1870 in New Zealand
The following lists events that happened during 1870 in New Zealand.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal
Government and law
The 4th New Zealand Parliament continues.- Speaker of the House – Sir David Monro stands down at the end of the year. He will be replaced after the 1871 election by Sir Francis Dillon Bell
- Premier – William Fox
- Minister of Finance – Julius Vogel
- Chief Justice – Hon Sir George Arney
Main centre leaders
- Mayor of Christchurch – John Anderson followed by Andrew Duncan
- Mayor of Dunedin – Thomas Birch followed by Henry Fish
- Mayor of Wellington – Joseph Dransfield
Events
- 27 August – 3 September: Second visit by Prince Alfred, returning briefly to Wellington before departing for Sydney.
- Torrens system of registered land titles adopted.
Sport
Archery
- The first club meets at One Tree Hill, Auckland.
Golf
- New Zealand's first golf course was opened in Dunedin.
Horse racing
There are 2 races for both the New Zealand Cup and New Zealand Derby.Major race winners
- New Zealand Cup: Knottingley
- New Zealand Cup: Knottingley
- New Zealand Derby: Malabar
- New Zealand Derby: Envy
Rugby union
Charles Monro, son of the Speaker of the House, Sir David Monro, introduces rugby to the Nelson Football club.- 14 May – First rugby club match, Nelson College versus Nelson Football Club "The Town" at the Botanical reserve. This was the first interclub game of rugby union played in New Zealand.
- 12 September – A Nelson team, the "Lunatics", defeats Wellington at Petone.
- – The first "international" between Wellington and a team from HMS Rosario.
Shooting
Ballinger Belt: Lieutenant GoldieBirths
- February : Arthur Withy, journalist and politician.
- 14 April: James Cowan, writer.
- 20 October: C. F. Goldie, painter.
Deaths
- 5 July: Henry Powning Stark, politician and sharebroker.
- 16 July: Betty Guard, of pioneering whaling family.
- 27 November : James Stuart-Wortley, politician
- 30 November: Francis Jollie, politician