1974 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977

Christchurch played host to the 10th Commonwealth Games, which earned the nickname "The friendly games".

Prime Minister Norman Kirk died in office, and was replaced by former finance minister Bill Rowling.

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 3,091,900 ^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1973: 65,200 (2.20%)
• Males per 100 Females: 99.7

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO. ^[2]

Government

The 37th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was by a Labour majority of 55 seats to the National Party's 32 seats.

• Speaker of the House - Stanley Whitehead. ^[3]
• Prime Minister - Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling
• Deputy Prime Minister - Hugh Watt then Bob Tizard^[3]
• Minister of Finance - Bill Rowling then Bob Tizard.^[3]
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling.^[3]
• Attorney-General - Martyn Finlay.^[3]

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Jack Marshall (National) until 4 July, then Robert Muldoon (National). ^[4]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Dove-Myer Robinson
• Mayor of Hamilton - Mike Minogue
• Mayor of Wellington - Frank Kitts then Michael Fowler
• Mayor of Christchurch - Neville G. Pickering then Hamish Hay
• Mayor of Dunedin - James George Barnes

Events

• 24 January - Opening of the Commonwealth Games at QEII Stadium.
• The voting age is lowered from 20 to 18. ^[5]

Arts and literature

• Hone Tuwhare wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1974 in art, 1974 in literature, Category:1974 books

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

• BEST NEW ARTIST Bunny Walters
• RECORDING ARTIST / GROUP OF THE YEAR Bull Dogs All-Star Goodtime Band
• BEST NZ RECORDED COMPOSITION John Hanlon - Is It Natural
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey - Is It Natural
• ARRANGER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey - Is It Natural

See: 1974 in music

Radio and Television

• The target delivery date for colour television for all New Zealanders was when the country hosted the 1974 Commonwealth Games. [1]
• Broadcasts were converted to use the PAL system. [2]

• Feltex Television Awards:
  • Best Programme: Richard John Seddon - Premier
  • Best Performer: Bill McCarthy
  • Best Actor: Tony Currie as Seddon
  • Writing: Alexander Guyan in Lunch with Richard Burton
  • Allied Crafts: Janice Wharekawa - Vision Mixer for Happen Inn and others
  • Special Award: Television team for the 1974 Commonwealth Games

See: 1974 in New Zealand television, 1974 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1974 film awards , 1974 in film , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1974 films

Appointments and awards

See: New Zealand Order of Merit , Order of New Zealand

• Archbishop of New Zealand
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia , see appointments to Diocese

Sport

Athletics

• 25 January - Dick Tayler wins gold in the 10,000m on the first day of competition at the Commonwealth Games. ^[6]

Soccer

• New Zealand National Soccer League won by , Mt. Wellington AFC
• Chatham Cup won by Christchurch United

Births

• 6 January: Dion Waller, rugby player.
• 10 January: Jemaine Clement, comedian.
• 28 February: Moana Mackey, politician.
• 27 April (in Australia): Richard Johnson, soccer player.
• 6 May: Sean Pero Cameron, basketball player.
• 2 June: Andy Booth, motor racing driver.
• 10 July: Chris Drum, cricketer.
• 14 July (in Bulgaria): Pavlina Nola, tennis player.
• 26 July: Kees Meeuws, rugby player.
• 1 August: Michelle Turner, field hockey player.
• 27 August: Michael Mason, cricketer.
• 15 September: Emily Drumm, cricketer.
• 11 October: Liz Couch, skeleton racer.
• 23 October: Beatrice Faumuina, discus thrower.
• 5 November: Taine Randell, rugby player.
• 13 November: Carl Hoeft, rugby player.
• 2 December: Robert Hart, cricketer.
• 7 December: Jason Spice, rugby and cricket player.
• 10 December: Chris Martin, cricketer.

• Kate Duignan, novellist.
• Tim Selwyn, activist.

Category:1974 births

Deaths

• 13 February: Murray Hudson GC, soldier.
• 13 February: Sir Leslie Munro, diplomat.
• 14 February: Charles 'Stewie' Dempster, cricketer.
• 30 August: Professor George Jobberns, academic.
• 31 August: Norman Kirk, Prime Minister.
• 12 September: Hector Bolitho, writer and biographer.
• 11 December: Maurice Duggan, writer.

• Alice Bush, doctor and medical activist.
• James Fletcher, industrialist.
• Charles Elliot Fox, missionary.
• Robert McKeen, politician - 12th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• Dan Riddiford, politician.

category:1974 deaths

References

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of environmental history of New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

For world events and topics in 1974 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1974