2008 in New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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...

- Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
Monarchy in New Zealand
The monarchy of New Zealand also referred to as The Crown in Right of New Zealand, Her Majesty in Right of New Zealand, or The Queen in Right of New Zealand is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of the Realm of New Zealand,...
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....

- The Hon. Anand Satyanand
Anand Satyanand
Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ was the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.-Early life and family:...

, PCNZM
New 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...

, QSO
Queen's Service Order
The Queen's Service Order was established by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, awarded by the government of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or...

Government

48th New Zealand Parliament

The 48th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined at a general election held on 17 September 2005. The new parliament met for the first time on 7 November 2005...

continued until the general election

New Zealand general election, 2008

The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...

in November. The government was a Labour

New Zealand Labour Party

The 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....

-Progressive

New Zealand Progressive Party

Jim Anderton's Progressive Party , is a New Zealand political party generally somewhat to the left of its ally, the Labour Party....

coalition with supply and confidence from
United Future and New Zealand First

New Zealand First

New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...

in exchange for two ministerial spots outside Cabinet.

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...

- Margaret Wilson
Margaret Wilson
Dame Margaret Wilson DCNZM is a New Zealand academic and former politician. She was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives during the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand. She is a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:...

(Labour) since 3 March 2005
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...

- Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

(Labour) since 5 December 1999
Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The 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....

- Michael Cullen (Labour) since 15 August 2002
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....

- Michael Cullen (Labour) since 5 December 1999

Non-Labour Ministers

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...

- Winston Peters
Winston Peters
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician and leader of New Zealand First, a political party he founded in 1993. Peters has had a turbulent political career since entering Parliament in 1978. He served as Minister of Maori Affairs in the Bolger National Party Government before being...

(NZ First
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...

) since October 2005
Jim Anderton
Jim Anderton
James Patrick Anderton, usually known as Jim Anderton , is the leader of the Progressive Party, a New Zealand political party. He has served in Parliament since 1984. He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and is currently also the sitting Father of the House, the longest...

(Progressives) - Minister of Agriculture (within Cabinet)
Peter Dunne
Peter Dunne
Peter Dunne is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament who leads the United Future political party. He has served as a Cabinet minister in governments dominated by the centre-left Labour Party as well as by the centre-right National Party...

(United Future)- Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health (outside Cabinet)

The 49th New Zealand Parliament

49th New Zealand Parliament

The 49th New Zealand Parliament was elected at the 2008 election. It consists of 122 members, including an overhang of two seats caused by the Māori Party having won two more electorate seats than its share of the party vote would otherwise have given it. The Parliament will serve from 2008 until...

was formed after the general election, with the 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:...

governing with confidence and supply

Confidence and supply

In a parliamentary democracy confidence and supply are required for a government to hold power. A confidence and supply agreement is an agreement that a minor party or independent member of parliament will support the government in motions of confidence and appropriation votes by voting in favour...

agreements with the ACT, Māori

Maori Party

The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

and United Future parties.

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...

- Lockwood Smith
Lockwood Smith
Alexander Lockwood Smith is a New Zealand politician, the 28th and current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Smith is a member of the New Zealand National Party, who has served as a Member of Parliament since 1984...
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...

- John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

(National) since 19 November 2008
Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
The 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....

and 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....

- Bill English
Bill English
Simon William "Bill" English is the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure of New Zealand.English entered parliament in 1990 as a National party MP representing the Wallace electorate...

(National) since 19 November 2008

Other Party Leaders

National
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:...

- John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

(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...

) since 27 November 2006
Act - Rodney Hide
Rodney Hide
Rodney 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...

, since 13 June 2004
Greens
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

- Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons, CNZM is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. She was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.-Career:...

(since 1995) and Russel Norman
Russel Norman
Dr Russel William Norman is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. He is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of the Green Party alongside Metiria Turei.- Early life :...

(since 3 June 2006)
Māori Party
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...

- Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia
Tariana Turia is a New Zealand politician. She gained considerable prominence during the foreshore and seabed controversy, and eventually broke with her party as a result...

and Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...

