1923 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George V
• Governor-General – The Viscount Jellicoe GCB OM GCVO

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
• Prime Minister – William Massey
• Minister of Finance – William Massey
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Francis Bell
• Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Thomas Wilford

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
• Mayor of Wellington – Robert Wright
• Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Thacker succeeded by James Arthur Flesher
• Mayor of Dunedin – James Sandilands Douglas succeeded by Harold Livingstone Tapley

  Events

• New Zealand gained the right to conduct its own trade negotiations independently of Britain.
• The Ross Dependency was claimed by Britain and placed under New Zealand administration.
• Opening of the Otira rail tunnel on the Midland Line.
• Establishment of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand is formed.
• Battlecruiser HMS New Zealand broken up for scrap.
• 28 March: Tauranga by-election won by Charles Edward MacMillan.
• 1 May: Oamaru by-election won by John MacPherson.
• 6 July: Ongarue railway disaster – 17 passengers died when the overnight Auckland-Wellington Express ran into a landslip at Ongarue near Taumarunui.
• The New Zealand Inflation Rate reached the lowest recorded value −15.3 percent in March 1923.

  Arts and literature

Music

Radio

• A set of Broadcasting regulations are issued under the Post And Telegraph Act 1920. Under the new regulations the country is divided into four numerical transmission regions. The regulations also stipulate that the owner of a receiving set is to pay an annual licence of five shillings while permission to transmit costs two pounds.

Film

• The Romance of Sleepy Hollow

Sport

Chess

• The 32nd National Chess Championship was held in Christchurch, and was won by J.B. Dunlop of Oamaru, his third title.

  Cricket

• Plunket Shield

  Golf

• The 10th New Zealand Open championship was won by A. Brooks.
• The 27th National Amateur Championships were held in Wanganui
• * Men: J. Goss
• * Women: Miss E. Vigor Brown

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Great Hope
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Blue Mountain King

  Thoroughbred racing

• ARC Great Northern Derby – Enthusiasm

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – M. Walker
• Men's pair champions – W. McCallum, T. Edwards
• Men's fours champions – R.S. Somervell, J.F. Hosking, V.P. Casey, A. Parsons

  Rugby

• A New South Wales team toured New Zealand, playing three matches against the New Zealand team. New Zealand won all three, 19–9, 34–6 and 38–11.
• Hawkes Bay held and defended the Ranfurly Shield for the full season, defeating Wairarapa, Wellington, Poverty Bay, Canterbury, Horowhenua, and Auckland.

  Soccer

• Inaugural competition for the Chatham Cup won by Seacliff AFC
• New Zealand tour of Australia:
• * 24 May, Granville: Lost 1–3 vs Granville
• * 26 May, Sydney: drew 2–2 vs New South Wales
• * 29 May, Newcastle: lost 0–2 vs Newcastle
• * 2 June, Ipswich: won 4–2 vs Ipswich / West Moreton
• * 4 June, Brisbane: won 3–1 vs Queensland
• * 6 June, Nambour: won 2–0 vs North Coast
• * 9 June, Brisbane: lost 1–2 vs Australia
• * 13 June, Cessnock: lost 1–2 vs South Maitland
• * 16 June, Sydney: won 3–2 vs Australia
• * 20 June, Sydney: won 3–4 vs Metropolis
• * 23 June, Sydney: won 3–1 vs Granville
• * 25 June, Sydney: drew 1–1 vs New South Wales
• * 30 June, Newcastle: won 4–1 vs Australia
• * 3 July, Weston: lost 1–4 vs South Maitland
• * 7 July, Wollongong: lost 0–2 vs South Coast
• * 11 July, Lithgow: won 4–0 vs Western Districts
• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland: North Shore AFC
• * Canterbury: Sunnyside
• * Hawke's Bay: Whakatu
• * Nelson: Athletic
• * Otago: HSOB
• * South Canterbury: Albion Rovers
• * Southland: Nightcaps
• * Taranaki: Hawera
• * Wanganui: Eastown Workshops
• * Wellington: Waterside

  Births

January–February

• 2 January – Joe McManemin, athletics coach, sports administrator
• 6 January – Norman Kirk, politician
• 11 January – Charles Philip Littlejohn, parliamentary officer
• 15 January – Nick Unkovich, lawn bowls player
• 27 January – Robert Burchfield, lexicographer
• 11 February – Bryce Rope, rugby union player and coach

  March–April

• 1 March – Stephen Jelicich, architect, historian
• 2 March
• * Ron Elvidge, rugby union player
• * Don Taylor, cricketer
• 12 March – James Godwin, war crimes investigator
• 13 March – Travers Hardwick, rugby league player and coach
• 24 March – Poul Gnatt, ballet dancer and ballet master
• 26 March – Ronald Dobson, rugby union player
• 27 March – Donald Murdoch, cricketer
• 31 March – Lawrie Miller, cricketer
• 6 April – Rina Moore, doctor
• 7 April
• * Lindsay Daen, sculptor
• * Russell Stone, historian
• 14 April – Stan Cowman, cricket umpire
• 16 April – Thomas Freeman, cricketer
• 17 April – Ken Mudford, motorcycle racer
• 18 April – Allan Deane, cricketer
• 26 April – Harold Nelson, athlete
• 29 April – Jean Herbison, academic, university chancellor

