2012 is the first full year of the 50th Parliament, which first sat on 20 December 2011 and will dissolve on 17 December 2014 if not dissolved prior. The Fifth National Government, first elected in 2008, continues.
10 January β The stern section of the MV Rena, grounded on a reef of the coast of Tauranga since October 2011, sinks after splitting from the bow section on 8 January, spilling cargo along the Bay of Plenty coast.
20 January β More than 70 police raid a $30 million mansion in Coatesville, north of Auckland, leased by Kim Dotcom, and arrest Dotcom and three others for internet piracy as part of the United States Department of Justice shut down of the file hosting site Megaupload.
22 February β Thousands of people in Christchurch and across New Zealand commemorate the first anniversary of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which killed 185 people on 22 February 2011.
March
2 March β It is announced that the 131-year-old landmark ChristChurch Cathedral will be demolished as a result of damage from the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.
19 March β "Marmageddon": It is announced by manufacturer Sanitarium that the sole production line of the popular breakfast spread Marmite, of which New Zealanders eat 640 tonnes annually, had stopped in November due to earthquake damage at the Papanui, Christchurch factory, and the company's own stocks had run out. It would be February 2013 before production resumed.
25 March β The largest changes to the nation's road rules in 35 years sees two rules regarding priority at intersections change, including the unique left-turn verses right-turn rule.
April
10 April β For the first time since records began, the Easter weekend road toll period ends with no fatal road accidents.
21 April β A referendum is held in Nelson City and the Tasman District on whether the two councils should amalgamate. A majority of Nelson City vote for amalgamation, while the majority of Tasman District votes against amalgamation, resulting in the merger being rejected.
19 May β The finding of the remains of murder victim Jayne Furlong at Port Waikato, 19 years after she went missing in Auckland.
24 May β Finance Minister Bill English delivers the 2012 government budget, described for the second consecutive year as a "zero" budget. The National government aims to record a $197m surplus in 2014/15, down from $1300m in the 2011 budget.
June
July
3 July β A magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes off the Taranaki coast and is widely felt across the country. Only minor damage is reported to have occurred as a result of the earthquake.
27 July β 12 August β 184 New Zealand athletes in sixteen sports compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, achieving six gold, two silver and five bronze medals, including the nation's 100th Olympic medal.
August
5 August β The Radio Network House in Christchurch which was damaged beyond repair in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake is demolished by implosion, becoming the first building to be demolished this way in New Zealand.
6 August β Mount Tongariro in the central North Island erupts, spreading volcanic ash across the area and as far east as Hawke's Bay.
30 August β Members of Parliament votes on three options for the national legal drinking age β the existing 18 years, 20 years, or an 18 on-licence/20 off-licence split. After the 18/20 split was eliminated in the first round of voting, Parliament votes in the second round to keep the age at 18 years, with 68 votes in favour to 53.
The payroll of 110,000 teachers and support staff in state and state-integrated schools is switched to the new Novopay system. The error-ridden system would ultimately cause thousands of pay errors, resulting in staff being overpaid, underpaid, or not paid at all, continuing into 2013.
September
10 September β Weekday editions of The New Zealand Herald cease publication in broadsheet format after 150 years, switching to a compact format.
30 September β Hawke's Bay and West Coast become the first regions to complete digital television transition, when analogue television signals are switched off at 3:00 am.
22 July β The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic win the 2012 ANZ Championship netball final against the Melbourne Vixens by 41β38 in Melbourne, becoming the first New Zealand team to win the trans-Tasman competition since its inauguration in 2008.
12 August β The 2012 Summer Olympics closes, with New Zealand at the time claiming five gold medals, three silver medals, and five bronze medals.
13 August β Valerie Adams, who initially won the silver medal in the women's shot put, is awarded the gold medal after the initial gold medallist, Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk, is stripped of her medal due to failing a drugs test. New Zealand's medal tally subsequently changes to six gold medals, two silver medals, and five bronze medals.
25 August β The All Blacks win the 2012 Bledisloe Cup after winning 22β0 over Australia in Auckland to secure two wins in the three game series. The win is New Zealand's tenth successive Bledisloe Cup win.
29 August β The 2012 Summer Paralympics opens in London, United Kingdom. New Zealand sends a delegation of 24 athletes, competing in seven sports.
9 September β The 2012 Summer Olympics closes, with New Zealand claiming six gold medals, seven silver medals, and four bronze medals.
20 September β The Silver Ferns claim the 2012 Constellation Cup, after winning 50β49 over Australia in Auckland to secure two wins in the three game series. The win is New Zealand's first Constellation Cup win since its inauguration in 2010, and New Zealand's first test series win over Australia since 2005.
Olympic Games
New Zealand sends a team of 184 competitors across 16 sports.
Total
6
2
5
13
Paralympics
New Zealand sends a team of 24 competitors across seven sports.