, both since 7 July 2004

After the November election, Helen Clark

Helen Clark

Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

resigned as leader of the Labour Party

New Zealand Labour Party

. She was replaced as leader by Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...

, who also became Leader of the Opposition.

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 Banks
John Banks (New Zealand)
John Archibald Banks, CNZM QSO is a New Zealand politician. He served as Mayor of Auckland City for two terms, from 2001 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2010...

, since October 2007
Mayor of Tauranga
Mayor of Tauranga
The Mayor of Tauranga is the head of the municipal government of Tauranga, New Zealand, and presides over the Tauranga City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the First Past the Post system in 2007....

- Stuart Crosby
Stuart Crosby
Stuart Crosby is the current Mayor of the city of Tauranga, New Zealand.He officially assumed office on 9 October 2004, and has been re-elected to mayor and has served two terms.-References:...

, since October 2004
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....

- Bob Simcock
Bob Simcock
Robert Simcock is a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament and then Mayor of Hamilton.-Early career:Simcock attended St John's College before graduating from the University of Waikato with a M Soc Sci ....

, since May 2007
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...

- Kerry Prendergast
Kerry Prendergast
Kerry Leigh Prendergast, CNZM was the 33rd Mayor of Wellington . She was the second woman to serve as Mayor of Wellington, succeeding Mark Blumsky.-Before politics:...

, since October 2001
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...

- Bob Parker, since October 2007
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....

- Peter Chin
Peter Chin (mayor)
Peter Wing Ho Chin CNZM is a lawyer and was the 56th Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand. He served two terms as Mayor from 2004 to 2010....

, since October 2004

Events

22 January: State funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...

for Sir Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
5 April: A huge propane explosion at a coolstore in Tamahere
Tamahere
Tamahere is a semi-rural ward of the Waikato District on the outskirts of Hamilton.-Demographics:According to the 2006 census, the Tamahere and Tauwhare area has a combined population of 4623...

kills firefighter senior station officer Derek Lovell, and seriously injures seven others.
5 June: A newly redesigned flag for the Governor General of New Zealand is flown for the first time at Government House, Auckland.
1 July: Rail transport network
Rail transport in New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...

is renationalised as KiwiRail
KiwiRail
KiwiRail Holdings Limited is the rail operations subsidiary of the New Zealand Railways Corporation, which trades as KiwiRail. Headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, KiwiRail is the largest rail transport operator in New Zealand. Since July 2010 John Spencer has been the Chairman...
11 July: Police Sergeant Derek Wootton (52) is struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police, while laying road spikes at Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay is a suburb of Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the foot of a short peninsula along the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city centre. The suburb's population in 2006 was 7,527...

.
1 August: Crown entities Land Transport New Zealand
Land Transport New Zealand
Land Transport New Zealand was a Crown entity in New Zealand, tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, and includes responsibilities such as driver and vehicle licensing...

and Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand was, from 1989 to 2008, the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network...

merge to form the NZ Transport Agency
New Zealand Transport Agency
The New Zealand Transport Agency is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing and investigating rail accidents. It was created on 1 August 2008 by the Land Transport Management Amendment...
16 August: Dunedin Public Hospital
Dunedin Public Hospital
Dunedin Hospital is the main public hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital south of Christchurch and serves as the major hospital for the Otago and Southland regions...

is put in lockdown for a week after approximately 170 staff and patients fall ill to a norovirus outbreak, resulting in 2,300 appointments and procedures being delayed.
5 September: Fonterra advise Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

of the 2008 baby milk scandal.
11 September: Undercover police Sergeant Don Wilkinson (47) is fatally shot in Mangere
Mangere
Māngere is one of the larger suburbs in South Auckland, in northern New Zealand.The suburb is located on flat land at the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of the centre of Manukau city and 15 kilometres south of Auckland city centre...

, after being discovered attempting to secretly fix a tracking device to a car.
8 November: John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

and the New Zealand 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:...

win the General Election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...

