1982 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1982 in New Zealand.

Population

 * Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,226,800.
 * Increase since 31 December 1981: 32,300 (1.01%).
 * Males per 100 females: 98.6.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Elizabeth II
 * Governor-General – The Hon Sir David Beattie GCMG GCVO QSO QC.

Government
The 40th New Zealand Parliament continued. The third National Party government was in power.


 * Speaker of the House – Richard Harrison
 * Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon
 * Deputy Prime Minister – Duncan MacIntyre
 * Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon
 * Minister of Foreign Affairs – Warren Cooper
 * Chief Justice — Sir Ronald Davison

Parliamentary opposition

 * Leader of the Opposition – Bill Rowling (Labour) until 3 February, then David Lange.
 * Social Credit Party – Bruce Beetham

Main centre leaders

 * Mayor of Auckland – Colin Kay
 * Mayor of Hamilton – Ross Jansen
 * Mayor of Wellington – Michael Fowler
 * Mayor of Christchurch – Hamish Hay
 * Mayor of Dunedin – Cliff Skeggs

Events

 * The first Kohanga reo kindergarten, Pukeatua, opens at Wainuiomata. Within 12 years there were more than 800 nationwide.
 * Social Credit forms an agreement with National to back the Clyde Dam (a Think Big project) in exchange for policy concessions.
 * The Clutha Development (Clyde Dam) Empowerment Act was passed, overriding the High Court and Planning Tribunal.
 * The proposed aluminium smelter at Aramoana was cancelled.
 * The Social Credit Political League changes its name to the Social Credit Party.
 * New Zealand provided assistance to the British during the Falklands War, primarily by taking over routine patrol duties elsewhere to free up British military resources.
 * The Warehouse opens its first store, in Takapuna.
 * January: The third Sweetwaters Music Festival is held near Pukekawa.
 * 3 February: David Lange succeeds Bill Rowling as Leader of the Opposition.
 * 4 April: New Zealand breaks diplomatic relations with Argentina over the Falklands Crisis.
 * 22 June: Robert Muldoon announces a 12-month wage and price freeze. The freeze actually lasts almost two years.
 * 14 September: Samoans who take up permanent residence in New Zealand are entitled to New Zealand citizenship from this date. This follows a case referred to the Privy Council which decided in July 1982 to allow all Samoans born under New Zealand administration (i.e. prior to 1962) to claim New Zealand citizenship.
 * November: Mark Inglis and Philip Doole are stuck in an ice cave on Aoraki / Mount Cook for 14 days.
 * 18 November: a suicide bomb attack was made against a facility housing the main computer database of the New Zealand Police in Wanganui by a "punk rock" anarchist named Neil Roberts. He was the only person killed, and the computer system was undamaged, see Terrorism in New Zealand.
 * 14 December: Robert Muldoon signs a "Heads of Agreement" with Australia to allow the Closer Economic Relations agreement to come into force at the beginning of 1983.

Arts and literature

 * William Sewell wins the Robert Burns Fellowship

See 1982 in art, 1982 in literature, Category:1982 books

Music

 * DD Smash produce their debut album, Cool Bananas.

New Zealand Music Awards
Winners are shown first and in boldface with nominees underneath.
 * Album of the year:   DD Smash – Cool Bananas
 * Single of the year: Prince Tui Teka – E Ipo
 * Top male vocalist:  Dave Dobbyn (DD Smash) 
 * Malcolm McNeill
 * Monte Video
 * Top female vocalist:  Patsy Riggir 
 * Suzanne Prentice
 * Trudi Green (The Neighbours)
 * Top group of the year:  DD Smash 
 * Herbs
 * The Narcs
 * Most promising male vocalist:  Dave Dobbyn (DD Smash) 
 * Most promising female vocalist:  Jodi Vaughan 
 * Most promising group:  Dance Exponents 
 * Polynesian record of the year:  Prince Tui Teka – E Ipo 
 * Producer of the year:  Ian Morris – Cool Bananas (DD Smash) 
 * Engineer of the year:  Paul Streekstra & Doug Rogers – Cool Bananas (DD Smash) 
 * Sleeve design of the year:  Wayne Robinson –Cool Bananas (DD Smash) 
 * Outstanding contribution to music:  Simon Grigg 

See: 1982 in music

Performing arts

 * Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Don Linden.

Radio and television

 * FM Stereo transmissions were being tested. Radio Bay of Plenty Limited, operating 1XX (previously 1240 am then 1242 am in 1978) also in Whakatane, ran the first of many short-term summer stations.
 * 1XX – FM 90.7 This station was the 1ST licensed FM Stereo Radio station in New Zealand. The station went to air at 4 pm on 5 January 1982 and went through to 31 January 1982 with the station on-air each day in two shifts: 4 pm – 8 pm & 8 pm – 12 am Midnight. Announcers: Chris Clarke,
 * Te Karere, a Māori language news program, is trialled.
 * Northern Television begins broadcasting morning television programs.
 * Feltex Television Awards:
 * Best Information: Country Calendar
 * Best Documentary: Landmarks
 * Best News and Current Affairs: Close Up
 * Best Entertainment: Gliding On
 * Best Drama: Under the Mountain
 * Best Speciality: Kaleidoscope
 * Best Children's: Wild Track
 * Best New Talent: Olly Ohlson in After School
 * Best Actress: Susan Wilson in Mortimer's Patch and Gliding On
 * Best Actor: Bruce Allpress in Jocko
 * Steve Hosgood Award for Allied Craft: Robert Brown, cameraman
 * Best Television Entertainer: David McPhail and Jon Gadsby
 * Special Award: Ian Watkin for Service to the Industry
 * Best Script: Cry Wolf from Open File

