1917 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George V
• Governor – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, until 28 June
• Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, from 28 June

Government

• Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang
• Prime Minister – William Massey
• Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward. Ward retains the title even though he is part of the coalition government.

Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
• Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Holland
• Mayor of Dunedin – James Clark

Events

• April – The first Caudron biplane purchased by Henry Wigram for the Canterbury Aviation Company arrives.
• 1 May – The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) is formed as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
• 7 May – Cecil McKenzie Hill makes the first flight for the Canterbury Aviation Company.
• June – Pilot training by the Canterbury Aviation Company commences at Sockburn.
• 24 September – Ten New Zealand soldiers are killed in England in the Bere Ferrers rail accident.
• 20 October – 850 New Zealand soldiers are killed in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the greatest loss of life in a single day in the military history of New Zealand.
• 1 December – Six o’clock closing of hotel bars is introduced as a wartime measure.

• "Extraordinary and continuous rainfall" throughout the year causes "enormous damage to roads and bridges", and "the country became waterlogged", according to the Public Works Statement.
• The West Coast Times, established in 1865, is merged into the Hokitika Guardian and Star.

Arts and literature

Music

Film

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 – Adelaide Direct
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Steel Bell

Thoroughbred racing

• New Zealand Cup – Meelaus
• Auckland Cup – Fiery Cross
• Wellington Cup – Bunting
• New Zealand Derby – Estland

Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – C.R. Ingram
• Men's pair champions – A. Sawyer, J.J. Martin
• Men's fours champions – J.S. Ryrie, A.R. Coltman, W. Coltman, G.S. Osmond

Rugby union

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

Soccer

• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland – Brotherhood
• * Canterbury – Linwood
• * Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
• * Otago – Northern
• * Southland – No competition
• * Wanganui – No competition
• * Wellington – No competition

Births

January

• 13 January – Doris Strachan, athlete
• 19 January – Agnes Ell, cricketer
• 20 January – Emily Carpenter, home science academic, adult educationalist, consumer advocate
• 25 January – Rosalie Gascoigne, sculptor
• 27 January – John Pattison, World War II pilot
• 28 January – Jack Hatchard, association footballer
• 31 January
• * Erich Geiringer, writer, doctor, anti-nuclear weapons activist
• * Frank Gill, air force officer, politician

February

• 19 February
• * Morrie McHugh, boxer, rugby union player
• * Peg Taylor, cricketer
• 26 February – Clyde Jeffery, politician, mayor of Napier

March

• 1 March – Bill Sutton, artist
• 9 March – Clarrie Gordon, boxer
• 10 March – Tom Pritchard, cricketer
• 20 March – Haddon Donald, soldier, politician, sports shooter
• 22 March – Phil Holloway, politician
• 26 March – Ruth Gilbert, poet

April

• 13 April – Bruce Ferguson, soldier
• 18 April – Brian Mason, geochemistry, mineralogist, meteoriticist

May

• 6 May – Roy Scott, cricketer
• 21 May – Margaret Milne, potter
• 22 May – Charlie Munro, jazz musician

June

• 10 June – Jack Henry, industrialist
• 11 June – Tom Davis, Cook Islands politician
• 25 June – Nora Crawford, police officer

July

• 1 July – Maurice Carter, property developer, politician, philanthropist
• 6 July – Arthur Lydiard, runner, athletics coach
• 7 July – John Crichton, furniture and interior designer
• 13 July – Frank Carpay, ceramics, textile and graphic designer
• 14 July – Doug Zohrab, public servant, diplomat
• 19 July – Lewis Johnston, cricket umpire
• 21 July – Jock Newall, association footballer
• 23 July – Douglas Goodfellow, businessman, philanthropist
• 27 July – Ron Meek. economist and social scientist
• 31 July – Derek Ward, World War II pilot

August

• 1 August – Esme Tombleson, politician
• 3 August – Eddie Isbey, politician
• 7 August – Arthur Cresswell, cricketer
• 24 August – Ruth Park, writer

