game fishing
 * Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is established
 * Pavlova reportedly created by a Wellington hotel chef in honour of the visit of Anna Pavlova
 * Ash eruption of Red Crater, Mount Tongariro
 * Leonard Cockayne publishes the first part of Monograph on New Zealand beech forests, which argues that the forests could be managed with a rotation of 80–120 years, but warns about overgrazing by deer

Arts and literature
See 1926 in art, 1926 in literature, Category:1926 books

Music
See: 1926 in music

Radio
See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film
See: 1926 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1926 films

Chess

 * The 35th National Chess Championship is held in Dunedin, and is won by S. Crakanthorp of Sydney, his second title

Cricket

 * New Zealand, along with India and the West Indies, is admitted to the Imperial Cricket Conference, increasing the number of test playing nations to six

Football

 * The Chatham Cup is won by Sunnyside (Christchurch)
 * Provincial league champions:
 * Auckland – Tramways
 * Canterbury – Sunnyside
 * Hawke's Bay – Whakatu
 * Nelson – Athletic
 * Otago – HSOB
 * South Canterbury – Colmoco
 * Southland – Ohai
 * Taranaki – Auroa
 * Waikato – Huntly Thistle
 * Wanganui – Woollen Mills
 * Wellington – Hospital

Golf

 * The 16th New Zealand Open championship is won by Andrew Shaw after a playoff with Ernie Moss.
 * The 8th National Amateur Championships are held at Miramar (men) and Balmacewan (women)
 * Men – Arthur Duncan (Wellington) (his tenth title)
 * Women – Louisa Kerr (Timaru)

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup – Ahuriri (2nd win)
 * Auckland Trotting Cup – Talaro

Thoroughbred racing

 * New Zealand Cup – Count Cavour
 * Avondale Gold Cup – Beacon Light
 * Auckland Cup – Tanadees
 * Wellington Cup – Enthusiasm
 * New Zealand Derby – Commendation

Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.
 * Men's singles champion – W. Foster (Caledonian Bowling Club)
 * Men's pair champions – W. R. Todd, E. Tamlyn (skip) (St Kilda Bowling Club)
 * Men's fours champions – J. D. Best, H. G. Siedeberg, F. McCullough, E. Harraway (skip) (Dunedin Bowling Club)

Rugby league

 * The New Zealand national rugby league team tours Britain, losing all three tests against Great Britain and one test against Wales
 * The NZRFU takes legal action to prevent the NZRL from using the name "All Blacks" for the national rugby league team

Rugby union

 * 1926 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales
 * 1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour
 * Ranfurly Shield – held by Hawkes Bay for the full season

January

 * 3 January
 * Marie Clay, literacy researcher
 * David Spence, mathematician
 * 6 January – Pat Vincent, rugby union player, coach and administrator
 * 10 January – Jim Eyles, archaeologist
 * 11 January – Mary Rouse, cricketer
 * 19 January – Peter Cape, musician
 * 20 January – Tui Uru, broadcaster, singer
 * 29 January – Dennis McEldowney, writer, publisher

February

 * 3 February – Guy Ngan, artist
 * 7 February – Graham Latimer, Māori leader
 * 13 February – Lloyd Berrell, actor
 * 14 February – Sheila Natusch, naturalist, writer, illustrator
 * 20 February – Ted Meuli, cricketer
 * 26 February – Edwin Norton, weightlifter

March

 * 5 March – Joan Mattingley, clinical chemist
 * 13 March – June Litman, journalist
 * 19 March – Noel Bowden, rugby union player
 * 22 March – Helen Young, radio manager, arts advocate
 * 24 March
 * Betty Clegg, watercolour artist
 * Rowena Jackson, ballet dancer
 * 27 March – Harry Tapping, cricketer

April

 * 2 April – Maurie Gordon, sport shooter
 * 6 April – Don Bacon, microbiologist
 * 11 April – Vivienne Boyd, community leader
 * 12 April – Hoani Waititi, Māori community leader
 * 14 April – Barbara Anderson, writer
 * 18 April – Peter Henderson, rugby union and rugby league player, sprinter
 * 22 April – Arthur Eustace, track and field athlete, coach and administrator

May

 * 6 May – Colin Webster-Watson, sculptor, poet
 * 9 May – Robin Cooke, jurist
 * 15 May – Lyall Barry, swimmer, schoolteacher, local historian
 * 19 May – Nancy Adams, botanist, botanical artist, museum curator
 * 23 May – John Hollywood, cricketer
 * 27 May – Gordon Leggat, cricket player and administrator

June

 * 7 June – John Kennedy, Roman Catholic journalist
 * 11 June – Louise Sutherland, cyclist
 * 17 June – Don Rowlands, rower, rowing administrator, businessman
 * 18 June – Joe Walding, politician, diplomat
 * 19 June
 * Rod Coleman, motorcycle racer
 * Barrie Hutchinson, water polo player, rugby union player and administrator, politician
 * 23 June – Jim Barnden, boxer
 * 24 June – Graham Liggins, medical scientist
 * 25 June – June Schoch, athlete
 * 29 June – James K. Baxter, poet

