From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1956 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 (1956) • 1957 • 1958 • 1959

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 2,209,200 ^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1955: 44,400 (2.05%)
• Males per 100 Females: 101.2

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor-General - Lieutenant-General The Lord Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC. ^[2]

Government

The 31st New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the National government under Sidney Holland.

• Speaker of the House - Mathew Oram ^[3]
• Prime Minister - Sidney Holland.
• Deputy Prime Minister - Keith Holyoake. ^[3]
• Minister of Finance - Jack Watts.^[3]
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Thomas Lachlan MacDonald.^[3]
• Attorney-General - Jack Marshall.^[3]

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Walter Nash (Labour). ^[4]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Luxford.followed by Thomas Ashby from 1956-57
• Mayor of Hamilton - Roderick Alastair MacDonald Braithwaite
• Mayor of Wellington - Robert Macalister, followed by Frank Kitts.
• Mayor of Christchurch - Robert M. Macfarlane.
• Mayor of Dunedin - Leonard Morton Wright.

Events

• March 8: Opo the friendly Dolphin dies in the Hokianga.
• March 13 - 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
• the Roxburgh Dam is opened

Arts and literature

See 1956 in art, 1956 in literature, Category:1956 books

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

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

• Albert Richards wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:31:46 in Christchurch.

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Thunder ^[5]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Unite ^[6]

Thoroughbred racing

Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Stop Out (Lower Hutt) who beat Shamrock (soccer) of Christchurch 4—1 in the final. ^[7]
• Provincial league champions: ^[8]
  • 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
  • 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
• January 6: Stephen Cox, cyclist
• 16 January: Mark Burton, politician
• 1 March: Mark Todd, equestrian eventer
• 3 March: John F. Reid, cricketer
• 13 April: Peter 'Possum' Bourne, rally driver
• April 17: 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 ^[9]
• 18 August: Andrew Bennie, equestrian eventer
• 8 November: Richard Curtis, screenwriter
• 23 November: Bruce Edgar, cricketer
• 12 December: Barry Pickering, soccer player
• 16 December: Rodney Hide, politician

• James Belich, historian
• Gerry Brownlee, politician
• (in Paris, France) Christopher Marshall, composer
• Jenny Morris, singer
• Vincent Ward, film director
• Douglas Wright, dancer and choreographer

Category:1956 births

Deaths

• George Gillett, rugby player.
• Bernard Martin, politician.
• James Thorn, labour leader and politician. ^[10]
• James Alexander Young, politician.

Category:1956 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 1956 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1956