1974 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1974 in New Zealand.

Population

 * Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,091,900.
 * Increase since 31 December 1973: 65,200 (2.20%).
 * Males per 100 females: 99.7.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Elizabeth II
 * Governor-General – Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO.

Government
The 37th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was by a Labour majority of 55 seats to the National Party's 32 seats.


 * Speaker of the House – Stan Whitehead.
 * Prime Minister – Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling
 * Deputy Prime Minister – Hugh Watt then Bob Tizard
 * Minister of Finance – Bill Rowling then Bob Tizard.
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs – Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling.
 * Attorney-General – Martyn Finlay.

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition –  Jack Marshall (National) until 4 July, then Robert Muldoon (National).

Main centre leaders

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

Events

 * 24 January – 2 February: Christchurch hosts the 1974 British Commonwealth Games.
 * 30 January – 8 February: Royal visit by the Queen for the Commonwealth Games and Waitangi Day accompanied by the Duke, Princess Anne, Mark Phillips and Charles, Prince of Wales.
 * 6 February – Waitangi Day, then named New Zealand Day, is first celebrated as a nationwide public holiday.
 * 1 April – The Accident Compensation Commission is established, providing universal no-fault accidental injury cover to all New Zealanders.
 * 9 April – Dunedin experiences a magnitude 4.9 earthquake which causes $3.5 million (2024 terms) in damages.
 * 31 August – Prime Minister Norman Kirk dies of heart complications, aged 51. He was replaced by Bill Rowling, see New Zealand Labour Party leadership election, 1974.
 * September – The country's first Pizza Hut restaurant opens in New Lynn, Auckland.
 * The voting age is lowered from 20 to 18.

Arts and literature

 * Hone Tuwhare wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1974 in art, 1974 in literature

New Zealand Music Awards

 * BEST NEW ARTIST Bunny Walters
 * RECORDING ARTIST / GROUP OF THE YEAR Bull Dogs All-Star Goodtime Band
 * BEST NZ RECORDED COMPOSITION John Hanlon – Is It Natural
 * PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey – Is It Natural
 * ARRANGER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey – Is It Natural

See: 1974 in music

Performing arts

 * Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Les Andrews.

Radio and television

 * The target delivery date for colour television for all New Zealanders was when the country hosted the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
 * Feltex Television Awards:
 * Best Programme: Richard John Seddon – Premier
 * Best Performer: Bill McCarthy
 * Best Actor: Tony Currie as Seddon
 * Writing: Alexander Guyan in Lunch with Richard Burton
 * Allied Crafts: Janice Wharekawa – Vision Mixer for Happen Inn and others
 * Special Award: Television team for the 1974 Commonwealth Games

See: 1974 in New Zealand television, 1974 in television, Category:Television in New Zealand, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film
See: Category:1974 film awards, 1974 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1974 films

Chess

 * The 81st National Chess Championship is held in Christchurch. The title is shared by P.A. Garbett and Ortvin Sarapu, both of Auckland.

Harness racing

 * Robalan defeats hot favorite Young Quinn to win the New Zealand Trotting Cup
 * Auckland Trotting Cup: Young Quinn

Soccer

 * New Zealand National Soccer League won by, Mount Wellington
 * The Chatham Cup is won by Christchurch United who beat Wellington Diamond United 2–0 in the final.

Births
Category:1974 births
 * 6 January: Dion Waller, rugby player
 * 10 January: Jemaine Clement, comedian
 * 28 February: Moana Mackey, politician
 * 21 March: Rhys Darby, actor and comedian
 * 27 April (in Australia): Richard Johnson, soccer player
 * 6 May: Sean Pero Cameron, basketball player
 * 2 June: Andy Booth, motor racing driver
 * 15 June: Andrew Timlin, field hockey player
 * 10 July: Chris Drum, cricketer
 * 14 July (in Bulgaria): Pavlina Nola, tennis player
 * 26 July: Kees Meeuws, rugby player
 * 1 August: Michelle Turner, field hockey player
 * 27 August: Michael Mason, cricketer
 * 15 September: Emily Drumm, cricketer
 * 11 October: Liz Couch, skeleton racer
 * 23 October: Beatrice Faumuina, discus thrower
 * 5 November: Taine Randell, rugby player
 * 13 November: Carl Hoeft, rugby player
 * 22 November: Oliver Driver, actor, director, broadcoaster and television presenter
 * 2 December: Robbie Hart, cricketer
 * 7 December: Jason Spice, rugby and cricket player
 * 10 December: Chris Martin, cricketer
 * Kate Duignan, novelist
 * Tim Selwyn, activist

Deaths

 * 12 February: Alice Bush, doctor and medical activist.
 * 13 February: Murray Hudson GC, soldier.
 * 13 February: Sir Leslie Munro, diplomat and politician.
 * 14 February: Charles 'Stewie' Dempster, cricketer.
 * 5 August: Robert McKeen, politician – 12th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
 * 12 August: James Fletcher, industrialist.
 * 30 August: Professor George Jobberns, academic.
 * 31 August: Norman Kirk, Prime Minister.
 * 7 September: Paddy Kearins, politician.
 * 12 September: Hector Bolitho, writer and biographer.
 * 26 October: Dan Riddiford, politician.
 * 28 October: Charles Elliot Fox, missionary.
 * 11 December: Maurice Duggan, writer.