Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 1,853,900
• Increase since 31/12/1947: 36,400 (2.00%)
• Males per 100 Females: 100.5

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
   - George VI
  George VI of the United Kingdom
  George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
  
  
• Governor-General
  Governor-General of New Zealand
  The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
  
   - Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg
  Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg
  Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO & Three Bars , was a British-born New Zealand Victoria Cross recipient and soldier who later served as the seventh Governor-General of New Zealand.A veteran of the Mexican Revolution, he became an officer in the...
  
  VC
  Victoria Cross
  The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
  
   GCMG
  Order of St Michael and St George
  The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
  
   KCB
  Order of the Bath
  The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
  
   KBE
  Order of the British Empire
  The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
  
   DSO
  Distinguished Service Order
  The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
  
  

Government

• Speaker of the House
  Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
  In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...
  
   - Robert McKeen
  Robert McKeen
  Robert McKeen, CMG was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party He was the twelfth Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1947 to 1950....
  
  (Labour)
• Prime Minister
  Prime Minister of New Zealand
  The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
  
   - Peter Fraser
• Minister of Finance
  Minister of Finance (New Zealand)
  The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....
  
   - Walter Nash
  Walter Nash
  Sir Walter Nash, GCMG, CH served as the 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960, and was also highly influential in his role as Minister of Finance...
  
  
• Minister of Foreign Affairs
  Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand)
  The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...
  
   - Peter Fraser
• Attorney-General
  Attorney-General (New Zealand)
  The Attorney-General is a political office in New Zealand. It is simultaneously a ministerial position and an administrative office, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters...
  
   - Rex Mason
  Rex Mason
  Henry Greathead Rex Mason was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the direction of the Labour Party...
  
  

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition
  Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
  The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
  
   - Sidney Holland
  Sidney Holland
  Sir Sidney George Holland, GCMG, CH was the 25th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957.-Early life:...
  
  (National Party
  New Zealand National Party
  The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
  
  ).

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland
  Mayor of Auckland
  The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland region in New Zealand...
  
   - John Allum
  John Allum
  Sir John Andrew Charles Allum was a New Zealand businessman and engineer, and was Mayor of Auckland City from 1941 to 1953.He was born in London and educated at Goldsmiths College. An electrical engineer, he founded Allum Electrical in Auckland in 1922.He was on the Auckland City Council from 1920...
  
  
• Mayor of Hamilton
  Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand
  The Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand is the head of the municipal government of Hamilton, New Zealand, and presides over the Hamilton City Council.In the 2010 Local Government elections, Julie Hardaker was elected as mayor, defeating incumbent Bob Simcock....
  
   - Harold Caro
• Mayor of Wellington
  Mayor of Wellington
  The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, New Zealand, and presides over the Wellington City Council. The Mayor of Wellington administers only Wellington City itself — other municipalities in adjacent areas of the Wellington Region such as Lower Hutt, Upper...
  
   - William Appleton
  William Appleton (mayor)
  Sir William Appleton was Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand from 1944 to 1950, having been a city councillor from 1931 to 1944.He was a leader of the commercial community, and founder of an advertising agency.-References:...
  
  
• Mayor of Christchurch
  Mayor of Christchurch
  The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system...
  
   - Ernest Andrews
  Ernest Andrews
  Sir Ernest Herbert Andrews was Mayor of Christchurch from 1941 until his retirement in 1950. He had served continuously on Christchurch City Council since 1919.- Early years :...
  
  
• Mayor of Dunedin
  Mayor of Dunedin
  The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the municipal government of Dunedin, New Zealand, and presides over the Dunedin City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the Single Transferable Vote system in 2007....
  
   - Donald Cameron

Events

• The Marlborough Press, which was founded in 1860, is taken over by The Marlborough Express
  The Marlborough Express
  The Marlborough Express is a newspaper servicing the Marlborough area of New Zealand. Its headquarters are in Blenheim and has been published there since 1866. It became a daily in 1880 and took over its rivals the Marlborough Times in 1895 and the Marlborough Press in 1948. In 1998 it was sold to...
  
  .
• Italy
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
   establishes a consulate in Wellington.

Film

Appointments and awards

• Archbishop of New Zealand
  Archbishop of New Zealand
  The Archbishop of New Zealand is the primate, or head, of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. However, since Whakahuihui Vercoe stepped down at the end of his two-year term as archbishop in 2006, the church has decided that three bishops shall share the position and style of...
  
  
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
  Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
  The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia is a church of the Anglican Communion serving New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands...
  
   , see appointments to Diocese

Archery

• Open Men - H. Butel (Dunedin
  Dunedin
  Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
  
  )
• Open Women - D. Johnstone (Dunedin
  Dunedin
  Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
  
  )

Athletics

• Jack Clarke wins the national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:44:06 in Dunedin
  Dunedin
  Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
  
  .

Basketball

• Interpovincial Champions: Men - Palmerston North
• Interpovincial Champions: Women - Palmerston North

Chess

• The 55th National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by R.G. Wade of Wellington (his 3rd win).

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup
  New Zealand Trotting Cup
  The New Zealand Trotting Cup or New Zealand Cup is a Group One harness race held annually by the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is considered the country's most prestigious harness racing event. the prize was NZ$750,000, the largest prize for a...
  
  : Highland Fling
  Highland Fling (horse)
  Highland Fling was a New Zealand bred Standardbred racehorse. He is notable in that he won two New Zealand Trotting Cup races, the richest harness race, and sometimes the richest horse race in New Zealand. Highland Fling was a leading performer in the years 1947 and 1948...
  
   - 2nd win
• Auckland Trotting Cup
  Auckland Trotting Cup
  The Auckland Trotting Cup or Auckland Cup is a race held at Alexandra Park in March in Auckland, New Zealand for Standardbred horses. It is one of two major harness races, along with the New Zealand Cup, held in New Zealand each year. It is notable as it is a Group 1 championship race over...
  
  : Captain Sandy

Olympic Games

• New Zealand at the 1948 Summer Olympics
  New Zealand at the 1948 Summer Olympics
  New Zealand competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England.New Zealand was one of 22 nations which didn't win any medals.-Athletics:* John Holland* Doug Harris* Harold Nelson- External links :*...
  
  
• New Zealand is represented by seven competitors in athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming and weightlifting. There are no medal successes.