1864 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1864 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State — Queen Victoria
Governor — Sir George Grey

Government and law

The 3rd Parliament continues.

Speaker of the House — David Monro
Premier — Frederick Weld takes over from Frederick Whitaker on 24 November.
Minister of Finance — William Fitzherbert replaces Reader Wood who resigned on 24 November.
Chief Justice — Hon Sir George Arney

Events

11 February: Major Charles Heaphy is recommended for the Victoria Cross. It was not awarded until 1867.
31 March – 2 April: Battle of Ōrākau
11 June: The Timaru Herald publishes its first issue. The paper was initially weekly, but increased its frequency of publication to bi-weekly and then tri-weekly, and became a daily on 1 January 1878. It continues.
Australian magpie introduced to New Zealand
Up to 6000 miners come to the Wakamarina Valley in Marlborough after gold is discovered. Canvastown is founded at the river mouth. About of gold is recovered in 1864, but the surface gold is quickly exhausted.
The Wairau Record starts publishing in Blenheim. The newspaper changed its name to The Marlborough News and General Advertiser in 1865 and then to just The Marlborough News. It folded in 1874.
The Marlborough Times starts publishing in Blenheim. It folds after about six months.
West Coast gold rush

Arts and literature

Music

The Dunedin Choral Society is formed.
The Lyster Opera Company makes its first tour to New Zealand.

Sport

Cricket

Gearge Parr's All England Eleven plays at a cricket carnival in Dunedin against teams from Otago and Canterbury. They later play at Christchurch's Hagley Park. None of the matches qualified as first-class and the home sides were allowed to field up to 22 batsmen.

Horse racing

Major race winner

New Zealand Derby winner: Opera

Shooting

Ballinger Belt: Lieutenant Morse

Births

27 April: David Kennedy, Marist brother, astronomer.

Deaths

January–June

6 January : Robert Wynyard, colonial administrator
17 February : William Cautley, early settler and politician
2 April: Hine-i-turama Ngatiki, woman of mana
28 April: Tohi Te Ururangi, tribal leader and assessor
27 May: Marmaduke Nixon, politician and soldier
18 June:
21 June :

July–December

8 July: Charles de Thierry, adventurer who attempted to establish his own sovereign state in New Zealand in the years before British annexation
13 September: Thomas McDonnell, Snr., Additional British Resident in New Zealand
20 September: Aaron Buzacott, missionary on Rarotonga
23 September : Robert Clark Morgan, missionary in the South Seas
2 November: John McGlashan, lawyer, politician, public servant and educationalist
6 December: John Cuff, politician
29 December: John Ryan, recipient of the Victoria Cross

Unknown date

Hare Pomare, musician