1977 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1977 in New Zealand.

Population

 * Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,166,400.
 * Increase since 31 December 1976: 3000 (0.09%).
 * Males per 100 females: 99.4.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Elizabeth II
 * Governor-General – Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO, followed by The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.

Government
1977 was the second full year of the 38th Parliament. The Third National Government was in power.
 * Speaker of the House – Roy Jack.
 * Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon
 * Deputy Prime Minister – Brian Talboys.
 * Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon.
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs – Brian Talboys.
 * Attorney-General – Peter Wilkinson.
 * Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition – Bill Rowling (Labour).

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
 * Mayor of Hamilton – Bruce Beetham then Ross Jansen
 * Mayor of Wellington – Michael Fowler
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Hamish Hay
 * Mayor of Dunedin – Jim Barnes then Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

Events

 * 5 January – Led by Joe Hawke, members of Ngati Whatua occupy Bastion Point reserve (Takaparawha) to protest crown sales of land taken from Māori.
 * 6 February – Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II's accession as Queen of New Zealand
 * 28 February – The new Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament, nicknamed the "Beehive" due to its shape, is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, despite not being fully complete yet.
 * 26 March – 1977 Mangere by-election: David Lange (Labour) is elected to replace Colin Moyle.
 * 21 November – God Defend New Zealand becomes the second official national anthem of New Zealand, in conjunction with God Save The Queen.
 * 6 December – The meat pie-based fast food chain Georgie Pie opens its first restaurant in Kelston, Auckland.
 * 23 December – the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 passed into law
 * New Zealand proclaims an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles (370 km) – the seventh largest in the world at 4.3 million km2
 * Mushrooms and typewriters are added to the CPI basket.

Arts and literature

 * Keri Hulme and Roger Hall win the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1977 in art, 1977 in literature

Music
The New Zealand Music Awards were not held this year.
 * Waikino music festival at Bicknel's farm, Waitawheta Valley, between Waihi and Waikino. Attendance 5500.

See: 1977 in music

Radio and television

 * April: Fair Go airs for the first time.
 * June: Wellington's Radio Active 89FM first hits the airwaves
 * Feltex Television Awards:
 * Best Current Affairs: News at Ten
 * Best Documentary Series: Black Future
 * Best Light Entertainment: Blerta
 * Best Play: The God Boy
 * Best Drama: Moynihan
 * Best Speciality: Country Calendar
 * Best Actor: Ian Mune in Winners and Losers and Moynihan
 * Best Actress: Judy Douglas in The God Boy
 * Best Script: The God Boy
 * Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne

Performing arts

 * Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Max Cryer.
 * Roger Hall's Middle-Age Spread premiered at the Circa Theatre, Wellington

Television
See: 1977 in New Zealand television, 1977 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

 * Landfall
 * Off the Edge
 * Sleeping Dogs
 * Solo
 * Wild Man

See: Category:1977 film awards, 1977 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1977 films

Athletics

 * Terry Manners wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:40 in Hawera.

Association football

 * New Zealand National Soccer League won by North Shore United
 * The Chatham Cup is won by Nelson United who beat Mount Wellington 1–0 in the final.

Chess

 * The 84th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in North Shore, and is won by Ortvin Sarapu of Auckland.

Harness racing

 * New Zealand Trotting Cup: Sole Command
 * There was no 1977 running of the Auckland Trotting Cup as the race was being rescheduled from December (1976) to February (1978)

Births
Category:1977 births
 * 22 January: Jono Gibbes, rugby player
 * 25 February: Matthew Bell, cricketer
 * 25 March: Brooke Walker, cricketer
 * 16 May: Melanie Lynskey, actress
 * 20 May: Raf de Gregorio, soccer player
 * 25 May: Michael Bevin, field hockey goalkeeper
 * 14 June: Duncan Oughton, footballer
 * 9 July (in South Africa): Leana du Plooy, netball player'
 * 5 July: Dale Rasmussen, rugby player
 * 11 July: Matai Smith, television presenter
 * 13 July: Xavier Rush, rugby player
 * 5 September: Emily Gillam, field hockey player
 * 8 September: Sheryl Scanlan, netball player
 * 9 September: Caleb Ralph, rugby player
 * 18 October: Ryan Nelsen, footballer
 * 13 November: Chanel Cole, musician
 * 28 November: Greg Somerville, rugby player
 * 15 December: Dominic Bowden, television presenter
 * 21 December: Leon MacDonald, rugby player

Deaths

 * 22 January: Toby Hill, watersider and trade unionist
 * 18 February: Ron Jarden, rugby player.
 * 7 June (in England): Sir Rex Nan Kivell, art collector.
 * 26 June; Alice May Palmer, public servant and union official
 * 15 August: Margaret Escott, novelist and poet.
 * 24 December: Sir Roy Jack, politician and 16th Speaker of the House of Representatives.