1927 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1927 in New Zealand.

Population

Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,450,400
Increase since previous 31 December 1926: 20,700
Males per 100 females: 104.3

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of state – George V
Governor-General – Sir Charles Fergusson

Government

The 22nd New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was by the Reform Party with a strong majority, and with the Labour and Liberal parties in opposition.

Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
Prime Minister – Gordon Coates
Minister of Finance – William Downie Stewart
Minister of Foreign Affairs – William Nosworthy
Attorney-General – Frank Rolleston
Chief Justice – Sir Charles Skerrett

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition – Harry Holland.

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland – George Baildon
Mayor of Wellington – Charles Norwood, succeeded by George Troup
Mayor of Christchurch – John Archer
Mayor of Dunedin – Harold Tapley, succeeded by William Taverner

Events

22 February – 22 March: Royal tour by the Duke and Duchess of York

Arts and literature

See 1927 in art, 1927 in literature, :Category:1927 books

Sport

Badminton

The New Zealand Badminton Federation, now Badminton New Zealand, is founded and the first National Championships are held, at Wanganui.
*Men's singles: R. Creed-Meredith
*Women's singles: E. Hetley
*Men's doubles: R. Creed-Meredith and M. Fell
*Women's doubles: E. Hetley and N. Wanklyn
*Mixed doubles: R. Creed-Meredith and E. Hetley

Chess

The 36th National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by A.W.O. Davies of Auckland, his third title.

Golf

The 17th New Zealand Open championship was won by Ernie Moss.
The 31st National Amateur Championships were held in Hamilton
* Men: Sloan Morpeth – 2nd title
* Women: Mrs ? Collinson

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Kohara
Auckland Trotting Cup – Ahuriri

Thoroughbred racing

New Zealand Cup – Rapier
Avondale Gold Cup – Te Kara
Auckland Cup – Rapier
Wellington Cup – Rapier
New Zealand Derby – Agrion

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.

Men's singles champion – H.C. Clarke
Men's pair champions – A. Brakebush, M. Walker
Men's fours champions – J. McMillan, H. Rowling, J.F. Wright, A.H. Benefield

Rugby

1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Shooting

Ballinger Belt – Douglas Roots

Soccer

1927 Chatham Cup won by Ponsonby
Canada toured New Zealand, playing a series of four internationals which they won 2–1.
* 25 June, Dunedin: Draw 2–2
* 2 July, Christchurch: NZ 1–2 Canada
* 9 July, Wellington: NZ 1–0 Canada
* 23 July, Auckland: NZ 1–4 CanadaProvincial league champions:
* Auckland: Thistle
* Canterbury: Nomads
* Hawke's Bay: Napier Rangers
* Nelson: Athletic
* Otago: Northern
* South Canterbury: Rangers
* Southland: Corinthians
* Taranaki: Caledonian
* Waikato: Waihou
* Wanganui: Eastbrooke
* Wellington: YMCA

Births

January

4 January – Patrick Hanan, historian of Chinese literature
7 January – Mary Batchelor, politician
8 January – Sidney Moko Mead, anthropologist, historian, Māori leader
9 January – Ken English, rugby league player
11 January
* Johnny Hayes, cricketer
* John Tanner, rugby union player
12 January
* Maurice Marshall, athlete
* Emily Schuster, master weaver
14 January – Vera Burt, cricketer
20 January – Cyril Paskell, rugby league player
22 January – Jack Doms, swimmer

February

2 February – Whatumoana Paki, Kīngitanga elder
3 February – Graham Mexted, rugby union player
6 February – Thomas Wells, cricketer, schoolteacher
9 February – Walter Brown, actor
12 February – John Todd, businessman, philanthropist
16 February – Des White, rugby league player
18 February – Hugh Kawharu, academic, Ngāti Whātua leader
20 February – Allan Wild, architect, academic
24 February – Jim Edwards, politician
27 February – Peter Whittle, mathematician, statistician

March

2 March – Ray Farman, cricketer
3 March – Bruce Tabb, accountancy academic
9 March – Dave Leech, hammer thrower
13 March
* Thea Muldoon, wife of Robert Muldoon
* Albert Putt, cricketer
14 March – Tim Besley, civil engineer, businessman, public servant
17 March – Christopher Small, sociomusicologist
24 March – John Head, schoolteacher, anti-landmine campaigner
31 March – Pat Hond, police officer, teacher, soldier, community worker

April

5 April
* Neil Anderson, naval officer
* Eddie Robinson, rugby union player
6 April – Barney Clarke, boxer
9 April – Tiny Hill, rugby union player and selector
13 April – George Chapman, accountant, businessman, politician
14 April – Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel laureate chemist
15 April – Joan Talbot, fashion designer and retailer
18 April – Stanley Callagher, rowing coxswain
20 April – Douglas J. Martin, Mormon leader
21 April – Tom Logan, water polo player, swimmer, surf lifesaver, dentist, naval officer

May

1 May
* Pat Downey, lawyer and public servant
* Duncan McMullin, jurist
8 May – Gray Nelson, public servant, diplomat
9 May – Gerry Clark, sailor, writer and ornithologist
17 May – Jacqueline Sturm, poet and short-story writer
20 May – Donald Coleman, cricketer
22 May – Eric Petrie, cricketer
23 May – Jack Cropp, sailor
25 May – Helen Smith, politician
26 May – John Worrall, cricketer

