1956 in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Population
- Estimated Population as of 31 December: 2,209,200
- Increase since 31 December 1955: 44,400 (2.05%)
- Males per 100 Females: 101.2
Regal and Vice Regal
- Head of StateHead of StateA 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...
– Elizabeth II - Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of New ZealandThe 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 NorrieCharles Norrie, 1st Baron NorrieLieutenant-General Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie GCMG, GCVO, CB, DSO, MC & Bar was a British Army general during World War II, following which he served terms as Governor of South Australia and the eighth Governor-General of New Zealand.-Army career:After education at Eton and...
GCMGOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe 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....
GCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
CBOrder of the BathThe 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...
DSODistinguished Service OrderThe 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...
MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
Government
The 31st New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the NationalNew 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:...
government under 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:...
.
- Speaker of the HouseSpeaker of the New Zealand House of RepresentativesIn 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...
– Mathew Oram - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of New ZealandThe 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...
– Sidney HollandSidney HollandSir Sidney George Holland, GCMG, CH was the 25th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957.-Early life:...
. - Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Prime Minister of New ZealandThe Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand is second most senior officer in the Government of New Zealand, although this seniority does not necessarily translate into power....
– Keith HolyoakeKeith HolyoakeSir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
. - Minister of FinanceMinister 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....
– Jack Watts. - Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister 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...
– Thomas Lachlan MacDonald. - Attorney-GeneralAttorney-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...
– Jack MarshallJack MarshallSir John Ross Marshall, GBE, CH, , generally known as Jack Marshall, was a New Zealand politician. After spending twelve years as Deputy Prime Minister, he served as the 28th Prime Minister for most of 1972....
.
Parliamentary opposition
- Leader of the OppositionLeader 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...
– Walter NashWalter NashSir 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...
(LabourNew Zealand Labour PartyThe New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
).
Main centre leaders
- Mayor of AucklandMayor of AucklandThe Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland region in New Zealand...
– John LuxfordJohn LuxfordJohn Hector Luxford was a New Zealand lawyer and Mayor of Auckland City from 1953 to 1956.Born in Palmerston North, he qualified as a solicitor in 1913 and a barrister in 1919. He practised in Te Awamutu, Hamilton and Auckland. He was Chief Judge in Samoa 1929-35 and a magistrate in Auckland 1941-51...
.followed by Thomas AshbyThomas Ashby (mayor)Thomas William Mark Ashby was a New Zealand local body administrator and Mayor of Auckland City from 1956 to 1957. He was Auckland Town Clerk 1944-55, and secretary of the committee for the 1950 British Empire Games at Auckland.In November 1956, he defeated the previous mayor John Luxford...
from 1956–57 - Mayor of HamiltonMayor of Hamilton, New ZealandThe 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....
– Roderick Alastair MacDonald Braithwaite - Mayor of WellingtonMayor of WellingtonThe 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...
– Robert MacalisterRobert MacalisterRobert Lachlan Macalister was the Mayor of Wellington from 1950 to 1956, and had been the Acting Mayor for five months in 1948 during the absence overseas of William Appleton....
, followed by Frank KittsFrank KittsSir Francis "Frank" Joseph Kitts was the longest-serving Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand, having held the post from 1956 to 1974. He was the Labour Member of Parliament for Wellington Central from 1954 to 1960, when he was defeated by the National candidate Dan Riddiford.Kitts was on the...
. - Mayor of ChristchurchMayor of ChristchurchThe 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...
– Robert M. Macfarlane. - Mayor of DunedinMayor of DunedinThe 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....
– Leonard Morton Wright.
Events
- 8 March: OpoOpo the DolphinOpo was a bottlenose dolphin who became famous throughout New Zealand during the summer of 1955-56 for playing with the children of the small town of Opononi on the Hokianga harbour....
the friendly Dolphin dies in the HokiangaHokiangaHokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand....
. - 13 March – After 26 years playing international cricket the New ZealandNew Zealand cricket teamThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
wins its first ever test victory against the West Indies at Eden ParkEden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
.
- New Zealand troops are sent to MalayaMalayan EmergencyThe Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
- the Roxburgh DamRoxburgh DamThe Roxburgh Dam is the earliest of the large hydroelectric projects in the southern South Island of New Zealand. It lies across the Clutha River / Mata-Au, some from Dunedin, some to the north of the town of Roxburgh...
is opened
Film
See: :Category:1956 film awards , 1956 in film1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
, List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand
Cinema of New Zealand
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
, :Category:1956 films
Appointments and awards
See: New Zealand Order of MeritNew Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
, Order of New Zealand
Order of New Zealand
The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in New Zealand's honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity"...
- Archbishop of New ZealandArchbishop of New ZealandThe 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 PolynesiaAnglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and PolynesiaThe 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
Athletics
- Albert Richards wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:31:46 in ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
Chess
- The 63rd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.A. Foulds of Auckland.
Soccer
- The Chatham Cup1956 Chatham CupThe 1956 Chatham Cup was the 29th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds...
is won by Stop OutStop OutStop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
(Lower Hutt) who beat Shamrock (soccer) of Christchurch 4—1 in the final. - Provincial league champions:
- Auckland: Onehunga
- Bay of Plenty: Rangers
- Buller: Millerton Thistle
- Canterbury: WesternWestern A.F.C.Western A.F.C. is a semi-professional association football club in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in the Robbie's Premier Football League.-1913–1920:...
- Hawke's Bay: Napier Athletic
- Manawatu: Kiwi United
- Marlborough: Blenheim B
- Nelson: Settlers
- Northland: Kamo Swifts
- Otago: Northern AFC
- Poverty Bay: Eastern UnionGisborne CityGisborne City FC is a soccer club in Gisborne, New Zealand who play in the eastern league 1st division. Their home ground is Childers Road. They have won the National League, Air New Zealand cup, and the Chatham Cup....
