2019 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Patsy Reddy

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Trevor Mallard
• Prime Minister – Jacinda Ardern
• Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters
• Leader of the House – Chris Hipkins
• Minister of Finance – Grant Robertson
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters

  Other party leaders

• National – Simon Bridges
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Green – James Shaw and Marama Davidson
• ACT – David Seymour

  Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sian Elias until 13 March, then Helen Winkelmann

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Phil Goff
• Mayor of Tauranga – Greg Brownless, then from 24 October Tenby Powell
• Mayor of Hamilton – Andrew King, then from 24 October Paula Southgate
• Mayor of Wellington – Justin Lester, then from 30 October Andy Foster
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull, then from 25 October Aaron Hawkins

  Events

February

• 5 February – 6 March – Wildfires in Nelson cause thousands to evacuate their homes.

  March

• 15 March – Shootings at two Christchurch mosques result in the deaths of 51 people.
• 16 March – Sky News Australia is pulled off the air by independently-owned Sky New Zealand. The decision was made after the channel refused to stop showing graphic video footage that had been live-streamed by the Christchurch shooter at the two mosques in Christchurch.

  May

• 30 May – The 2019 New Zealand budget is presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson.

  June

• 3 June – The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.

  July

• 19 July – A Christchurch house destroyed in a gas explosion results in six people being hospitalised.

  October

• 12 October – voting for the 2019 local elections concludes.
• 22 October – The Skycity Convention Centre catches fire while still under construction, causing significant disruption in the Auckland CBD.

  November

• 17–23 November – Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall make an official visit to Auckland, Northland, Christchurch and Kaikōura.

  December

• 8 December – Severe rain causes landslides and flooding in the South Island, closing State Highways 1, 6 and Inland Scenic Route 72, and trapping 1000 tourists in South Westland.
• 9 December – Whakaari / White Island erupts, killing 21 and injuring 26.
• 31 December – The 2020 New Year Honours are announced.

  Sports

Cycling

• 27 January – Aaron Gate wins the New Zealand Cycle Classic

  Rowing

• New Zealand Secondary School Championships
• * Maadi Cup – Christchurch Boys' High School
• * Levin 75th Jubilee Cup – St Margaret's College
• * Star Trophy – Christchurch Boys' High School

  Shooting

• Ballinger Belt –
• * Jim Bailey
• * John Snowden, second, top New Zealander

  Rugby union

• England beat the All Blacks 19–7 in the semifinal of the 2019 Rugby World Cup

  Deaths

January

• 1 January
• * Ross Allen, local politician, cricket umpire
• * Elizabeth Edgar, botanist
• 11 January – Wayne Blair, cricketer
• 18 January – Reg Hart, rugby league player
• 20 January – Ian Shirley, academic, social justice advocate
• 23 January – Aloysius Pang, Singaporean actor
• 25 January – Sir John Jeffries, politician, lawyer, jurist

  February

• 3 February – Peter Posa, guitarist
• 6 February – John Cocks, builder, television personality
• 9 February – Neville Young, lawyer, National Party president
• 11 February – Allan Wild, architect, academic
• 12 February – George Grindley, geologist
• 14 February – Barrie Hutchinson, water polo and rugby union player
• 18 February
• * George Cawkwell, classical scholar
• * Laura Solomon, novelist, playwright, poet
• * Peter Wells, writer, film-maker
• 23 February – Brian Halton, organic chemist
• 24 February – Ian Eliason, rugby union player
• 27 February – Bill Playle, cricketer

  March

• 1 March – Mike Tamoaieta, rugby union player
• 2 March – Keith Davis, rugby union player
• 3 March – Leo de Castro, musician
• 5 March – David Kear, geologist, science administrator
• 7 March – Ron Russell, politician
• 8 March – Ian Lawrence, politician, mayor of Wellington
• 11 March – John Dawson, botanist
• 14 March – Thomas Goddard, jurist
• 15 March – Atta Elayyan, futsal player
• 22 March – Denzil Meuli, writer, newspaper editor, Catholic priest
• 24 March – Finn Lowery, water polo player
• 28 March – Bill Culbert, artist
• 30 March – Ron Elvidge, rugby union player

  April

• 4 April – Ray Harper, rugby union administrator
• 5 April – Trevor McKee, racehorse trainer
• 8 April – Anzac Wallace, actor
• 9 April – George McConnell, cricketer
• 13 April – Yvette Williams, athlete
• 16 April – Len Hoogerbrug, architect
• 17 April – Peter Cartwright, lawyer, viceregal consort
• 19 April – Philip Liner, radio broadcaster

