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The following lists events that happened during 1956 in New Zealand.
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.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal
- Head of State – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Lieutenant-General The Lord Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC.
Government
The 31st New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the National government under Sidney Holland.
- Speaker of the House – Mathew Oram
- Prime Minister – Sidney Holland.
- Deputy Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake.
- Minister of Finance – Jack Watts.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs – Tom Macdonald.
- Attorney-General – Jack Marshall.
- Chief Justice — Sir Harold Barrowclough
Parliamentary opposition
Main centre leaders
- Mayor of Auckland – John Luxford, followed by Thomas Ashby
- Mayor of Hamilton – Roderick Braithwaite
- Mayor of Wellington – Robert Macalister, followed by Frank Kitts
- Mayor of Christchurch – Robert M. Macfarlane
- Mayor of Dunedin – Leonard Morton Wright
Events
- 8 March: Opo the friendly Dolphin dies in the Hokianga.
- 13 March – After 26 years playing international cricket the New Zealand wins its first ever test victory against the West Indies at Eden Park.
- New Zealand troops are sent to Malaya.
- Roxburgh Dam is opened.
- Temperzone manufacturing is founded.
Arts and literature
See 1956 in art, 1956 in literature
Music
See: 1956 in music
Radio
See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand
Film
See: Category:1956 film awards, 1956 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1956 films
Sport
Athletics
- Albert Richards wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:31:46 in Christchurch.
Chess
- The 63rd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.A. Foulds of Auckland.
Horse racing
Harness racing
- New Zealand Trotting Cup – Thunder
- Auckland Trotting Cup – Unite
Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.
- Men's singles champion – G.G. Littlejohn (Hutt Bowling Club)
- Men's pair champions – L.J. Hughes, E.H. Ravenwood (skip) (North-East Valley Bowling Club)
- Men's fours champions – P.C.F. Barrat, C.E. Tomlinson, L.J. Buckingham, Robbie Robson (skip) (Mangakino Bowling Club)
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics
Main article: New Zealand at the 1956 Summer Olympics Gold |
 Silver |
 Bronze |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Winter Olympics
- New Zealand did not participate in the 1956 Winter Olympics.
Soccer
- The Chatham Cup is won by Stop Out (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: Western
- Hawke's Bay: Napier Athletic
- Manawatu: Kiwi United
- Marlborough: Blenheim B
- Nelson: Settlers
- Northland: Kamo Swifts
- Otago: Northern AFC
- Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
- South Canterbury: West End
- Southland: Brigadiers
- Taranaki: Moturoa
- Waikato: Huntly Thistle
- Wairarapa: No competition
- Wanganui: Technical College Old Boys
- Wellington: Stop Out
Births
- 3 January: Judith Tizard, politician
- 6 January: Stephen Cox, cyclist
- 16 January: Mark Burton, politician
- 4 February: Gerry Brownlee, politician
- 16 February: Vincent Ward, film director
- 1 March: Mark Todd, equestrian eventer
- 3 March: John F. Reid, cricketer
- 13 April: Peter 'Possum' Bourne, rally driver
- 17 April: Jaynie Parkhouse, freestyle swimmer
- 26 April: Tinks Pottinger, equestrian eventer
- 8 May: Richard Wilson, soccer player
- 10 May: Chris Kuggeleijn, cricket player and coach
- 23 May: Mark Shaw, rugby union footballer and selector
- 18 August: Andrew Bennie, equestrian eventer
- 29 September: Jenny Morris, singer
- 8 November: Richard Curtis, screenwriter
- 23 November: Bruce Edgar, cricketer
- 12 December: Barry Pickering, soccer player
- 16 December: Rodney Hide, politician
- Chris Finlayson, politician
- James Belich, historian
- (in Paris, France) Christopher Marshall, composer
- Douglas Wright, dancer and choreographer
Deaths
- 17 April: Sir Alexander Young, politician.
- 22 May: John Christopher Rolleston, politician.
- 29 May: Charlie Seeling, rugby footballer.
- 17 June: Charles Boswell, politician.
- 19 June: Bernard Martin, politician.
- 12 September: George Gillett, rugby player.
- 21 November: Jim Thorn, labour leader and politician.
References
- ^ "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
- ^ 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.
- List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
- Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.
- Mark Shaw at the All Blacks (archived)
- Te Ara
See also
- List of years in New Zealand
- Timeline of New Zealand history
- History of New Zealand
- Military history of New Zealand
- Timeline of the New Zealand environment
- Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica
| 1956 in Oceania | |
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