1916 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1916 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Government

The 19th New Zealand Parliament continued as a grand coalition led by the Reform Party.

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward. Ward retained the title even though he was part of the coalition government.

Judiciary

Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

Events

January – The New Zealand Expeditionary Force becomes the New Zealand Division.
April – The New Zealand Division leaves Egypt and travels via Marseille to northern France.
12 May – First patrol by the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in the Sinai desert.
13 May – New Zealand Division moves into front-line trenches at Armentières.
7 July – The New Zealand Labour Party is founded in Wellington.
13 July – Vivian Walsh is the first New Zealander to obtain a pilot's licence while resident in New Zealand.
15 September – First major action by New Zealand Division in France, at Flers in the Somme. Over the following 23 days, 1560 New Zealanders are killed and 5440 wounded.
16 September – William Jolliffe is appointed New Zealand's first censor
20 September – The Canterbury Aviation Company is established in Christchurch. Henry Wigram is the main instigator. The Company's aims are to train pilots for the war, promote local aviation defence and pioneer commercial aviation.
15 October – The 16th New Zealand national census is taken.
October – The Canterbury Aviation Company purchases land at Sockburn near Christchurch. The first planes will not arrive until the following year.
16 November – First ballot held for reinforcements for the NZEF.

Arts and literature

See 1916 in art, 1916 in literature, :Category:1916 books

Music

See: 1916 in music

Film

The Mutiny of the Bounty

See: 1916 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1916 films

Sport

Golf

The New Zealand Open championship and National Amateur Championships are not held due to the war.

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Cathedral Chimes
Auckland Trotting Cup – Admiral Wood

Thoroughbred racing

New Zealand Cup – Ardenvhor
Auckland Cup – Depredation
Wellington Cup – Bee
New Zealand Derby – The Toff

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.

Men's singles champion – E.H. Fountain
Men's pair champions – V. Dimock, Charles Parata
Men's fours champions – C.W. Davis, A. E. Davis, A.B. Duff, J. Laughton

Rugby union

The Ranfurly Shield is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

Soccer

Provincial league champions:
* Auckland – North Shore
* Canterbury – Christchurch Rangers
* Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
* Otago – Mornington
* Southland – No competition
* Wanganui – No competition
* Wellington – No competition

Births

January

4 January
* Stuart Babbage, Anglican priest, civil rights advocate, writer
* John Reid, English literature academic
7 January – John Brown, cyclist
11 January – Alan Low, economist
13 January – Joy Drayton, teacher, academic leader, politician
15 January – Ron Guthrey, soldier, politician, disabled sports advocate
25 January – Ernest Duncan, mathematician and professor
29 January – Esther Blackie, cricketer
31 January – Jack Finlay, rugby union player and coach, soldier

February

10 February – Manuhuia Bennett, Anglican bishop
17 February – Geoffrey Fisken, World War II fighter pilot
21 February – Mick Connelly, politician

March

6 March – Te Kari Waaka, Ringatū minister, Tūhoe leader
8 March – Norman Fisher, boxer
9 March – Ron Withell, boxer
19 March – Joan Donley, midwife
21 March – Max Brown, novelist, journalist
23 March – Vince McGlone, seaman, television personality

April

4 April – Selwyn Toogood, radio and television personality
12 April – Russell Garcia, composer
14 April – Lawrence Hogben, naval officer, meteorologist
17 April – Robert Menzies, cricketer
21 April – Harry Frazer, rugby union player
25 April – Keith Elliott, soldier

May

3 May – Keith Bracey, television personality
5 May – Doris Lusk, artist
9 May – Bob Whaitiri, Ngāi Tahu leader
14 May – Joan Dingley, mycologist
20 May – Clifford Dalton, nuclear scientist
24 May – Noel McMahon, cricketer