. John Key is able to form a Government and in Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

's speech she resigns as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The 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....
9 November: Michael Cullen resigns as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
19 November: John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....

is sworn in as Prime Minister
27 November: 2008 Air New Zealand A320 test flight crash. Air New Zealand A320 Airbus crashes into the Mediterranean during a test flight, killing five New Zealand and two German air crew.

Holidays and Observances

6 February - Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day commemorates a significant day in the history of New Zealand. It is a public holiday held each year on 6 February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840.-History:...

(Wednesday)
21 March/24 March Good Friday/Easter Monday
25 April - ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...

(Friday)
2 June - Queen's Birthday Monday
5 June - Matariki
Matariki
In the Māori language Matariki is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and also of the season of its first rising in late May or early June - taken as the beginning of the new year...

(Thursday)
27 October - Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...

Monday

Awards

BPANZ Book Design Awards - In association with Spectrum Print and the New Zealand Listener
New Zealand Listener
The New Zealand Listener is a New Zealand magazine. First published in 1939 and edited by Oliver Duff and the Monte Holcroft it originally had a monopoly on the publication of of upcoming television and radio programmes. In the 1980s it lost its monopoly on the publication of upcoming television...

id=13

BEST BOOK Title: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning

BEST COVER Winner: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning

NON-ILLUSTRATED Winner: Dear to Me

ILLUSTRATED Winner: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning

EDUCATIONAL Winner: Astronomy Aotearoa NCEA Level 1 by Robert Shaw ISBN 978-0-7339-9261-2

CHILDREN’S Winner: The King’s Bubbles by Ruth Paul

Music

May - New Zealand Music Month
- Nokia album of the year: Flight Of The Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
  
  - Flight Of The Conchords
- Vodafone single of the year: Opshop
  Opshop
  Opshop is a New Zealand rock band formed in 2002. Their first album, You Are Here was released in 2004. Their second album, Second Hand Planet was released in 2007 and received Triple Platinum certification. It produced the successful single, One Day...
  
  - One Day
- Steinlager Pure best group: Flight Of The Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
  
  - Flight Of The Conchords
- Best male solo artist: Liam Finn
  Liam Finn
  Liam Mullane Finn is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. Born in Australia, he moved to New Zealand as a child...
  
  - I'll be Lightning
- Mazda best female solo artist: Anika Moa
  Anika Moa
  Anika Rose Moa is a New Zealand pop recording artist. In 2001 she signed to Atlantic Records in the United States and released her debut album, Thinking Room, the album reached the top of the New Zealand Singles Chart and was a commercial success.Moa was raised in Christchurch, New Zealand...
  
  - In Swings The Tide
- Kiwi FM breakthrough artist of the year: Flight Of The Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords
  Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
  
  - Flight Of The Conchords
- C4 best music video: Ian Hart
  Ian Hart
  Ian Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
  
  - Her Hairagami Set (The Brunettes)
- Best rock album: Shihad
  Shihad
  Shihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
  
  - Beautiful Machine
- Best urban/hip hop album: Scribe
  Scribe
  A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
  
  - Rhymebook
- Best Aotearoa roots album: Tiki Taane
  Tiki Taane
  Tiki Taane is a New Zealand musician and former member of leading New Zealand band Salmonella Dub. Taane left Salmonella Dub on 1 January 2007 to pursue a solo career...
  
  - Past, Present, Future
- Best dance/electronica album: Recloose - Perfect Timing
- Best Maori album: Ruia - 12:24 Tekau Ma Rua, Rua Tekau Ma Wha
- Best gospel/Christian album: All Left Out - The Conquest
- Best classical album: Michael Houstoun
  Michael Houstoun
  Michael Houstoun is a concert pianist from New Zealand.Born and educated in Timaru, Houstoun studied piano under Sister Mary Eulalie and Maurice Till in Dunedin and Christchurch...
  
