1878 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Queen Victoria
• Governor – The Marquess of Normanby

  Government and law

• Speaker of the House – Sir William Fitzherbet
• Premier – Sir George Grey
• Minister of Finance – William Larnach resigns on 5 March. He is succeeded by John Ballance on 12 July.
• Chief Justice – Hon Sir James Prendergast

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Henry Brett followed by Thomas Peacock
• Mayor of Christchurch – James Gapes followed by Henry Thomson
• Mayor of Dunedin – Richard Henry Leary followed by Henry John Walter
• Mayor of Wellington – Joseph Dransfield

  Events

• 2 February: Alois Lubecki makes the first telephone call in the country, between Dunedin and Milton. Later in the year the first public demonstration of the telephone is made with a call between Blenheim and Nelson.
• 30 September: Great Flood of 1878 that killed at least three people and several bridges destroyed in Clutha and Southland by torrents caused by the rapid melting of heavy winter snows in Central Otago in Winter.

• Ashburton is made a borough.

  Sport

Cricket

• See Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1877–78

  Horse racing

• New Zealand Cup winner: Maritana
• New Zealand Derby winner: Natator
• Auckland Cup winner: Ariel
• Wellington Cup winner: Lara

  Rugby union

Shooting

Births

• 10 September: Fanny Irvine-Smith, teacher and writer
• unknown date : Tom Brindle, politician and activist

  Deaths

• 9 February: William Williams, first Bishop of Waiapu.
• 11 February: William Barnard Rhodes, businessman and politician.
• 6 December: Sir John Richardson, politician.
• 25 December Thomas Bartley, politician.