- South Canterbury: West End
- Southland: Brigadiers
- Taranaki: Moturoa
- Waikato: Huntly Thistle
- Wairarapa: No competition
- Wanganui: Technical College Old Boys
- Wellington: Stop OutStop OutStop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
Births
- 3 January: Judith TizardJudith TizardJudith Tizard is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Judith Ngaire Tizard was born in Auckland in 1956...
, politician - 6 January: Stephen CoxStephen Cox (cyclist)Stephen Clifford Cox is a retired racing cyclist from New Zealand, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics. There he finished in 37th place in the men's individual road race...
, cyclist - 16 January: Mark BurtonMark BurtonRichard Mark Burton is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party. He served as Minister of Defence; Minister of Justice; Minister of Local Government; Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations; Deputy Leader of the House; and the Minister Responsible for the Law...
, politician - 1 March: Mark ToddMark Todd (equestrian)Mark James Todd, CBE is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the discipline of eventing, voted Rider of the 20th Century by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, Mark James Todd, CBE (born 1 March 1956) is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the...
, equestrian eventer - 3 March: John F. ReidJohn Fulton ReidJohn Fulton Reid is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was born in Auckland.Reid played in 19 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals between 1979 and 1986. His Test average was 46.28 and included six Test centuries...
, cricketer - 13 April: Peter 'Possum' BournePeter 'Possum' BournePeter Raymond George "Possum" Bourne was a champion New Zealand rally car driver. He died under non-competitive circumstances while driving on a public road that was to be the track for an upcoming race.- Awards :...
, rally driver - 17 April: Jaynie ParkhouseJaynie ParkhouseJaynie Parkhouse is a retired female freestyle swimmer from New Zealand, who competed for her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. She claimed the gold medal at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in the women's 800m freestyle and Bronze medal in the 400m...
, freestyle swimmer - 26 April: Tinks PottingerTinks PottingerJudy "Tinks" Pottinger is a New Zealand horsewoman who won a Bronze Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Pottinger, riding Volunteer, was in the New Zealand Three Day Event Team which finished third, along with Andrew Bennie, Margaret Knighton and Mark Todd...
, equestrian eventer - 8 May: Richard Wilson, soccer player
- 10 May: Chris KuggeleijnChris KuggeleijnChristopher Mary Kuggeleijn played two Tests in 1988-89 and 16 One Day Internationals for New Zealand in 1988 and 1989....
, cricket player and coach - 23 May: Mark ShawMark Shaw (rugby player)Mark William Shaw is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who represented Manawatu, Hawke's Bay and the All Blacks.Shaw was appointed as an All Black selector in 2002.-References:...
, rugby union footballer and selector - 18 August: Andrew BennieAndrew BennieAndrew Bennie is a New Zealand horseman who won a Bronze Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Bennie, riding Grayshott, was in the New Zealand Three Day Event Team which finished third, along with Tinks Pottinger, Margaret Knighton and Mark Todd. In the individual Three Day Event at the...
, equestrian eventer - 8 November: Richard CurtisRichard CurtisRichard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually and The Girl in the Café, as well as the hit...
, screenwriter - 23 November: Bruce EdgarBruce EdgarBruce Adrian Edgar was a cricketer from Wellington and one of the best batsmen New Zealand has ever produced. An accountant by profession, in the 1980s, he played 39 Tests and 64 One Day Internationals, altogether he played 175 first-class matches...
, cricketer - 12 December: Barry PickeringBarry PickeringBarry Pickering was a successful football player who represented New Zealand internationally, being part of the 1982 squad that participated at 1982 FIFA World Cup finals where he was the third choice goalkeeper behind Frank van Hattum and Richard Wilson.Pickering made his full All Whites...
, soccer player - 16 December: Rodney HideRodney HideRodney Hide is a New Zealand politician who was leader of the political party ACT New Zealand from 2004 to 2011. From 2005 to 2011 he represented the electorate of Epsom as its Member of Parliament. Rodney Hide was Minister of Local Government, Associate Minister of Commerce and Minister of...
, politician
- James BelichJames Belich (historian)James Christopher Belich, ONZM is a New Zealand revisionist historian, known for his work on the New Zealand Wars.Of Croatian descent, he was born in Wellington in 1956, the son of Sir James Belich, who later became Mayor of Wellington. He attended Onslow College.He gained an M.A...
, historian - Gerry BrownleeGerry BrownleeGerard Anthony "Gerry" Brownlee is a New Zealand politician. He served from 17 November 2003 to 27 November 2006 as deputy-leader of the National Party – during that period the second-largest party in the New Zealand Parliament, and thus forming the core of the Opposition...
, politician - (in Paris, France) Christopher MarshallChristopher Marshall (composer)Christopher Marshall is a New Zealander Classical composer who currently resides in Orlando, Florida USA.His works include choral works, works for chamber ensemble, orchestral music and works for concert band/wind ensemble for which he is most notable. His most notable composition to date is...
, composer - Jenny Morris, singer
- Vincent WardVincent WardVincent Ward, ONZM is a film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Vincent Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making. He was born in Greytown, New Zealand. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream and trained as an artist at the...
, film director - Douglas WrightDouglas Wright (New Zealand dancer)Douglas Wright is an openly gay dancer and choreographer in the New Zealand arts establishment from 1980 until his retirement from dance in 2008 on the occasion of the publication of his first book of poetry, Laughing Mirror ....
, dancer and choreographer