September

• 2 September – Jack Scholes, sailor
• 6 September – Cecil Hight, World War II pilot
• 7 September – Ewen Solon, actor
• 16 September – David Lewis, sailor, Polynesian scholar
• 23 September – Wiremu Te Tau Huata, Anglican priest, military chaplain
• 26 September – James Coe, artist, art teacher, industrial designer, ergonomist
• 30 September – Denis Rogers, politician, mayor of Hamilton

October

• 2 October – Rosaleen Norton, artist, occultist
• 17 October
• * Martin Donnelly, cricketer, rugby union player
• * John Oswald Sanders, missionary
• 18 October – Roy White, rugby union player
• 31 October – Evan Mackie, World War II pilot

November

• 6 November – Henry Walters, cricketer
• 17 November – Tom Larkin, public servant, diplomat
• 25 November – Paul Beadle, sculptor, medallist

December

• 2 December – Betty Batham, marine biologist
• 7 December – Bert Roth, librarian, historian
• 8 December – Alan Stewart, rugby union player, university administrator
• 11 December – Owen Snedden, Roman Catholic bishop
• 12 December – Alan Deere, military pilot, author
• 13 December – Keith Hay, construction company founder, politician, conservative activist
• 24 December – Ronald Triner, road cyclist

Deaths

January–February

• 3 February – Robert McNab, politician
• 17 February
• * Graham Gow, government trade representative
• * Sir George McLean, politician
• 22 February – Hugh Murray-Aynsley, politician

March–April

• 6 March
• * Tame Parata, politician
• * William Salmond, Presbyterian minister, theologian
• 11 March – William Hosking, doctor
• 13 March – Percy Dix, vaudeville company manager
• 27 March – Joseph Braithwaite, bookseller, politician, mayor of Dunedin
• 30 March – Ferdinand Holm, mariner, ship owner
• 23 April – Robert Bruce, politician, conservationist

May–June

• 2 May – Alfred Lee Smith, politician
• 7 June
• * Bill Bussell, rugby league player
• * George Sellars, rugby union player
• 8 June
• * George Bollinger, soldier, diarist
• * Charles Henry Brown, military leader
• * Thomas Culling, World War I flying ace
• 20 June – Reg Taylor, rugby union player
• 22 June – John Lecky, rugby union player

July–August

• 8 July – Alexander McKay, geologist
• 14 July
• * Robert Batley, storekeeper, sheep farmer
• * Alexander Bruce, politician
• 15 July – Bill Mackrell, rugby union and rugby league player
• 23 July – James Gore, politician, mayor of Dunedin
• 27 July – Arthur Brown, Mayor of Wellington
• 30 July – William Baldwin, politician
• 31 July – William Henry Dillon Bell, politician
• 4 August
• * Purakau Maika, newspaper editor and publisher
• * Cecil Perry, cricketer
• 5 August – Don Buck, gum digger
• 6 August – Charles James, rugby league player
• 7 August – Francis Earl Johnston, army officer
• 14 August – William Sanders, naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient
• 24 August – Alfred Kidd, politician, mayor of Auckland
• 26 August – William Lane, journalist, utopian

September–October

• 4 October – Dave Gallaher. rugby union player
• 6 October – John Davies Ormond, politician
• 12 October
• * Henry Du Vall, rugby league player
• * George Augustus King, military officer
• 20 October – Elise Kemp, nurse
• 22 October – Bob Fitzsimmons, boxer
• 27 October – William Beehan, politician

November–December

• 10 November – Charles King, cricketer
• 13 November – Cecil Fitzroy, politician, mayor of Hastings
• 15 November – Frank Twisleton, soldier, writer
• 29 November – Ellen Greenwood, schoolteacher, social worker
• 12 December – Sir Charles Bowen, politician
• 14 December – George Wilson, cricketer
• 23 December – Clive Franklyn Collett, World War I flying ace