1957 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,262,800
• Increase since 31 December 1956: 53,600
• Males per 100 females: 101.1

  Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Lieutenant-General The Lord Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC followed by The Viscount Cobham GCMG TD.

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Mathew Oram
• Prime Minister – Sidney Holland then Keith Holyoake then Walter Nash
• Deputy Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake then Jack Marshall then Jerry Skinner
• Minister of Finance – Jack Watts then Arnold Nordmeyer
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Tom Macdonald then Walter Nash
• Chief Justice — Sir Harold Barrowclough

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Walter Nash until 12 December, then Keith Holyoake.

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Thomas Ashby, then Keith Buttle
• Mayor of Hamilton – Roderick Braithwaite
• Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts
• Mayor of Christchurch – Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin – Leonard Morton Wright

  Events

• 20 January: Scott Base, New Zealand's main presence in Antarctica, is established by Sir Edmund Hillary.
• 24 May: the last Empire Day is commemorated.
• September: Former Member of Parliament and New Zealand ambassador to the United States Leslie Munro is appointed President of the United Nations General Assembly for its twelfth session, lasting until September 1958

  Arts and literature

Music

Radio

Film

Sport

Athletics

Chess

• The 64th National Chess Championship was held in Wellington. The title was shared by A. Feneridis of Wellington and J.R. Phillips of Auckland.

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Lookaway
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Highland Air

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – James Pirret
• Men's pair champions – H. Franks, L. Franks
• Men's fours champions – F.M. Murray, W.W. Wearne, A.N. Callaghan, Ron Buchan

  Rugby union

• The All Blacks played two Test matches against Australia, retaining the Bledisloe Cup:
• * 25 May, Sydney Cricket Ground: New Zealand 25 – 11 Australia
• * 1 June, Exhibition Ground, Brisbane: New Zealand 22 – 9 Australia

  Soccer

• The national men's team was host to two visiting club sides:
• * 22 June, Wellington: NZ 1 – 1 Eastern Athletic
• * 24 June, Auckland: NZ 2 – 1 Eastern Athletic
• * 27 June, Auckland: NZ 1 – 7 FK Austria
• * 3 August, Wellington: NZ 1 – 7 FK Austria
• The Chatham Cup is won by Seatoun who beat Technical Old Boys 3–1 in the final.
• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland: Eastern Suburbs AFC
• * Bay of Plenty: Rangers
• * Buller: Millerton Thistle
• * Canterbury: Western
• * Hawke's Bay: Hastings Wanderers
• * Manawatu: Ohakea
• * Marlborough: Blenheim Rangers
• * Nelson: Athletic
• * Northland: Otangarei United
• * Otago: King Edward Technical College OB
• * Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
• * South Canterbury: Northern Hearts
• * Southland: Hotspurs
• * Taranaki: City
• * Waikato: Huntly Thistle
• * Wairarapa: Masterton Athletic
• * Wanganui: New Settlers
• * Wellington: Seatoun AFC

  Births

• 3 January – Dave Dobbyn, singer, songwriter
• 28 February – Ian Smith, cricketer
• 2 March – Stuart Gillespie, cricketer
• 19 April – Wayne Smith, rugby player and coach
• 30 April – Tony Rogers, middle-distance runner
• 30 May – Allison Roe, athlete
• 7 June – Glenn Dods, soccer player
• 24 June – Elizabeth Fuller, children's book illustrator
• 26 June – Michael Laws, broadcaster, writer and politician
• 27 July – Barbara Moore, long-distance runner
• 28 July – David Shearer, humanitarian worker and politician, was Leader of the Opposition
• 11 August – Ruth Dyson, politician
• 31 August – Luke Hurley, singer/songwriter
• 20 September – Michael Hurst, actor
• 10 October – Rod Donald, environmentalist and politician, co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
• 29 November – Glenys Quick, long-distance runner
• 10 December – Dan Bryant, schoolteacher and mountaineer
• 13 December – Wayne Shelford, rugby player
• Richard Adams, violinist.
• George Bertrand, who became Georgina Beyer, transgender politician.
• Howard Broad, Commissioner of Police

Deaths

• 19 January: Thomas Brash, dairy industry leader and Presbyterian Church moderator.
• 21 January: Maurice Brownlie, rugby union player.
• 18 February: Walter James Bolton, last person executed in New Zealand.
• 2 April: Catherine Stewart, politician.
• 3 May: Daisy Osborn, artist
• 26 September: Thomas Ashby, serving mayor of Auckland