1978 in New Zealand

List of events

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1978
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Decades:

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Population

Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,165,200.^[1]
Change since 31 December 1977: -1,200 (-0.04%).^[1]
Males per 100 females: 99.2.^[1]
This was the first year since 1941 in which New Zealand's population declined (due to emigration, largely to Australia).^{[citation needed]}

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.^[2]

Government

Speaker of the House – Richard Harrison.^[3]
Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon
Deputy Prime Minister – Brian Talboys.^[3]
Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon.^[3]
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Brian Talboys.^[3]
Attorney-General – Peter Wilkinson until 13 December, then Jim McLay.^[3]
Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild (until 20 January), Sir Ronald Davison (starting 3 February)

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition – Bill Rowling (Labour).^[4]
Social Credit Party – Bruce Beetham

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
Mayor of Hamilton – Ross Jansen
Mayor of Wellington – Michael Fowler
Mayor of Christchurch – Hamish Hay
Mayor of Dunedin – Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

Events

The Pureora Forest Park was established after a series of protests and tree sittings.
18 February – The Rangitikei by-election was won by Bruce Beetham for Social Credit.
1 April – Flag carriers Air New Zealand and the National Airways Corporation merge to form a single airline under the Air New Zealand name.
25 April – A 506 day long Māori occupation of and protest in Bastion Point ends.^[5]
12 September – Kaimai Rail Tunnel on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, at 8896 m the longest tunnel in New Zealand, opened.
December – Holy Name Seminary, Christchurch (Catholic) closed.

Arts and literature

Roger Hall and Peter Olds win the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1978 in art, 1978 in literature, Category:1978 books

January

Nambassa, three-day music, crafts and alternative lifestyles festival on Phil and Pat Hulses' 400-acre (1.6 km²) farm in Golden Valley, north of Waihi. Attendance 25,000.

October

Nambassa winter road show, toured the North Island of NZ, promoting the 1979 festival.

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

Winners were as follows:^[6]

ALBUM OF THE YEAR Hello Sailor – Hello Sailor
SINGLE OF THE YEAR Golden Harvest – I Need Your Love
TOP MALE VOCALIST John Rowles
TOP GROUP Hello Sailor
TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O’Neill
ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Ian Morris – Hello Sailor
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Rob Aicken – Hello Sailor
MOST PROMISING GROUP Citizen Band
MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Kim Hart
MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Dennis O’Brien

See: 1978 in music

Performing arts

Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to George Tumahai.

Radio and television

23 November – the AM broadcast band moves from 10 kHz spacing to 9 kHz spacing, in line with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.^[7]
Feltex Television Awards:
- Best Current Affairs: Dateline Monday
- Best Information: Fair Go
- Best Documentary: Birth with R.D. Laing
- Best Light Entertainment: A Week of It
- Best Drama: The Governor
- Best Speciality: Sport on One
- Best Actor: David McPhail on A Week of It
- Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne
- Best Script: He Iwi Ko Tahi Tatou: episode four of The Governor

See: 1978 in New Zealand television, 1978 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

Angel Mine
Skin Deep

See: Category:1978 film awards, 1978 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1978 films

Sport

Athletics

Paul Ballinger wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:33 on 11 March in Hastings.

Chess

The 85th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by Craig Laird of Tauranga.^[8]

Commonwealth Games

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
5	6	9	20

Cricket

15 February: After 48 years of trying, New Zealand beats England in a Test match for the first time, winning the Test at the Basin Reserve.^[9]

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup: Trusty Scot^[10]
Auckland Trotting Cup: Sole Command. From 1978–86 the race was over 2700m and there was no handicapping.^[11]

Soccer

New Zealand National Soccer League won by Christchurch United
The Chatham Cup is won by Manurewa who beat Nelson United 1–0 in the final.^[12]

Births

2 January: Dan Ward-Smith, rugby union player
5 January: Adi Dick, musician.
21 January (in the United States): Mike Chappell, basketballer.
3 February: Keith Cameron, rugby union player.^[13]
26 February: Rico Gear, rugby union player.
8 April: Nathan Mauger, rugby union player.
29 April: Donna Loffhagen, netball and basketball player.
19 May: Willie Walker, rugby union player.
28 May: John Dennison, poet.
1 June: Ben Lummis, singer and winner of New Zealand Idol (season 1).
11 June: Daryl Tuffey, cricketer.
4 July: Bianca Russell, field hockey player.
6 July: Kevin Senio, rugby union player.
12 July: Claire Chitham, actor.
26 July: David Kosoof, field hockey player.
28 July: Jacob Oram, cricketer.
14 August (in South Africa): Greg Rawlinson, rugby union player.
5 September:
- Chris Hipkins, politician.
- Chris Jack, rugby union player.
10 September: Nish Selvadurai, comedian.
13 September: Andrew Hore, rugby union player.
18 September: Iain Lees-Galloway, politician.
21 September: Doug Howlett, rugby union player.
10 October: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (twins), rowers, Olympic gold medallists (2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing)
26 October: Ricky Cockerill, figure skater.
6 November: Dean Kent, swimmer.
11 November: Lou Vincent, cricketer.
19 November (in Australia): Mahé Drysdale, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2012 London)
21 November: Paul Urlovic, soccer player.
William Dwane Bell, convicted murderer.
Mok TzeMing, writer.

Category:1978 births

Deaths

6 January: Burt Munro, record-setting motorcyclist
30 March: Sir Charles William Hamilton (Bill Hamilton), inventor of the jetboat.
13 May: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
22 May: Sir Richard Wild, 9th Chief Justice of New Zealand.
23 July: Sir Ronald Algie, politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
18 August: Ronald L. Meek, economist.
John Hutton, glass engraver

Category:1978 deaths

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Historical population estimates tables". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017.
^ Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lambert & Palenski: The New Zealand Almanac, 1982. ISBN 0-908570-55-4
^ "Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
^ Earley, Melanie (24 May 2018). "Dawn service marks 40 years since eviction at Bastion Point". Stuff. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
^ "1978 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
^ "General amendment to radio frequencies". The Press. 22 November 1978. p. 21.
^ List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ nzhistory.net.nz
^ "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
^ Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ Keith Cameron profile Archived 19 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Media related to 1978 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons

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Timeline of New Zealand history

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