  May–June

• 17 May – Doug Ottley, association footballer
• 26 May
• * Bill Meates, rugby union player
• * Thomas Paulay, earthquake engineer, academic
• 4 June – Olga Stringfellow, journalist and author
• 7 June – Peter Sutton, Anglican bishop
• 19 June – Rex Orr, rugby union player
• 25 June – Margaret Reid, Presbyterian minister
• 30 June – Melvin Day, artist

  July–August

• 8 July – Margaret di Menna, microbiologist
• 13 July – Max Lewis, cricketer
• 14 July – Noel Chambers, swimmer
• 16 July – Richard Bolt, air force officer
• 18 July – J.J. Stewart, rugby union coach and administrator, politician
• 28 July – Bill Sevesi, musician
• 9 August – Bob Neilson, rugby league player
• 11 August – Roy Roper, rugby union player
• 12 August – Janet Holm, environmental activist, historian
• 14 August – Jack Luxton, politician
• 15 August – Norm Jones, politician
• 28 August – Maurice Casey, jurist

  September–October

• 9 September – Des Christian, rugby union player and coach
• 19 September – Bob Sorenson, rugby union player and coach, cricketer
• 29 September – Vernon McArley, cricketer
• 3 October – Jack McLean, rugby union and rugby league player
• 4 October – Lachie Grant, rugby union player
• 9 October
• * Bob Fenton, politician
• * Ronald Tremain, composer, music academic
• 15 October
• * Joyce Carpenter, diver
• * Jim McCormick, rugby union player
• 18 October – Rob Talbot, politician
• 20 October – Mike Minogue, politician
• 29 October
• * David Kear, geologist, science administrator
• * Ted Thorne, naval officer

  November–December

• 1 November – Peter Mahon, jurist
• 4 November – Joan Hatcher, cricketer
• 5 November – Frederick Stanley, cricketer
• 10 November – Brian Ashby, Roman Catholic bishop
• 11 November – Sonja Davies, trade unionist, peace activist, politician
• 13 November – Austen Gittos, fencer
• 17 November
• * Dick Scott, historian, journalist
• * Bert Sutcliffe, cricketer
• 18 November – Neville Pickering, politician
• 20 November – Robert Harwood, cricketer
• 22 November – Guy Doleman, actor
• 28 November – Eric Heath, cartoonist
• 2 December – Andy Keyworth, master mariner
• 6 December – Karl Sim, art forger
• 13 December – Richard Campion, theatre director
• 17 December – John Darwin, statistician
• 20 December – Arthur Mills, cricketer
• 24 December – Bert Cook, rugby union and rugby league player

  Deaths

January–March

• 9 January – Katherine Mansfield, writer
• 14 January – Frederick Radcliffe, photographer
• 28 January – Alfred Holdship, cricketer
• 6 February – William Thomas Jennings, politician
• 22 February – Sir William Herries, politician
• 17 March – Daniel Cooper, convicted baby farmer and illegal abortionist
• 25 March – John Patterson, politician, businessman
• 26 March – William Wescombe Corpe, sawmiller, dairy manufacturer

  April–June

• 3 April
• * Charles H. Mills, politician
• * Arthur Seymour, politician
• 4 April – Charles Curtis, storekeeper, local-body politician
• 12 April
• * William Collins, politician
• * Randell McDonnell, cricketer
• 27 April – Gordon Millington, cricketer
• 7 May – Walter Dinnie, police commissioner
• 9 May – John Fuller, singer and theatrical company manager
• 21 May – Leopold Prime, cricketer

  July–September

• 8 July – Henry Lawson, cricketer
• 16 July – Sir William Fraser, politician
• 27 July – William Dawson, brewer, politician
• 3 August – Frederick Fulton, cricketer
• 8 September – Thomas Mahoney, architect
• 23 September – Sarah Higgins, midwife, writer
• 26 September – Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury, Ngāti Kahungunu scholar, recorder, interpreter

  October–December

• 8 October – Angus Stuart, rugby union player
• 15 October – Thomas Frederic Cheeseman, botanist
• 17 October – William Meares, cricketer
• 10 November – John Stallworthy, politician
• 11 November – Robert Murdoch, malacologist
• 25 November – Sydney Callaway, cricketer
• 29 November – Gilbert Mair, soldier, interpreter, public servant
• 11 December – Joseph Maddison, architect
• 14 December – Michael Godby, cricketer