See: 1982 in New Zealand television, 1982 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

 * Carry Me Back
 * Battletruck
 * The Scarecrow

See: Category:1982 film awards, 1982 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1982 films

Athletics

 * Trevor Wright wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:19:34 on 3 April in Whangārei.

Basketball

 * Inaugural season of the NZ National Basketball League, won by Auckland.

Harness racing
ROWING
 * New Zealand Trotting Cup: Bonnie's Chance
 * Auckland Trotting Cup (2700m): Gammalite

New Zealand men's rowing 8 win gold medal at the world rowing championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Stephanie Foster wins the first ever NZ women's medal at a world championships with a bronze medal in the single sculls event.

Rugby union

 * Australia tours and play 3 tests. These are won 2–1 by New Zealand, who win back the Bledisloe Cup
 * Lion National Provincial Championship:
 * Division 1: Auckland
 * Division 2 (North): Taranaki
 * Division 2 (south): Southland
 * The North vs South match is played in Wanganui and is won 22-12 by South.

Shooting

 * Ballinger Belt – John Hastie (Okawa)

Soccer

 * The All Whites reach the Football World Cup Finals in Barcelona, but lose all three games.
 * New Zealand National Soccer League won by Mount Wellington
 * The Chatham Cup is won by Mount Wellington who beat Miramar Rangers 1—0 after extra time in the final.

January to June

 * 6 January – Roy Asotasi, rugby league player.
 * 12 January – Tony Lochhead, football (soccer) player.
 * 17 January – Tim Weston, cricketer.
 * 30 January – Shontayne Hape, rugby league player.
 * 1 February – Sam Tuitupou, rugby union player.
 * 5 March – Dan Carter, rugby union player.
 * 6 March – Jimmy Cowan, rugby union player.
 * 20 March – Rory Fallon, football (soccer) player.
 * 22 March – Chris Smylie, rugby player.
 * 24 March – James Napier, actor.
 * 4 April – Andrea Hewitt, athlete.
 * 19 April – Sitiveni Sivivatu, rugby union and sevens player.
 * 3 May – Casey Laulala, rugby union player.
 * 6 May – Eric Murray, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2012 London)
 * 13 May – Mika Vukona, basketball player.
 * 16 May – Jonathan Duncan, swimmer.
 * 21 May – Ma'a Nonu, rugby union player.
 * 22 June – Stu Mills, cricketer.

July to December
Category:1982 births
 * 1 July – James Pritchett, football (soccer) player.
 * 4 July – Jeff Lima, rugby league player.
 * 6 July – Jeremy Yates, cyclist.
 * 15 July – Neemia Tialata, rugby union player.
 * 17 July – Eve van Grafhorst.
 * 24 July – Anna Paquin, actress.
 * 4 August – Juliette Haigh, rower, Olympic bronze medallist (2012 London)
 * 15 August – Jason Eaton, rugby union player.
 * 30 August – Russell Ward, skeleton racer.
 * 7 September – Krystal Forgesson, field hockey player.
 * 16 September – Lizzy Igasan, field hockey defender.
 * 29 September – Joline Henry, netball player.
 * 11 October – Cameron Knowles, football (soccer) player.
 * 14 November – Sailosi Tagicakibau, Samoan rugby player
 * 17 November – Hollie Smith, singer-songwriter.

Deaths

 * 3 January 1982: Bernard O'Brien, philosopher and theologian.
 * 18 February: Dame Ngaio Marsh writer and director.
 * 1 March: Frank Gill, Air Commodore, politician.
 * 1 March: Frank Sargeson, writer.
 * 24 May: William Sheat, politician.
 * 4 March (in London): Dorothy Eden, novelist.
 * 29 April: Ray Boord, politician.
 * 9 June (in Canada): Richard St. Barbe Baker, silviculturist and conservationist.
 * 11 June: Sir Valdemar Skellerup, industrialist.
 * 13 June: John A. Lee politician and writer.
 * 15 July: Don Beard, cricketer.
 * 2 September: Clive Hulme, Victoria Cross winner.
 * 19 September: Ted Badcock, cricketer.
 * 8 October: Cora Wilding, physiotherapist and artist.
 * 14 October: Andrew Davidson, educationalist
 * 1 November (in Canada): Eric Arthur, architect.
 * 22 November (in Majorca, Spain): Jean Batten aviator.
 * 2 December: Sir Robert Macfarlane, politician.
 * 18 December: Ray Emery, cricketer.