  May

• 2 May
• * Duncan MacRae, rugby league player
• * Sister Pauline O'Regan, educator, writer
• 7 May – Te Wharehuia Milroy, Māori language academic
• 10 May
• * Carey Adamson, air force officer
• * Malcolm Black, musician, music lawyer
• 11 May
• * Sir Hector Busby, Māori traditional navigator and waka builder
• * Pua Magasiva, actor
• 15 May – Roger Blackley, art historian
• 18 May
• * Quentin Pongia, rugby league player
• * Doug Wilson, rugby union player
• 24 May – Sharon McAuslan, jurist
• 26 May – Percy Erceg, rugby union player
• 27 May – Guy Jansen, music educator, choral musician
• 30 May – Jim Bell, association footballer
• 31 May – Sir Grant Hammond, jurist

  June

• 2 June – Alistair Browning, actor
• 13 June – Merilyn Wiseman, potter
• 18 June
• * Shirlene Colcord, one of the Lawson quintuplets.
• * Bill Deacon, rugby league player.
• * Shona Dunlop MacTavish, dancer, choreographer
• 21 June – Geraldine Harcourt, Japanese–English translator
• 25 June – Arthur Candy, cyclist
• 30 June – James Gill, cricketer

  July

• 4 July – Vernon McArley, cricketer
• 6 July – Denis Pain, jurist, eventing team manager
• 9 July – Heather Nicholson, geologist, writer
• 12 July – Matthew Trundle, classics and ancient history academic
• 15 July – Brian Coote, legal academic
• 17 July – Warren Cole, rower
• 20 July
• * Paddy Bassett, agricultural scientist
• * Lance Pearson, cricketer, basketball
• 21 July – Peter Ramsay, educationalist, daffodil breeder
• 23 July – Ruth Gotlieb, local-body politician
• 29 July – John Wybrow, politician, diplomat

  August

• 1 August
• * Raymond Boyce, stage and costume designer, puppeteer
• * Llew Summers, sculptor
• 2 August
• * Stuart O'Connell, Roman Catholic bishop
• * Rob Storey, politician
• * Helen Young, radio manager, arts advocate
• 3 August – Sir Brian Lochore, rugby union player and coach
• 6 August – Rod Coleman, motorcycle road racer
• 8 August – Mazhar Krasniqi, Muslim community leader
• 11 August – Geoff Malcolm, physical chemist
• 15 August – Noel Pope, local-body politician
• 16 August – Bruce Deans, rugby union player
• 21 August – Lawrence Reade, cricketer
• 23 August – Roaring Lion, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 25 August
• * Sam McGredy, rose hybridiser.
• * Ian Sinclair, cricketer
• 26 August
• * Felix Donnelly, Roman Catholic priest, social activist, writer, broadcaster
• * Ray Henwood, actor
• * Pita Paraone, politician
• 27 August – Tahu Potiki, Ngāi Tahu leader
• 29 August – Don Aickin, obstetrician and gynaecologist
• 30 August – Ken France, association footballer

  September

• 4 September – Peter Ellis, convicted child sex abuser
• 7 September – Lawrie Creamer, protein chemist
• 8 September – Ray Hitchcock, cricketer, racehorse breeder
• 9 September – Alister Taylor, publisher
• 12 September
• * Wade Doak, marine conservationist
• * ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, Tongan Prime Minister
• 18 September – Lady Anne Berry, horticulturalist
• 27 September – Jack Lasenby, children's author

  October

• 2 October – Tiny Hill, rugby union player and selector
• 7 October – Harvey Benge, photographer
• 10 October – Marie Darby, marine biologist
• 11 October – Heather Robson, badminton and tennis player
• 18 October – Rom Harré, philosopher
• Between 16 and 22 October – Mike McClennan, rugby league player and coach
• 28 October – Ken McCracken, rugby league player

  November

• 2 November – Ian Cross, writer, journalist, broadcasting executive
• 5 November – Ed Dolejs, softball coach
• 9 November – Les Downes, cricketer
• 16 November – Nancy Brunning, actress and playwright
• 18 November – Ryan Costello, baseball player
• 20 November – Alastair Smith, information science academic
• 21 November – Wally Clark, zoologist
• 25 November – Bevin Hough, rugby league player, long jumper

  December

• 1 December – Sacred Falls, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 3 December – Arthur Baysting, writer, songwriter, New Zealand music advocate
• 5 December – Rick Bryant, musician
• 6 December – Jules Mikus, convicted murderer
• 8 December
• * Joe Moodabe, cinema chain manager
• * Tessa Temata, diplomat
• 12 December
• * Norman Kingsbury, educational administrator
• * Brian Muller, rugby union player.
• * Sir Peter Snell, athlete.
• 21 December
• * Peter Bartlett, architect and academic
• * Sam Strahan, rugby union player
• 22 December – Bill Lambert, politician
• 29 December – Ken Strongman, psychology academic, book and television reviewer