  - Inland
- The Vodafone People's Choice Award, voted by New Zealand music fans: Parachute Band
  Parachute Band
  Parachute Band is a worship band from Auckland, New Zealand, formed out of the New Zealand-based Christian organisation Parachute MusicThe band makes pop/rock music and is currently in its second generation, with the current line-up regularly topping the mainstream MySpace NZ Music Charts for acts...
- Opshop
  Opshop
  Opshop is a New Zealand rock band formed in 2002. Their first album, You Are Here was released in 2004. Their second album, Second Hand Planet was released in 2007 and received Triple Platinum certification. It produced the successful single, One Day...
  
  also won Highest Selling NZ Single (One Day), Highest Selling NZ Album (Second Hand Planet), and NZ On Air Radio Airplay Record of the Year (Maybe).

Television

Freeview Digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...

is launched.

The country's first Chinese television channel, CTV8
CTV8
CTV8 or Chinese Television 8 is a free to air regional television channel in Auckland, New Zealand. It launched in August 2007 on UHF Channel 62, and broadcast 24 hours a day to the Auckland urban region. CTV8 has made history in New Zealand as the first Chinese national television channel to be...

(Chinese Television 8) is launched in early October.

Cricket

New Zealand men's cricket team, the Black Caps plays three test matches against England and draws the series, each team having won a game

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...

: Changeover
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...

: Gotta Go Cullen

Rugby league

The New Zealand Kiwis won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...

.
The New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...

finished 8th in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...

and in the playoffs made it through to the Semi Finals, beating minor premiers the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....

in the progress.
The inaugural season
2008 Bartercard Premiership
The 2008 New Zealand rugby league season was the one hundred and first season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the inaugural season of the Bartercard Premiership competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League...

of the new Bartercard Premiership saw Auckland
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...

defeat Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby League
Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby league team which represents the region in New Zealand...

38-10 in the grand final.

Soccer

30 October-16 November – New Zealand hosts the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is an international association football tournament for female players under the age of 17. It is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...

. Matches are held in Albany
North Harbour Stadium
North Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape....

, Christchurch
Queen Elizabeth II Park
Queen Elizabeth II Park is a multi-use stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The stadium has a capacity of 25,000 people. It was built in 1973, to host the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in which a temporary 15000 seat western stand was erected for the event taking capacity to 35000...

, Hamilton
Waikato Stadium
Waikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold...

and Wellington
Basin Reserve
The Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand...

.
The Chatham Cup
2008 Chatham Cup
The 2008 Chatham Cup is the New Zealand's 81st knockout football competition. The final was played on September 13 at North Harbour Stadium, North Shore....

is won by East Coast Bays AFC who beat Dunedin Technical
Dunedin Technical
Dunedin Technical - known locally as "Tech" - is a semi-professional association football club in Dunedin, New Zealand. They compete in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.-Club history:...

1—0 in the final.

Deaths

1 January: Joan Dingley
Joan Dingley
Dr Joan Marjore Dingley OBE was one of the pioneer women of New Zealand science. She worked for the DSIRPlant Diseases Division from 1941 to 1976, becoming the head of mycology....

, mycologist
4 January: Bert Walker
Herbert John Walker
Herbert John Walker, CMG was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.He represented the Christchurch electorates of St Albans in Parliament from 1960 to 1969, and then Papanui from 1969 to 1978, when he was defeated by Mike Moore.In 1961 he was one of ten National MPs to vote with the...

, former National Party politician, minister.
10 January: George Laking
George Laking
Sir George Robert Laking, KCMG, was a New Zealand diplomat who served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador to the United States, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Chief Ombudsman.-Early life:...

, diplomat and public servant.
11 January: Sir Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...

, mountaineer and first person to climb Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...

.
16 January: Hone Tuwhare
Hone Tuwhare
Hone Tuwhare was a noted New Zealand poet of Māori ancestry. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Otago region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter part of his life.-Early years:...

, poet.
12 February: Ron Chippindale
Ron Chippindale
Ronald "Ron" Chippindale was the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents in charge of the New Zealand Office of Air Accidents Investigations.He was born in Kettering, England, and moved to New Zealand in 1938...

, Chief Inspector of Accidents
19 February: Barry Barclay
Barry Barclay
Barry Barclay, MNZM was a New Zealand filmmaker and writer of Maori and Pākehā descent.-Background:...

