1923 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1923 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Government

The 21st New Zealand Parliament begins. The Reform Party governs as a minority with the support of independents.

Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
Prime Minister – William Massey
Minister of Finance – William Massey
Minister of External Affairs – Ernest Lee until 13 January, then Francis Bell from 7 June

Events

28 March
* The Tauranga by-election is won by Charles Macmillan
* The Native Bird Protection Society is formed at a meeting in Wellington, with Sir Thomas Mackenzie elected inaugural president.
March – The inflation rate in New Zealand reaches its lowest recorded value, −15.3 per cent
1 May – The Oamaru by-election is won by John MacPherson
5–9 May – The upper South Island and Wellington are hit by heavy rain, causing severe flooding. Three people drown in Marlborough. A quarter of Kaiapoi's population flee from rapidly rising water levels. Both telegraph lines connecting Christchurch with Wellington go down.
14 June − The New Zealand Permanent Air Force, the forerunner of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, is established
6 July – The Ongarue railway disaster results in the deaths of 17 passengers when the overnight Auckland-Wellington Express runs into a landslip at Ongarue near Taumarunui
4 August – Opening of the Otira Tunnel on the Midland Line
15 December – The British and Intercolonial Exhibition opens in Hokitika

;Undated

New Zealand gains the right to conduct its own trade negotiations independently of Britain
The Ross Dependency is claimed by Britain and placed under New Zealand administration
The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, funded by the New Zealand government as a gift to Britain before World War I, is broken up for scrap

Arts and literature

See 1923 in art, 1923 in literature, :Category:1923 books

Music

Production of the musical "Tutankhamen" by L.P.Leary at His Majesty's Theatre in Auckland. Music by Eric Waters.
See: 1923 in music

Radio

A set of Broadcasting regulations are issued under the Post And Telegraph Act 1920. Under the new regulations the country is divided into four numerical transmission regions. The regulations also stipulate that the owner of a receiving set is to pay an annual licence of five shillings while permission to transmit costs two pounds.

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

The Romance of Sleepy Hollow

See: 1923 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1923 films

Sport

Chess

The 32nd National Chess Championship is held in Christchurch, and is won by John Boyd Dunlop of Oamaru

Cricket

Plunket Shield

Football

The inaugural competition for the Chatham Cup is won by Seacliff AFC
The New Zealand team tours Australia, playing 16 matches:
* 24 May, at Granville – lose 1–3 vs Granville
* 26 May, at Sydney – draw 2–2 vs New South Wales
* 29 May, at Newcastle – lose 0–2 vs Newcastle
* 2 June, at Ipswich – win 4–2 vs Ipswich / West Moreton
* 4 June, at Brisbane – win 3–1 vs Queensland
* 6 June, at Nambour – win 2–0 vs North Coast
* 9 June, at Brisbane – lose 1–2 vs Australia
* 13 June, at Cessnock – lose 1–2 vs South Maitland
* 16 June, at Sydney – win 3–2 vs Australia
* 20 June, at Sydney – win 3–4 vs Metropolis
* 23 June, at Sydney – win 3–1 vs Granville
* 25 June, at Sydney – draw 1–1 vs New South Wales
* 30 June, at Newcastle – win 4–1 vs Australia
* 3 July, at Weston – lose 1–4 vs South Maitland
* 7 July, at Wollongong – lose 0–2 vs South Coast
* 11 July, at Lithgow – win 4–0 vs Western Districts
Provincial league champions:
* Auckland – North Shore AFC
* Canterbury – Sunnyside
* Hawke's Bay – Whakatu
* Nelson – Athletic
* Otago – HSOB
* South Canterbury – Albion Rovers
* Southland – Nightcaps
* Taranaki – Hawera
* Wanganui – Eastown Workshops
* Wellington – Waterside

Golf

The 10th New Zealand Open championship is won by A. Brooks.
The 27th National Amateur Championships are held in Wanganui:
* Men – J. Goss
* Women – E. Vigor Brown

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Great Hope
Auckland Trotting Cup – Blue Mountain King

Thoroughbred racing

New Zealand Cup – Rouen
Auckland Cup – Te Kara / Muraahi
Wellington Cup – Rapine
New Zealand Derby – Black Ronald
ARC Great Northern Derby – Enthusiasm

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.

Men's singles champion – M. Walker
Men's pair champions – W. McCallum, T. Edwards
Men's fours champions – R.S. Somervell, J.F. Hosking, V.P. Casey, A. Parsons

Rugby union

A New South Wales team tours New Zealand, playing three matches against the New Zealand team. New Zealand wins all three: 19–9, 34–6 and 38–11.
defend the Ranfurly Shield for the full season, defeating Wairarapa,,,, Horowhenua, and .