July

 * 4 July – Arnold Heine, Antarctic scientist, tramper, conservationist
 * 5 July – Trevor Davey, politician
 * 14 July – Patricia Woodroffe, fencer
 * 18 July – Bernard Diederich, writer, journalist, historian
 * 22 July – Ron Russell, politician
 * 23 July – Tom O'Donnell, medical practitioner and academic
 * 31 July – Don Donnithorne, architect

August

 * 10 August – Edwin Carr, composer
 * 17 August – Solomon Faine, microbiologist

September

 * 10 September – Jack Somerville, lawn bowls player
 * 11 September – Joe Schneider, rower
 * 17 September – Bert Lunn, rugby union player
 * 22 September – Denzil Meuli, writer, newspaper editor, Roman Catholic priest
 * 29 September – Vivienne Cassie Cooper, planktologist, botanist

October

 * 4 October – Phar Lap, Thoroughbred racehorse
 * 10 October – Noeleen Scott, lawn bowls player
 * 13 October
 * George Gair, politician, diplomat
 * Bill James, rower
 * 16 October – Peter Arnold, cricket player and administrator
 * 26 October – John Myles, athlete
 * 28 October
 * Doug Anderson, rugby league player
 * Merv Norrish, diplomat, public servant
 * 30 October – Nan Kinross, nurse and nursing academic
 * 31 October – Stanley Dallas, recording engineer, radio technician

November

 * 3 November – Edward Gaines, Roman Catholic bishop
 * 7 November – Graeme Allwright, singer-songwriter
 * 14 November – Fritz Eisenhofer, architect
 * 20 November – Tom Newnham, political activist

December

 * 1 December – Barry Dallas, politician
 * 5 December – Derek Turnbull, athlete
 * 7 December – Jack Kelly, rugby union player, schoolteacher
 * 12 December
 * Maida Bryant, politician, community leader
 * Laurie Davidson, yacht designer
 * 13 December – Dave Batten, athlete
 * 14 December – Alan Rowe, actor
 * 15 December – Ron Bailey, politician
 * 18 December – Jock Aird, association footballer
 * 20 December – John Holland, athlete
 * 21 December – Alan Hellaby, businessman
 * 23 December – Peter Iles, cricketer
 * 24 December – Jimmy Edwards, rugby league player
 * 25 December – Colin Chambers, swimmer
 * 30 December – Richard Farrell, pianist
 * 31 December – Pauline Yearbury, artist

Exact date unknown

 * George Johnson, artist
 * Maurice K. Smith, architect, architectural academic

January–March

 * 19 January – Helen Stace, school matron (born 1850)
 * 8 February – John Graham, politician (born 1843)
 * 14 February – Ellen Hewett, writer (born 1843)
 * 27 February – James Palmer Campbell, politician (born 1855)
 * 1 March – John Barton Roy, politician (born 1854)
 * 13 March – Mere Rikiriki, Māori prophet (born c. 1855)
 * 15 March – Charles Blomfield, artist (born 1848)
 * 22 March – Louisa Baker, journalist, novelist (born 1856)

April–June

 * 14 April – Hans Madsen Ries, Lutheran pastor, politician (born 1860)
 * 17 April – Andrew Graham, politician (born 1843)
 * 26 April – Bobby Leach, thrillseeker (born 1858)
 * 1 May
 * William Geddis, journalist, politician (born 1860)
 * Isabella May, temperance worker, suffragist, dress reformer (born 1850)
 * 24 May – William Morley, Methodist minister, historian (born 1842)
 * 28 May – Frederick Liggins, cricketer (born 1873)
 * 5 June – Elizabeth Gard'ner, home science teacher and administrator, writer (born 1858)
 * 8 June – David Goldie, politician, mayor of Auckland (1898–1901) (born 1842)
 * 13 June – Gottfried Lindauer, painter (born 1839)
 * 15 June – William Belcher, trade union leader (born c. 1860)
 * 24 June – G. P. Nerli, painter (born 1860)

July–September

 * 18 July – Archibald Cargill, cricketer (born 1853)
 * 1 August – Sophia Anstice, dressmaker, draper, businesswoman (born 1849)
 * 13 August – Te Mete Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui leader, assessor (born c. 1836)
 * 18 August – Grace Neill, nurse, social reformer (born 1846)
 * 3 September – John McCombie, gold prospector, mine manager (born 1849)
 * 8 September – Hugh Lusk, politician (born 1837)

October–December

 * 1 October – Suzanne Aubert (Sister Mary Joseph), missionary nun (born 1835)
 * 9 October – Sir Arthur Myers, politician, mayor of Auckland (1905–09) (born 1868)
 * 18 October – Sir James Carroll, politician (born 1857)
 * 26 October – Frederick Pirani, politician (born 1858)
 * 7 November – Henry Baker, cricketer (born 1904)
 * 7 December – Charles Purnell, journalist, newspaper editor, writer (born 1843)
 * 12 December – Jane Preshaw, nurse, midwife, hospital matron (born 1839)
 * 22 December – Mina Arndt, painter (born 1885)
 * 23 December – Joseph Frear, builder (born 1846)
 * 28 December – Robert William Felkin, medical missionary, explorer, ceremonial magician (born 1853)