June

1 June – John O'Brien, rower
4 June – William Fyfe, geochemist
5 June – Bill McLennan, rugby league player
8 June – Bob Walls, painter
15 June – Roland Avery, rugby league referee
16 June
* Kate Harcourt, actor
* Trevor Redmond, speedway rider
20 June – Bill Bradfield, amateur astronomer
27 June – Brian Brake, photographer

July

9 July – Joyce Fenton, fencer
10 July
* Ken Deas, cricketer
* Peter Eastgate, rugby union player
18 July
* Zin Harris, cricketer
* Jack Sutherland, athlete
19 July – Ray Harper, rugby union player and administrator
20 July – Tom Lynch, rugby union and rugby league player
25 July
* James Belich, politician, mayor of Wellington
* Dorothy Fletcher, historian

August

19 August – John Caselberg, writer
25 August – Keith Cumberpatch, field hockey player
26 August
* Jill Amos, local-body politician, community leader
* Bill McCaw, rugby union player
30 August – Humphrey Gould, rower, businessman
31 August – Reg King, association footballer

September

1 September – Myra Larcombe, police officer, historian, and swimming coach
9 September – John Hickman, meteorologist
14 September – John Hall-Jones, historian, otolaryngologist
22 September – Peter Burke, rugby union player, coach and administrator
27 September – Te Uruhina McGarvey-Tiakiwai, Māori cultural leader

October

9 October
* Bob Goslin, boxer
* Ron Trotter, businessman
11 October – Leonard Watson, cricketer
22 October – Wally Clark, zoologist
24 October – Ian Monro, naval officer
30 October – Jill McDonald, children's writer and illustrator

November

7 November – Brian Finlay, rugby union player
15 November – Wallace (Bill) Rowling, politician, 30th Prime Minister of New Zealand
18 November
* Giovanni Cataldo, fisherman, search and rescue organiser
* Pat Creedy, rugby union and rugby league player
19 November – Thomas Engel, rower
21 November – Peter Mulgrew, mountaineer, sailor, businessman
24 November
* Geoff Mardon, speedway rider
* Kevin Skinner, rugby union player
25 November – Alison Preston-Thomas, netball player

December

1 December – John Branthwaite, Anglican priest
2 December – Les Hunter, politician
4 December – Peter Hall, cricketer
6 December – Alan Gilbertson, cricketer
8 December
* David Hay, cardiologist, anti-smoking campaigner
* Hamish Hay, politician, mayor of Christchurch
10 December – Graham Gordon, general practitioner and surgeon
18 December – Rom Harré, philosopher, psychologist
19 December – Robert Couper, cricketer
23 December – Pat Sheahan, rugby union player, publican, publisher
30 December – John Pring, rugby union referee

Exact date unknown

Colin Franklin, electrical engineer
Rusty Robertson, rowing coach

Deaths

January–March

4 January
* Herbert Drewitt, World War I flying ace
* Joseph Ward, astronomer
13 January
* Frank S. Anthony, author
* John Fisher, politician
21 January – Kiti Karaka Rīwai, Māori tribal leader
26 January – Robert Wellwood, farmer, auctioneer, commission agent, politician
29 January – Sir Henry Brett, journalist, newspaper proprietor, writer, politician, mayor of Auckland
21 February – Thomas Ryan, rugby union player, artist, steamer captain
17 March – Bella MacCallum, botanist, mycologist
26 March – Edward Withy, shipbuilder, politician
31 March – David Guthrie, politician

April–June

April – T. T. Rawhiti, Kīngitanga secretary and administrator
4 April – Cuthbert Cowan, politician
6 April – Elsie Reeve, jeweller
8 April – John O'Donovan, police commissioner
14 April – James Wilson, politician
26 April – William Jolliffe, film censor
28 April – Sarah Featon, botanical artist
2 May – Eden George, photographer, politician, mayor of Christchurch
1 June
* Thomas Andrew, cricketer
* Sir Worley Edwards, jurist
11 June
* John Ormsby, land negotiator and commissioner, politician
* Hōne Taare Tīkao, Ngāi Tahu leader, scholar, politician
17 June – Lake Ayson, acclimatisation officer, fisheries inspector

July–September

18 July – Eustace Ferguson, pathologist, entomologist
24 July – Arthur Harvey, doctor
27 July – Newton King, auctioneer, merchant, businessman
5 August – Thomas Groube, cricketer
7 August – Frank Mace, soldier
11 August – Edmond Slattery, swagger, rural labourer
25 August – Richard Bollard, politician
3 September – Bill Cunningham, rugby union player
30 September – Edmund Taylor, temperance advocate, politician

October–December

9 October – Charles Mules, Anglican bishop
12 October – Louis Fowler, cricketer
12 November – John Aris, cricketer
17 November – Charlie Smyth, police officer, trade unionist, baker
21 November – Oscar Alpers, journalist, poet, lawyer, jurist
26 November – Percy Gates Morgan, geologist, science administrator
28 November – Charles Lewis, politician
8 December – Robert Allan, businessman, manufacturer
18 December – Hugh Finn, politician