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1983 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 (1983) • 1984 • 1985 • 1986

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 3,264,800 ^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1982: 38,000 (1.18%)
• Males per 100 Females: 98.6

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - The Hon. Sir David Beattie GCMG GCVO QSO QC. ^[2]

Government

The 40th New Zealand Parliament continued. The third National Party government was in power.

• Speaker of the House - Richard Harrison
• Prime Minister - Robert Muldoon
• Deputy Prime Minister - Duncan MacIntyre
• Minister of Finance - Robert Muldoon
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Warren Cooper

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - David Lange (Labour). ^[3]
• Social Credit Party - Bruce Beetham

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Colin Kay then Catherine Tizard
• Mayor of Hamilton - Ross Jansen
• Mayor of Wellington - Michael Fowler then Ian Lawrence
• Mayor of Christchurch - Hamish Hay
• Mayor of Dunedin - Cliff Skeggs

Events

• The fourth Sweetwaters Music Festival is held near Pukekawa.
• The visit of the United States nuclear-powered frigate Texas sparks widespread protests.
• The Official Information Act 1982 replaces the 1951 Official Secrets Act.

• 1 January: The Closer Economic Relations Free trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand comes into force.
• March: Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Prince William visit New Zealand.
• 28 March: Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Trade, Lionel Bowen and New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia, Laurie Francis sign the Closer Economic Relations agreement in Canberra, Australia.
• 22 August: The New Zealand Party is launched.
• 1 September: Disappearance (and presumed death) of 14-year-old Kirsa Jensen. ^[4]

Arts and literature

• Rawiri Paratene wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1983 in art, 1983 in literature, Category:1983 books

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

• ALBUM OF THE YEAR DD Smash - Deep In The Heart Of Taxes
• SINGLE OF THE YEAR DD Smash - Outlook For Thursday
• TOP MALE VOCALIST Dave Dobbyn (DD Smash)
• TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Suzanne Prentice
• TOP GROUP OF THE YEAR DD Smash
• MOST PROMISING MALE VOCLAIST Andrew Mclennan (Coconut Rough)
• MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Sonya Waters
• MOST PROMISING GROUP Coconut Rough
• BEST POLYNESIAN ALBUM The Radars - Chulu Chululu
• BEST FILM SOUNDTRACK/ CAST RECORDING/ COMPILATION Sharon O'Neill - Smash Palace
• BEST MUSIC VIDEO Andrew Shaw - Outlook For Thursday (DD Smash)
• ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Dave Marett - Sierra Leone (Coconut Rough)
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Dave Marett - Sierra Leone (Coconut Rough)
• MOST POPULAR SONG Patsy Riggir - Beautiful Lady
• MOST POPULAR ARTIST DD Smash
• OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION Murray Cammick
• BEST COVER DESIGN Simon & Suzy Clark - Daring Feats
• CLASSICAL RECORD OF THE YEAR Louise Malloy – Louise
• JAZZ RECORD OF THE YEAR Rodger Fox Big Band - Heavy Company
• COUNTRY RECORD OF THE YEAR Suzanne Prentice - When I Dream

See: 1983 in music

Radio and Television

• Te Karere becomes a regular Māori language news program.
• Northern Television ceases transmission. [1]

• Feltex Television Awards:
  • Best Television Entertainer: Howard Morrison
  • Best Actor: Michael on Gliding On
  • Best Actress: Sarah Peirse on A Woman of Good Character
  • Best Drama: Gliding On
  • Best New Talent: Heath Lees on Opus and Kaleidoscope
  • Best Entertainment: McPhail and Gadsby
  • Best Documentary: Wild South - Black Robin
  • Best Information: Country Calendar
  • Best Speciality: Kaleidoscope
  • Best News and Current Affairs: Close Up
  • Best Script: Protesters
  • Steve Hosgood Award for Allied Craft: Errol Samuelson, film sound operator on National History Programmes

See: 1983 in New Zealand television, 1983 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• Bad Blood
• Hang on a Minute Mate!
• Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
• Patu!
• Strata (film)
• Savage Islands (film)
• Utu

See: Category:1983 film awards, 1983 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1983 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

• Graham Macky wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:21:22 in Mosgiel, while Val Lindsay does the same in the women's championship (3:11:35).

