1960 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,403,600
• Increase since 31 December 1959: 43,900
• Males per 100 females: 101.0

  Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – The Viscount Cobham GCMG TD.

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Robert Macfarlane.
• Prime Minister – Walter Nash then Keith Holyoake
• Deputy Prime Minister – Jerry Skinner then Jack Marshall.
• Minister of Finance – Arnold Nordmeyer then Harry Lake.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Walter Nash then Keith Holyoake.
• Attorney-General – Rex Mason, then Ralph Hanan.
• Chief Justice — Sir Harold Barrowclough

  Parliamentary opposition

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

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
• Mayor of Hamilton – Dennis Rogers
• Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts
• Mayor of Christchurch – George Manning
• Mayor of Dunedin – Stuart Sidey

  Events

• Passing of the Waitangi Day Act, 1960, first step towards a national day.
• 26 November: 1960 New Zealand general election

  Arts and literature

• Maurice Duggan wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

Music

Radio and television

• At 7.30 pm on Wednesday 1 June 1960, a switch was flicked in a building in Shortland Street in central Auckland and New Zealand's first official television transmission began. . For the first six weeks, programs are limited to two hours a night and two nights a week. . In mid-July, this was extended to four nights a week. A television licence fee of £4 per year was introduced in August.

Film

Sport

• See: 1960 in sports, :Category:1960 in sports

  Athletics

• Ray Puckett wins his third national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:23:12.6 on 8 March in Invercargill.

  Chess

• The 67th National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by Ortvin Sarapu of Auckland.

  Cricket

• The Australian team toured but games against the national side did not have Test status.
• Plunket Shield was won by Canterbury

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – False Step
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Damian

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – Stanley Snedden
• Men's pair champions – E.H. Taylor, Pete Skoglund
• Men's fours champions – H. Roy, J. Scott, B. Moore, Bill O'Neill

  Olympic Games

Summer Olympics

• New Zealand enters 38 competitors in nine sports, winning two gold and one bronze medals.

  Winter Olympics

• New Zealand enters the Winter Olympics for the second time, with a team of four competitors.

  Rugby league

• New Zealand national rugby league team
• Rugby League World Cup

  Rugby union

• The All Blacks toured South Africa, losing the four-test series 2–1 with one game drawn.
• * 25 June, Ellis Park, Johannesburg: New Zealand 0 – 13 South Africa
• * 23 July, Newlands, Cape Town: New Zealand 11 – 3 South Africa
• * 13 Aug, Free State Stadium, Blomfontein: New Zealand 11 – 11 South Africa
• * 27 August, Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth: New Zealand 3 – 8 South
• Ranfurly Shield: Auckland managed successful defences against Thames Valley and Counties before losing to North Auckland, 17–11. North Auckland managed to defend the shield against Poverty Bay, before losing 3-6 to Auckland. Auckland held the shield for the remainder of the season, beating Manawatu, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Taranaki and Canterbury.

  Soccer

• The national men's team made a short tour to Tahiti.
• * 5 September, Papeete: NZ 5 – 1 Tahiti
• * 8 September, Papeete: NZ 8 – 0 Tahiti Juniors
• * 12 September, Papeete: NZ 2 – 1 Tahiti
• Chatham Cup won by North Shore United, who beat Technical Old Boys 5–3 in the final.
• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland: North Shore United
• * Bay of Plenty: Kahukura
• * Buller: Waimangaroa United
• * Canterbury: Western
• * Franklin: Papatoetoe
• * Hawke's Bay: Napier Rovers
• * Manawatu: Kiwi United
• * Marlborough: Woodbourne
• * Nelson: Athletic
• * Northland: Otangarei United
• * Otago: Northern AFC
• * Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
• * South Canterbury: Thistle
• * Southland: Invercargill Thistle
• * Taranaki: Moturoa
• * Waikato: Hamilton Technical OB
• * Wairarapa: YMCA
• * Wanganui: Blue Rovers
• * Wellington: Railways
• * West Coast: Cobden-Kohinoor

  Births

• 21 January: Phil Horne, cricketer
• 15 February: Michael James "Jock" Hobbs, rugby player and administrator
• 6 April: Richard Loe, rugby player
• 10 April – Rex Wilson, long-distance runner
• 2 May – Rhys Jones, New Zealand Army officer
• 14 May: Frank Nobilo, golfer
• 7 June: Lianne Dalziel, politician
• 15 July: Gary Robertson, cricketer
• 9 September: Chris White, rower
• 29 September: Tau Henare, politician
• 1 November: Jenny Bornholdt, poet
• 17 December: Steve Walsh, long jumper
• 26 December: Temuera Morrison, actor

  Deaths

• 1 June Alfred Murdoch, politician.
• 25 July Edgar Neale, politician.
• 10 September: Sir Harold Gillies, plastic surgery pioneer
• 8 October Sir William Polson, politician.
• 29 November Sir Andrew Hamilton Russell, soldier.