Shooting

Ballinger Belt – Les Loveday

Births

January–February

2 January – Joe McManemin, athletics coach, sports administrator
6 January – Norman Kirk, politician
11 January – Charles Philip Littlejohn, parliamentary officer
15 January – Nick Unkovich, lawn bowls player
27 January – Robert Burchfield, lexicographer
11 February – Bryce Rope, rugby union player and coach
26 February – Jean Anderson, pianist and professor of music

March–April

1 March – Stephen Jelicich, architect, historian
2 March
* Ron Elvidge, rugby union player
* Don Taylor, cricketer
12 March – James Godwin, war crimes investigator
13 March – Travers Hardwick, rugby league player and coach
24 March – Poul Gnatt, ballet dancer and ballet master
26 March – Ronald Dobson, rugby union player
27 March – Donald Murdoch, cricketer
31 March – Lawrie Miller, cricketer
6 April – Rina Moore, doctor
7 April
* Lindsay Daen, sculptor
* Russell Stone, historian
14 April – Stan Cowman, cricket umpire
16 April – Thomas Freeman, cricketer
17 April – Ken Mudford, motorcycle racer
18 April – Allan Deane, cricketer
26 April – Harold Nelson, athlete
29 April – Jean Herbison, academic, university chancellor

May–June

17 May – Doug Ottley, association footballer
26 May
* Bill Meates, rugby union player
* Thomas Paulay, earthquake engineer, academic
4 June – Olga Stringfellow, journalist and author
7 June – Peter Sutton, Anglican bishop
19 June – Rex Orr, rugby union player
25 June – Margaret Reid, Presbyterian minister
30 June – Melvin Day, artist

July–August

8 July – Margaret di Menna, microbiologist
13 July – Max Lewis, cricketer
14 July – Noel Chambers, swimmer
16 July
* Richard Bolt, air force officer
* Terry Harris, water polo player
18 July
* John Morton, marine zoologist, theologian, conservationist
* JJ Stewart, rugby union coach and administrator, politician
26 July – Betty Gilderdale, children's author
28 July – Bill Sevesi, musician
9 August – Bob Neilson, rugby league player
11 August – Roy Roper, rugby union player
12 August – Janet Holm, environmental activist, historian
14 August – Jack Luxton, politician
15 August – Norm Jones, politician
28 August – Maurice Casey, jurist

September–October

9 September – Des Christian, rugby union player and coach
19 September – Bob Sorenson, rugby union player and coach, cricketer
29 September – Vernon McArley, cricketer
3 October – Jack McLean, rugby union and rugby league player
4 October – Lachie Grant, rugby union player
9 October
* Bob Fenton, politician
* Ronald Tremain, composer, music academic
11 October – Ed Nichols, alpine skier
15 October
* Joyce Carpenter, diver
* Jim McCormick, rugby union player
18 October – Rob Talbot, politician
20 October – Mike Minogue, politician
29 October
* David Kear, geologist, science administrator
* Ted Thorne, naval officer

November–December

1 November – Peter Mahon, jurist
4 November – Joan Hatcher, cricketer
5 November – Frederick Stanley, cricketer
9 November – Marion Robinson, physiologist and nutritionist
10 November – Brian Ashby, Roman Catholic bishop
11 November – Sonja Davies, trade unionist, peace activist, politician
13 November – Austen Gittos, fencer
17 November
* Dick Scott, historian, journalist
* Bert Sutcliffe, cricketer
18 November – Neville Pickering, politician
20 November – Robert Harwood, cricketer
22 November – Guy Doleman, actor
28 November – Eric Heath, cartoonist
2 December – Andy Keyworth, master mariner
6 December – Karl Sim, art forger
13 December – Richard Campion, theatre director
14 December – Bob Quickenden, association footballer
17 December – John Darwin, statistician
20 December
* Arthur Mills, cricketer
* Noel Taylor, athlete
24 December – Bert Cook, rugby union and rugby league player

Deaths

January–March

9 January – Katherine Mansfield, writer
14 January – Frederick Radcliffe, photographer
28 January – Alfred Holdship, cricketer
6 February – William Thomas Jennings, politician
22 February – Sir William Herries, politician
17 March – Daniel Cooper, convicted baby farmer and illegal abortionist
25 March – John Patterson, politician, businessman
26 March – William Wescombe Corpe, sawmiller, dairy manufacturer

April–June

3 April
* Charles H. Mills, politician
* Arthur Seymour, politician
4 April – Charles Curtis, storekeeper, local-body politician
12 April
* William Collins, politician
* Randell McDonnell, cricketer
27 April – Gordon Millington, cricketer
7 May – Walter Dinnie, police commissioner
9 May – John Fuller, singer and theatrical company manager
21 May – Leopold Prime, cricketer

July–September

8 July – Henry Lawson, cricketer
16 July – Sir William Fraser, politician
27 July – William Dawson, brewer, politician
3 August – Frederick Fulton, cricketer
8 September – Thomas Mahoney, architect
23 September – Sarah Higgins, midwife, writer
26 September – Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury, Ngāti Kahungunu scholar, recorder, interpreter

October–December

8 October – Angus Stuart, rugby union player
15 October – Thomas Frederic Cheeseman, botanist
17 October – William Meares, cricketer
10 November – John Stallworthy, politician
11 November – Robert Murdoch, malacologist
25 November – Sydney Callaway, cricketer
29 November – Gilbert Mair, soldier, interpreter, public servant
11 December – Joseph Maddison, architect
14 December – Michael Godby, cricketer