, Māori film-maker
21 March: Merv Wallace
Merv Wallace
Walter Mervyn Wallace was a New Zealand cricketer and Test match captain. Former New Zealand captain John Reid called him "The most under-rated cricketer to have worn the silver fern." He was nicknamed "Flip" by his teammates, because that was the strongest expletive they heard him say.Wallace...

, cricketer and test match captain.
6 April: Tony Davies
Tony Davies
William Anthony "Tony" Davies was a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who played 17 games for the All Blacks in 1960 and 1962 as a full-back or centre....

, All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....

rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

player
11 April: Fraser Colman
Fraser Colman
Fraser MacDonald Colman QSO was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.He represented the electorates of Petone from 1967 to 1978, and then when Petone was renamed, Pencarrow from 1978 to 1987, when he retired. He was replaced in Pencarrow by Sonya Davies.-Early life:Colman was born in...

, former Labour Party politician, minister.
12 April: Dame Augusta Wallace
Augusta Wallace (judge)
Dame Augusta Wallace, DBE was the first woman in New Zealand to be appointed as a judge to the District Court in 1976; she served for eighteen years....

, former judge, first woman District Court judge.
5 June: Colin Kay
Colin Kay
Colin Kay CBE was a New Zealand sportsman and politician. He was the 34th Mayor of Auckland City, elected for one term serving from 1980 to 1983, and chairman of the Auckland Regional Council from 1986 to 1992...

, 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...

and New Zealand triple jump champion.
25 August: Hardwicke Knight
Hardwicke Knight
Frederick Hardwicke Knight was a prominent author and photographer from Broad Bay, New Zealand...

, Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

.
7 September: Sir Hamish Hay
Hamish Hay
Sir Hamish Grenfell Hay was a New Zealand politician, who served as Mayor of Christchurch for fifteen years, from 1974 to 1989.-Early life:...

, 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...

from 1974 to 1989.
8 September: Ron Guthrey
Ron Guthrey
Albert Ronald Guthrey OBE MC was a councillor for Christchurch City Council for 22 years before being elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was a World War II veteran and he and his family were well known business operators in Christchurch.-Early life:Guthrey was born in Rawene, Hokianga on 15...

, 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...

from 1968 to 1971.
13 September: Duncan Laing
Duncan Laing
Andrew James Duncan Laing, CNZM, OBE, , generally known as Duncan Laing, was a New Zealand swimming coach based in Dunedin...

, swimming coach, trainer of 11 Olympic athletes.
13 September: Sue Garden-Bachop, women's rugby international player and administrator.
25 September: Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly QSO was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand First party.-Early career:Donnelly was trained as a teacher, and worked in the education sector for twenty years...

, politician and diplomat.
2 October: Rob Guest
Rob Guest
Robert John Guest, OBE was a British born New Zealand-Australian actor and singer, best known for his work in Australian musical theatre, particularly in various productions of The Phantom of the Opera...

, actor and singer.
29 October: John Darwin
John Darwin (statistician)
John Haddrick Darwin was Government Statistician of New Zealand from 1980 to 1984 and a member of the 1985–1986 Royal Commission on the Electoral System which recommended MMP. He was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the New Zealand Statistical Association in 2005.-Early life:He was born...

, mathematician and statistician
8 November: Hedley Howarth
Hedley Howarth
Hedley John Howarth was a former international cricketer who played 30 Tests and nine One Day Internationals for New Zealand. The elder brother of Geoff Howarth, former New Zealand captain, he was born and died in Auckland.-Biography:Howarth was an orthodox left-arm bowler who made his first class...

, Test cricketer.
27 November: Mike Minogue
Mike Minogue
Michael John "Mike" Minogue was a National Party politician, lawyer and mayor.He was Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand between 1968 and 1976, when he resigned to become a Member of Parliament...

, Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

ex-Mayor and MP
13 December" John Drake, All Black
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....

.
24 December: Ian Ballinger
Ian Ballinger
Ian Roy Ballinger is a former New Zealand shooter who won a Bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Ballinger competed at three consecutive Olympic Games and 2 Commonwealth Games in the 50m Rifle - prone event.-References:**...

, Olympic bronze medal-winning shooter.