1972 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1972 in New Zealand.

Population

 * Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,959,700.
 * Increase since 31 December 1971: 61,200 (2.11%).
 * Males per 100 females: 99.7.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Elizabeth II
 * Governor-General – Sir Arthur Porritt Bt GCMG GCVO CBE, followed by Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO.

Government
The 36th Parliament of New Zealand concluded. A general election was held on 25 November and saw the second National government defeated by a large margin, with the Labour Party winning 55 of 87 seats in Parliament.
 * Speaker of the House – Roy Jack until 8 December, then Alfred Allen.
 * Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake then Jack Marshall then Norman Kirk
 * Deputy Prime Minister – Jack Marshall then Robert Muldoon then Hugh Watt.
 * Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon then Bill Rowling.
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs – Keith Holyoake then Jack Marshall then Norman Kirk.
 * Attorney-General – Dan Riddiford until 9 February, then Roy Jack until 8 December, then Martyn Finlay.
 * Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition –  Norman Kirk (Labour) until 8 December, then Jack Marshall (National).

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
 * Mayor of Hamilton – Mike Minogue
 * Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Neville Pickering
 * Mayor of Dunedin – Jim Barnes

Events

 * 7 February – Jack Marshall replaces Keith Holyoake as prime minister.
 * 14 September – As a part of the Māori protest movement, activist group Ngā Tamatoa, the Te Reo Māori Society of Victoria University, and Te Huinga Rangatahi (the New Zealand Māori Students’ Association) presented a petition signed by over 33,000 people calling for te Reo Māori to be taught in schools, leading to the creation of te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) in 1975, and a revitalisation of Māori language.
 * 20 October – Restrictions on the manufacture and sale of margarine in New Zealand are removed.
 * 25 November – The 1972 general election is held. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, wins 55 of the 87 seats and forms the third Labour government.
 * 3 December – Qantas commences the first Boeing 747 service in New Zealand, between Christchurch and Sydney.
 * 8 December – Qantas commences Boeing 747 service between Auckland and Sydney.
 * Chile and New Zealand establish embassies in each other's capitals.
 * The Values Party is formed.
 * Mount Ngauruhoe erupts.

Arts and literature

 * Ian Wedde wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1972 in art, 1972 in literature

New Zealand Music Awards

 * Loxene Golden Disc Suzanne – Sunshine Through A Prism
 * Loxene Golden Disc Creation – Carolina

See: 1972 in music

Performing arts

 * Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Jon Zealando and Lou Clauson QSM.

Radio and Television

 * The Broadcasting Authority in March grants the right to broadcast a second television channel to the private consortium Independent Television Corporation. After the election of the Labour Government in November, Norman Kirk announces the second channel will be run by NZBC.
 * In September, the first live broadcast of an All Black match takes place. The All Blacks played against Australia.
 * Feltex Television Awards:
 * Best Programme: Charlie's Rock – Pukemanu
 * Outstanding Performance: Peter Sinclair in Golden Disc Award
 * Best Drama: Charlie's Rock – Pukemanu

See: 1972 in New Zealand television, 1972 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

 * To Love a Māori

See: 1972 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand

Athletics

 * Field events within New Zealand switch from imperial to metric measurements. Track events changed earlier in 1969.
 * David McKenzie wins his fourth and last national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:14:11.2 on 11 March in Dunedin.

Chess

 * The 79th National Chess Championship is held in Hamilton, and is won by R.J. Sutton of Auckland (his third title).

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup: Globe Bay
 * Auckland Trotting Cup: Royal Ascot

Summer Olympics

 * New Zealand sends a team of 89 competitors.

Winter Olympics

 * New Zealand sends a team of two alpine skiers.

Summer Paralympics

 * New Zealand sends a team of 10 competitors.

Soccer

 * New Zealand National Soccer League won by Mt. Wellington AFC
 * The Chatham Cup is won by Christchurch United who met Mount Wellington.
 * Final 4-4 after extra time
 * First replay 1-1 after extra time
 * Second replay 2-1

Births

 * 3 January: Shaun Longstaff, rugby player
 * 9 January: Gary Stead, cricketer
 * 3 March: Peter O'Leary, soccer referee
 * 27 March: David Bain, originally served 12 years for murder of his family, conviction quashed by Privy Council and subsequently found not guilty at retrial.
 * 29 March: Paul Kent, swimmer
 * 12 April: Jenny Shepherd, field hockey player
 * 17 April: Dylan Mika, All Black (died 20 March 2018)
 * 16 May: Matthew Hart, cricketer
 * 3 June: Robert Kennedy, cricketer
 * 7 June: Karl Urban, actor
 * 11 June: Stephen Kearney, rugby league player and coach
 * 21 June (in South Africa): Irene van Dyk, netball player
 * 3 July: Aleksei Kulashko, chess player
 * 4 July: Craig Spearman, cricketer
 * 12 August: Tony Marsh, rugby player
 * 6 October: Brooke Howard-Smith, broadcaster.
 * 27 October: John Steel, swimmer
 * 16 December: Angela Bloomfield, actress
 * 18 December: Julian Arahanga, actor
 * 20 December: Jonathan Wyatt, long-distance runner
 * Veeshayne Armstrong, television presenter.
 * (in Britain): Warwick Murray, academic.
 * (in Hong Kong): Jack Yan, publisher, designer and businessman

March

 * 2 March – Billy Wallace, rugby player and All Black (born 1878)
 * 4 March – Major-General Sir Harold Barrowclough, former chief justice (born 1894)

April

 * 14 April – Bert Hawthorne, motor racing driver (born 1943)

July

 * 10 July – Charles Bowden, politician (born 1886)

August

 * 8 August – Agnes Weston, politician (MLC) (born 1879)

September

 * 8 September – Harold Temple White, music teacher, conductor, organist and composer (born 1881)

October

 * 5 October – Jim Barclay, politician (born 1882)
 * 8 October – Laurie Brownlie, rugby player and All Black (born 1899)
 * 20 October – John Pascoe, photographer and mountaineer (born 1908)
 * 22 October – James K. Baxter, poet (born 1926)

December

 * 11 December – John Mills, cricketer (born 1905)
 * 26 December – Ronald Hugh Morrieson, writer (born 1922)