June

3 June – Lorelle Corbin, naval officer
11 June – Bob Berry, dendrologist
14 June – Gordon Bromley, long-distance runner

July

2 July – Tom Walker, soil scientist, television personality
9 July – Dean Goffin, composer
16 July – Bill Carson, cricketer, rugby union player, soldier
17 July – Sid Scales, cartoonist
18 July – Owen Woodhouse, jurist
20 July – Bill Gilbert, soldier, intelligence service director
21 July – Roy Taylor, cyclist
31 July – Verdun Scott, cricketer

August

1 August
* Dorothy Daniels, ballet teacher and director
* Sybil Lupp, mechanic, motor-racing driver
6 August – Tom Clark, industrialist, yachting patron
15 August – Derek Freeman, anthropologist
22 August – Rona McCarthy, athlete
30 August – Tex Morton, country music entertainer

September

1 September – Allan McCready, politician
9 September
* Charles Fleming, scientist
* Jack Scott, politician
14 September – Edward Norman, soldier, Anglican bishop

October

10 October – Gordon Cochrane, military and civil pilot
15 October – Leonard Thornton, military leader
25 October – Bruce Campbell, lawyer, politician, jurist
26 October – Ernest Bezzant, cricketer
28 October – Frank Kerr, cricketer
30 October – Peter King, army officer

November

4 November – Allan Pyatt, Anglican bishop
11 November – Ramai Hayward, photographer, actor, cinematographer
16 November
* Harold Baigent, actor, theatre director
* Herb Green, obstetrician and gynaecologist
17 November
* Paraone Reweti, politician
* George Silk, photojournalist
21 November – Margaret Dalziel, English literature academic

December

1 December – Alan Boxer, Royal Air Force officer
12 December – Jack Davies, swimmer
13 December – Ossie Cleal, association footballer, cricketer
15 December – Maurice Wilkins, physicist and molecular biologist
18 December – Noel Crump, swimmer
19 December – Merv Wallace, cricketer
26 December – Jean Sandel, surgeon
27 December
* Betty Forbes, high jumper
* Frank Hofmann, photographer, musician
28 December – Frederick Turnovsky, manufacturer, arts advocate

Exact date unknown

Garth Chester, furniture designer

Deaths

January–March

16 January – Henare Kohere, rugby union player, soldier
22 January – Lucy Mansel, community worker
9 March – Edward Moss, politician
16 March – Thomas King, astronomer

April–June

4 April – John McIndoe, printer
7 April – Horace Martineau, soldier
9 May – William Graham, surveyor, farming leader, politician
20 May – Fanny Howie, singer and composer
22 May – Kimball Bent, soldier, adventurer
23 May – Charlie Douglas, explorer, surveyor
21 June – William Mowbray, teacher, musician
8 June – Henry Wilding, social reformer
16 June – William Barron, politician

July–September

4 July – Ann Evans, nurse, midwife
11 July – Graham Cook, rugby league player
25 July – Thomas Cooke, soldier
27 July – Arthur Brown, politician
28 July – James Escott, politician
30 July – Eveline Cunnington, social reformer, feminist
31 July – John Stevens, politician
24 August – Leonard Williams, Māori language scholar, Anglican bishop
25 August
* Martin Kennedy, mine owner, politician
* Sir Maurice O'Rorke, politician
16 September – Rupert Hickmott, cricketer
17 September – Arthur Martin, surgeon
19 September – Frank Wilson, rugby union player
21 September – Bobby Black, rugby union player
25 September – Stuart Menteath, politician
29 September – Josiah Martin, educationalist, photographer

October–December

1 October – Donald Brown, soldier
12 October – David Gage, rugby union player
14 October – Jack Carey, trade unionist
18 October – Samuel Andrews, politician
19 October – Catherine Francis, teacher
29 October – John Braithwaite, soldier
11 November – Frank Isitt, Methodist minister, temperance campaigner
12 November – Frances Stewart, women's and children's rights activist
16 December – Coupland Harding, printer, typographer, journalist