1920 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George V
• Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool until 7 July, then John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe from 27 September

Government

• Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang
• Prime Minister – William Massey
• Minister of Finance – James Allen until 28 April, then William Massey from 12 May
• Minister of External Affairs – James Allen until 28 April, then Ernest Lee from 17 May

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – William MacDonald until his death on 31 August, then Thomas Wilford

Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
• Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Thacker
• Mayor of Dunedin – William Begg

Events

• 1 May – The Colonist, established in 1857, publishes its final issue, and is incorporated into The Nelson Evening Mail.
• 25 August – Captain Euan Dickson makes the first aerial crossing of Cook Strait, from Christchurch to Upper Hutt, in an Avro 504K.

Arts and literature

Music

Film

Sport

Chess

• The 29th National Chess Championship, held in Wellington, is won by W. E. Mason of Wellington, his fifth title.

Cricket

• Plunket Shield

Football

• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland – YMCA
• * Canterbury – Nomads
• * Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
• * Otago – Kaitangata FC
• * Southland – No competition
• * Wanganui – Eastbrooke
• * Wellington – Wellington Thistle

Golf

• The 10th New Zealand Open championship is won by J. H. Kirkwood
• The 24th National Amateur Championships are held in Hamilton:
• * Men – Sloan Morpeth
• * Women – Noeline Wright

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Reta Peter
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Man O'War

Thoroughbred racing

• New Zealand Cup – Oratress
• Auckland Cup – Starland
• Wellington Cup – Kilmoon / Oratress
• New Zealand Derby – Duo

Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – E. Harraway
• Men's pair champions – J. Turnbull, W. Spiller
• Men's fours champions – H. Brookfield, F.L. Anderson, H.F. Tilley, A.P. London

Olympic games

• New Zealand sends a team of four competitors across three sports
• Darcy Hadfield wins the bronze medal in the men's single sculls
• New Zealand also competes at the Inter-Allied Games held in Paris

Rugby league

• The Great Britain Lions tour New Zealand, winning the test series 3–0
• * 1st test, at Wellington, 23–10
• * 2nd test, at Christchurch, 19–3
• * 3rd test, at Auckland, 31–7

Rugby union

• The All Blacks tour New South Wales
• defends the Ranfurly Shield 10 times before losing it to :
• *vs 15–3
• *vs 22–3
• *vs 20–9
• *vs 20–5
• *vs 23–20
• *vs Taranaki 16–5
• *vs 20–14
• *vs Auckland 20–3
• *vs 32–16
• *vs 16–5
• *vs Southland 6–17

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Herbert Croxton

Births

January–March

• 1 January – Ruth Ross, historian
• 4 January – Murray Gittos, fencer
• 6 January – Winifred Lawrence, swimmer
• 11 January – Betty Plant, netball player, coach and administrator
• 14 January – Don Beard, cricketer
• 24 January –
• * Len Jordan, rugby league player
• * Gerard Wall, surgeon and politician
• 26 January – Tapihana Paraire Paikea, politician
• 29 January – Bob Yule, fighter pilot
• 9 February – Fred Allen, rugby union player and coach
• 17 February – Dorothea Anne Franchi, pianist, harpist, music educator and composer
• 29 February – Mary Sullivan, netball player
• 9 March – Diggeress Te Kanawa, tohunga raranga
• 23 March – Peter Quilliam, jurist

April–June

• 2 April – David Gay, soldier, cricketer and educator
• 4 April – Jim Kearney, rugby union player
• 5 April – Pat Ralph, marine biology academic
• 12 April – Shona Dunlop MacTavish, dancer, choreographer
• 14 April – John Chewings, politician
• 23 April – Colin Horsley, classical pianist and music teacher
• 26 April – Joyce McDougall, psychoanalyst
• 17 May – Frank Corner, diplomat
• 18 May – Molly Macalister, sculptor
• 19 May – Frank Tredrea, cyclist
• 26 May
• * Frank Bethwaite, pilot, boat designer
• * Merimeri Penfold, Māori language academic
• 4 June – Bev Malcolm, netball player
• 8 June – Manahi Nitama Paewai, doctor, rugby union player, politician and community leader
• 20 June – John O'Shea, filmmaker
• 28 June – Kōhine Pōnika, composer of waiata Māori

July–September

• 10 July – Warwick Snedden, cricketer
• 11 July – Richard Dell, malacologist
• 9 August – Albert Jones, amateur astronomer
• 29 August
• * Eric Batchelor, soldier
• * Jack Laird, potter
• 3 September – Peter de la Mare, physical organic chemist
• 9 September – Joan Francis, cricketer
• 10 September – Russell Pettigrew, businessman and philanthropist
• 24 September – Alister Abernethy, trade unionist, politician and public servant
• 30 September
• * Margaret Alington, librarian and historian
• * Trevor Horne, politician

October–December

• 6 October – Hugh Sheridan, boxer
• 7 October – James Brodie, geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist
• 8 October – Jean Wishart, magazine editor
• 24 October – Ron Westerby, rugby league player
• 28 October
• * Peggy Dunstan, poet, writer
• * Bob Stuart, rugby player and administrator
• 1 November – Harry Dansey, journalist, cartoonist, broadcaster, politician and race relations conciliator
• 9 November – John Macdonald, forensic psychiatrist
• 16 November – Ronald Davison, jurist
• 11 December – Gus Fisher, fashion industry leader and philanthropist
• 15 December – Peg Batty, cricketer
• 27 December – Warren Freer, politician
• 28 December – Marty McDonnell, Australian rules footballer

Exact date unknown

• Entreaty, Thoroughbred racehorse

Deaths

January–March

• 5 January – Walter Gudgeon, farmer, soldier, historian, land court judge, colonial administrator
• 15 January – Richard Cockburn Maclaurin, mathematical physics academic
• 24 January – William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket, Governor of New Zealand
• 27 January – William Fitzgerald, teacher, educationalist
• 29 January – Constance Frost, doctor, bacteriologist, pathologist
• 3 March – George Vesey Stewart, politician

April–June

• 10 April – Courtney Nedwill, doctor, public health officer
• 21 April – Jesse Piper, politician
• 26 April
• * George Robertson, rugby union player
• * George Hogben, educationalist, seismologist
• 2 May – A. L. Beattie, locomotive designer/engineer
• 6 May – James Black, cricketer
• 13 May – Fred Hobbs, politician
• 20 May – Henare Kaihau, politician
• 20 June – John Grigg, astronomer

July–September

• 23 July – Robin Dods, architect
• 28 July – Edward Shillington, librarian
• 17 August – Amey Daldy, women's suffrage campaigner
• 23 August – David Cossgrove, teacher, soldier, scout leader
• 25 August – Donald Reid, politician
• 31 August – William MacDonald, politician
• 26 September – Appo Hocton, servant, landlord, carter, farmer

October–December

• 1 October – Henare Wepiha Te Wainohu, Māori leader, Anglican clergyman, army chaplain
• 7 October – Chew Chong, merchant, fungus exporter, butter manufacturer
• 10 October – Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, women's suffrage campaigner
• 14 October – Samuel Carnell, politician
• 21 October – Mary Gibbs, community leader
• 12 November – Thomas Porter, soldier, land purchase officer
• 14 November – Edward Ker Mulgan, newspaper editor, teacher, school inspector
• 17 November – Alexander Hogg, politician
• 23 November – Cyril Mountfort, architect
• 28 November – Peter Webb, rugby union player
• 13 December – Joseph Tole, politician
• 16 December – George Jones, politician
• 27 December – Charles Button, politician, solicitor, judge