Basketball

• NBL won by Auckland

Cricket

• World Series Cup, New Zealand finished first in the preliminary stages of this annual triangular one-day competition in Australia, which in 1982/83 received unprecedented interest and record television audiences. England missed out on a finals berth, with Australia coming qualifying second.

New Zealand's star allrounder, Richard Hadlee, tore a hamstring on the eve of the lucrative and much anticipated finals series with Australia and was forced out of the side. A demoralised New Zealand were then well beaten by the rejuvenated Australians, 2-0. Lance Cairns hit his memorable 6 sixes in front of 71, 000 in the second final at the MCG.

Glenn Turner made his long-awaited international comeback in this series after six years of self-imposed exile from the New Zealand team due to a financial disagreement with the NZCC.

In February, New Zealand whitewashed England 3-0 in the Rothmans Cup one-day series in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, witnessed by sell-out crowds. Sri Lanka was then convincingly beaten in both the test and one-day series at home to cap off a memorable summer of cricket.

In July history was made when the Geoff Howarth-led side won their first test match against England in England, with a five wicket victory in the second test at Headingley in Leeds. However, they lost the four match series 1-3. Prior to this series, New Zealand played in the 1983 World Cup. In a tough group with both England and Pakistan, New Zealand narrowly missed out on a semi-final place at the World Cup for the first time, after being successful in the two prior tournaments in 1975 and 1979. Glenn Turner retired from international cricket after New Zealand's exit.

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Steel Jaw ^[5]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Armalight ^[6]

Thoroughbred racing

Kiwi wins a memorable 1983 Melbourne Cup at Flemington in a last-to-first finish in the home straight.

Netball

• The 6th Netball World Championships were held in Singapore. New Zealand lost to Australia in the final.

Soccer

• New Zealand National Soccer League won by Manurewa
• The Chatham Cup is won by Mount Wellington who beat Gisborne City 2—0 in the final. ^[7]

Births

• 19 January: Glen Moss, soccer player
• 27 January: Dene Halatau, rugby league player
• 8 February: James Ryan, rugby union player
• 8 February: Cory Jane, rugby union and sevens player
• 13 February: Bradley Shaw, field hockey player
• March 1: James Mortimer, hurdler
• 7 April: Allan Pearce, soccer player
• 15 April: Anna Scarlett, netballer
• 30 April: David Faiumu, rugby league player
• 5 May: Ben Atiga, rugby union player
• 11 May: Holly Valance, actor / musician
• 22 May: Jeremy Christie, soccer player
• 6 June: Joe Rokocoko, rugby union player
• 10 June: Gavin Williams, rugby union player
• 17 June: James Dolphin, sprinter
• 29 June: Jimmy Gopperth, rugby union player
• 6 July: Brent Fisher, football (soccer) player
• 28 August: Luke McAlister, rugby union player
• 7 September: Piri Weepu, rugby union player
• 8 September: John Ling, writer
• 15 September: Richard Sherlock, cricketer
• 28 September: John Schwalger, rugby union player
• 17 October: Michelle Ang, actor
• 18 October Jonny Reid, A1GP driver
• 8 November: Chris Rankin, actor
• 2 December: Michael Wesley-Smith, actor
• 15 December: Brooke Fraser, singer-songwriter
• 31 December: Jesse Peach, actor / journalist
• December: Aaradhna, hip-hop artist

• George Bridgewater, rower.
• Jeremy Mayall, composer.
• Hollie Smith, singer-songwriter.

Deaths

• 23 July: Tex Morton, musician.
• 12 August: Giff Vivian, cricketer.
• 26 October: Edward Blaiklock, academic.
• 8 December: Sir Keith Holyoake, former Prime Minister.

• Sir William Liley, pioneering surgeon.
• Launcelot Eric Richdale, ornithologist.
• Sir William Alfred Stevenson, industrialist and philanthropist.

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 1983 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1983