1913 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State — George V
• Governor — Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool

Government

• Speaker of the House — Arthur Guinness until 10 June, then Frederic Lang from 26 June
• Prime Minister — William Massey
• Minister of Finance — James Allen

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition — Joseph Ward from 13 September.

Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland — James Parr
• Mayor of Wellington — John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch — Henry Holland
• Mayor of Dunedin — John Wilson, then William Downie Stewart Jr

Events

• 22 March: The world's first automatic totalisator is used at the Easter meeting at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland.
• 13 April: Frederik E. Sandford flies the rebuilt biplane Manurewa at the Avondale Racecourse. The Manurewa was formerly owned and flown by the Walsh Brothers before it crashed but is now owned by a syndicate and been rebuilt by Sandford and William Miller.
• 19 April: American Arthur "Wizard" Stone flies a Blériot XI monoplane for from the cricket ground at Auckland Domain.
• 24 April: "Wizard" Stone flies for an estimated from Alexandra Park.
• April or May: Frederik Sandford flies the first woman passenger in New Zealand, a Miss Lester.
• 9 July: The first suspected case in a Smallpox outbreak is reported. It is later confirmed and the outbreak becomes an epidemic.
• 31 August: Sandford flies west from Avondale covering at, but crashes at New Lynn on the return to Avondale.
• 22 October: Wellington watersiders go on strike.
• 23 October: Wellington watersiders are locked out sparking nationwide waterfront strikes.
• 29 October: Over 1000 Wellington strikers hold a protest meeting at the Basin Reserve.
• 30 October: The first "special constables" arrive in Wellington.
• 8 November: "Special constables" occupy Auckland wharves leading to a general strike.
• 10 November: A general strike is called in Wellington but it is not supported.
• 23 November: The general strike in Auckland ends.
• 1 December: Auckland Exhibition opens.
• 20 December: Wellington waterfront strike is called off.

Undated

• Arthur Schaef makes short powered hops in his second, unnamed, aircraft, at Lyall Bay, Wellington.
• Hector and Seaforth McKenzie fly their Hamilton biplane at Marton.
• Percy Fisher and Reginald White fly an aircraft of their own design at Greytown. The event is also filmed.

Arts and literature

Music

Film

• Hinemoa — first New Zealand feature film, made by Gaston Méliès
• How Chief Te Ponga Won His Bride – also by Gaston Méliès and the Star Film Company
• Loved by a Maori Chieftess- also by Gaston Méliès and the Star Film Company
• The River Wanganui – one of five short films made in New Zealand by Gaston Méliès and the Star Film Company

Sport

Chess

• The 26th National Chess Championship was held in Nelson, and was won by J.C. Grierson of Auckland, his second title.

Golf

Men's

• The seventh New Zealand Open championship was won by Ted Douglas.
• The 21st National Amateur Championships were held in Otago
• * Matchplay: B.B. Wood — 2nd title

Women's

• Matchplay: Mrs. G Williams.
• Strokeplay: Mrs G. Williams – 3rd title

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Ravenschild
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Jewel Chimes

Rugby league

• New Zealand national rugby league team

Rugby union

• Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield against Wellington and Poverty Bay before losing it to Taranaki

Soccer

• Auckland: Everton Auckland
• Canterbury: Sydenham
• Hawke's Bay: Waipukurau
• Otago: Kaitangata FC
• Southland: Rangers
• Wanganui: Eastbrooke
• Wellington: Wellington Thistle

Tennis

• Anthony Wilding is ranked the world's No.1 player and records a unique triple, winning world championships in hard court, lawn and indoor.

Births

January

• 6 January – Bill Broughton, jockey
• 8 January – Dennis Smith, cricketer
• 12 January – Jack Taylor, rugby union player, coach and administrator
• 13 January – Norman Henderson, cricketer
• 17 January – Arthur Cutler, cricketer
• 18 January – Douglas Dalton, rugby union player
• 19 January – Henry Waine, cricketer
• 31 January – Jim Blandford, cricketer

February

• 2 February – Harry Wigley, pilot, tourism industry leader
• 13 February – Minden Blake, World War II flying ace, inventor
• 15 February
• * Jean Horsley, artist
• * Helmut Rex, Presbyterian theologian
• 18 February – Nola Millar, theatre director
• 20 February – Helen Shaw, short-story writer, poet, editor
• 24 February – Rowan Nicks, surgeon

March

• 5 March – Athol Rafter, nuclear chemist
• 11 March – Eric Gowing, Anglican bishop
• 23 March – Nancy Northcroft, town planner

April

• 2 April
• * Angus McDougall, cricketer
• * Beth Zanders, artist
• 8 April – Ron Stone, association footballer
• 9 April – Vincent McCarten, cricketer
• 13 April – Ronald Tinker, soldier, scientific administrator
• 22 April
• * Ted Dunning, cricketer
• * Kenneth J. McNaught, philatelist
• 30 April – John Kavanagh, Roman Catholic bishop

May

• 4 May – Bill Laney, politician
• 5 May – John Denvir, soldier
• 6 May – Douglas Stewart, poet
• 9 May – Alfred Cobden, cricketer
• 13 May – John Miles, microbiologist, epidemiologist
• 16 May – Norman Davis, English language and literature academic
• 18 May – Hono Denham, cricketer
• 19 May – Artie Combes, cricketer
• 23 May – Charlie Saxton, cricket, rugby union player, coach and administrator
• 25 May – Gordon Jolly, lawn bowls player
• 27 May – Allan Highet, politician
• 31 May – Dave Solomon, rugby union and rugby league player

June

• 4 June – Tom Pearce, rugby union player and administrator, businessman, politician
• 5 June – Alan Brash, Presbyterian minister
• 12 June – Ruth France, poet, novelist
• 19 June – Peter Donkin, World War II pilot
• 28 June – Bill Gwynne, cricket umpire
• 30 June – Percy Allen, politician

July

• 12 July – Rufus Rogers, doctor, politician
• 13 July – Len Newell, swimmer
• 14 July – Claude Clegg, javelin thrower
• 15 July – Terry McLean, sports journalist
• 18 July – Stephen Peter Llewellyn, soldier, historian, writer
• 21 July – Betty Molesworth Allen, botanist
• 26 July – Howard Benge, rower
• 27 July – Charles Bennett, broadcaster, soldier, diplomat
• 28 July – Tom Morrison, rugby union player and administrator
• 31 July – George Wallace, cricketer

August

• 6 August – Oscar Wrigley, cricketer
• 8 August – Mick Randall, cricketer
• 11 August – Reginald Cook, cricketer
• 20 August
• * Desmond Dunnet, cricketer
• * Vi Farrell, cricketer
• 21 August – Ken Uttley, cricketer, pathologist
• 23 August – Nikola Nobilo, winemaker
• 24 August – Johannes La Grouw – architect, engineer, businessman
• 29 August – Len Butterfield, cricketer

September

• 1 September
• * Dan Davin, author
• * Jean Mitchell, netball player
• 2 September – Mick Borrie, demographer
• 3 September – Malcolm Lohrey, cricketer
• 5 September – Nancy Browne, cricketer
• 6 September – Ron Ulmer, cyclist
• 12 September – Alastair Monteath, cricketer
• 13 September – Oswald Cheesman, musician
• 15 September – Russell Aitken, air force officer
• 21 September – Robertson Stewart, industrialist
• 25 September – Clare Mallory, children's author
• 28 September
• * Maurice Browne, cricketer
• * Haane Manahi, soldier

October

• 1 October – Ken Cumberland, geographer, politician
• 3 October – Ruth Symons, cricketer
• 8 October – J. Graham Miller, Presbyterian missionary
• 17 October – Norman Ellis, cricketer
• 19 October – John Anderson, rugby league player
• 25 October
• * John Charters, rower
• * Mabel Corby, cricketer
• 31 October – Roy Calvert, World War II pilot

November

• 5 November – Pat Devanny, political activist
• 7 November – Ruth Mason, botanist
• 13 November – Bill Young, politician
• 16 November – Wilfred Brimble, rugby league player
• 22 November – Neville Mitchell, rugby union player and coach
• 24 November – Geoff Baylis, botanist

December

• 3 December – John Mitchell, physicist
• 4 December – Yvonne Lawley, actor
• 11 December – Robert Grotte, rugby league player
• 13 December – Rudolf Gopas, artist, art teacher
• 19 December – Bill Pullar, athlete
• 21 December – George Giles, cyclist

Deaths

January–March

• 17 January – John Bryce, politician
• 18 January – Elizabeth Horrell, schoolteacher
• 22 January – Alexander Brown, marine engineer
• 29 January – William Webb, cricketer
• 4 February – Kate Wyllie, Rongowhakaata leader
• 21 February – John Hoyte, artist
• 6 March – Margaret Ralph, businesswoman
• 10 March – George Clarke, pioneer, educationalist
• 19 March – Eleanor Smith, suffragist, magazine editor

April–June

• 6 April – Herbert Slade, boxer
• 16 April – Thomas Gapes, politician
• 17 April – Edward Broad, cricketer
• 19 April – John Tiffin Stewart, civil engineer, surveyor
• 20 May – Harry Moffatt, harbourmaster, writer
• 23 May – Edward Lewis, Church of Christ evangelist
• 25 May – Fanny Cole, temperance leader, women's rights advocate
• 3 June – Philip Philips, politician
• 10 June – Sir Arthur Guinness, politician
• 14 June – George Dickinson, cricket player and umpire
• 19 June – Henry Sawtell, politician
• 29 June – John Bush, cricketer

July–September

• 25 July – George Swan, politician, photographer
• 29 July – Samuel Jackson, solicitor
• 3 August – James Pope, teacher, school inspector, writer
• 30 August – Dudley Ward, politician, judge
• 21 September –Trevor Grierson, cricketer
• 24 September
• * Andrew Loughrey, politician
• * Sir William Russell, politician
• 30 September – Ānaha Te Rāhui, Ngāti Tarāwhai leader, carver

October–December

• 12 October – Augustus Hamilton, ethologist, biologist, museum director
• 27 October – Henry Wynn-Williams, politician, lawyer
• 10 November – Henry Morrison, cricketer
• 11 November – Petrus Van der Velden, painter
• 19 November – George Laurenson, politician
• 29 November – Samuel Lister, newspaper proprietor and editor
• 11 December – Charles Gore, cricketer
• 29 December – Thomas Adamson, soldier, New Zealand Cross recipient