1937 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1937 in New Zealand.

Population

Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,601,800.
Increase since 31 December 1936: 17,200.
Males per 100 females: 103.1.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State – George VI
Governor-General – The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PC

Government

The 25th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government.

Speaker of the House – Bill Barnard
Prime Minister – Michael Joseph Savage
Minister of Finance – Walter Nash
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Michael Joseph Savage
Attorney-General – Rex Mason
Chief Justice – Sir Michael Myers

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition – Adam Hamilton.

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland – Ernest Davis
Mayor of Wellington – Thomas Hislop
Mayor of Christchurch – John Beanland
Mayor of Dunedin – '''Edwin Thomas Cox'''

Events

16 January – The Hawke's Bay Herald publishes its final issue before merging with the Hawke's Bay Tribune to form the Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune. It started as the Hawke's Bay Herald and Ahuriri Advocate in 1857.
1 February – The 1937 New Year Honours are announced.
11 May – The King George VI Coronation Honours are announced.
Milk in schools starts, and continues until 1967.

Arts and literature

See 1937 in art, 1937 in literature

Music

See: 1937 in music

Broadcasting

6 May – Historic radio link up to cover the arrival of Airship Hindenburg at New Jersey. This is probably the first direct international radio broadcast of this nature from such a distance.

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

New Zealand Review no.1, Holiday Sounds

See: :Category:1937 film awards, 1937 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1937 films

Sport

Chess

The 46th National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by H.R. Abbott of Christchurch.

Golf

The 27th New Zealand Open championship was won by J.P. Hornabrook, an amateur, in a three-way playoff with A.J. Shaw and Ernie Moss.
The 41st National Amateur Championships were held in Hamilton
* Men: B.M. Silk – his second title
* Women: Mrs G.W. Hollis

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Lucky Jack
Auckland Trotting Cup – Willow Wave

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Wellington.

Men's singles champion – C. Spearman
Men's pair champions – D. Hunter, J.W. Lowry
Men's fours champions – C.H. Elsom, P. Munn, C.J. Shaw, R. Haworth

Rugby

:Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, :Category:All Blacks

Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

Chatham Cup competition not held this year.
An England Amateurs team toured, beating the New Zealand side by a resounding 30–1 aggregate in a three-match series.
* 5 May, Dunedin: NZ 0–12 England Amateurs
* 19 May, Auckland: NZ 0–6 England Amateurs
* 26 May, Wellington: NZ 1–12 England AmateurProvincial league champions:
* Auckland: Thistle
* Canterbury: Technical OB, Western
* Hawke's Bay: Napier Utd
* Nelson: YMCA
* Otago: Mosgiel
* Southland: Boy's Brigade OB
* Waikato: Hamilton Wanderers
* Wanganui: Wanganui Athletic
* Wellington: Waterside

Births

January

1 January – Lance Pearson, cricketer, basketball player, coach and administrator
3 January – Archie Taiaroa, Māori leader
10 January – Ralph Caulton, rugby union player, coach and administrator
13 January – Guy Dodson, biochemist
14 January – Ann Chapman, limnologist
15 January – Ray Henwood, actor
16 January – Ahmed Said Musa Patel, Muslim cleric
21 January – Colin Barclay, cricketer
26 January
* Murray Ball, cartoonist
* Bruce McPhail, rugby union player
31 January – David Tarrant, cricketer

February

2 February
* Tony Shelly, motor racing driver
* Neale Thompson, cricketer, badminton player
19 February – Warwick Dalton, racing cyclist
23 February – David Kinsella, cricket player and umpire

March

4 March – Graham Dowling, cricketer
8 March
* Barry Robinson, athlete, architect
* Prince Tui Teka, singer, actor
10 March – John Creighton, rugby union player
11 March – John Ward, cricketer
13 March
* Trevor Blake, cricketer, field hockey player
* Chris Kenny, boxing coach
31 March – Jindra Tichá, academic, writer

April

1 April – Dent Harper, cricketer
2 April – John La Roche, civil engineer, author
3 April – Eve Rimmer, para athlete
5 April – Brian Blacktop, lawyer
7 April – Graeme Davies, metallurgist, university administrator
8 April – Philip Havill, cricketer
15 April – Bill Ballantine, marine biologist
16 April
* David Braithwaite, politician
* Ivan Keats, athlete
* Don Oliver, weightlifter, fitness centre founder
18 April – Rangi Hetet, master carver
20 April – Ernest Barnes, field hockey player
22 April
* Michael Dormer, cricketer
* Bruce Gregory, politician
* Roger Slack, plant biologist and biochemist
29 April – Tīmoti Kāretu, Māori academic

May

4 May – Terence Shaw, cricketer
18 May – Ron Watson, sailor
20 May – Thomas Goddard, lawyer, judge

June

8 June – Michael Crozier, physicist, politician
20 June
* David Lloyd, botanist
* Phil Skoglund, lawn bowls player
21 June – John Kent, cartoonist
23 June – Greer Twiss, sculptor
24 June – Louise Clough, cricketer

July

2 July – Judith McKinlay, biblical scholar
9 July – Bill Kini, boxer, rugby union player
15 July – Judi Doull, cricketer
21 July – Barry Thomas, rugby union player
24 July
* Te Wharehuia Milroy, Māori language academic
* Barry Vercoe, computer scientist, composer
25 July – Rose Pere, educationalist, Māori language advocate, conservationist

August

1 August – Gugi Waaka, musical entertainer
2 August – Ron Brierley, businessman
4 August – Charmian O'Connor, physical organic chemist
7 August – Don McKay, rugby union player
9 August – Trevor Chinn, glaciologist
10 August
* Ian Bradley, naval officer, politician
* Valerie Young, athlete
17 August – Patricia Grace, author
19 August – Mick Brown, judge
21 August – Elizabeth Hanan, politician, community leader
24 August – Philip Newman, cricketer
26 August – John Veitch, cricketer
30 August – Bruce McLaren, racing driver and car designer

September

2 September – Frank Rapley, cricketer
7 September – Ngātata Love, business academic, Te Āti Awa leader
10 September – Dave Gallop, cricket player and administrator
11 September – Marilynn Webb, artist
14 September
* Stuart Chambers, ornithologist
* John Cullen, field hockey player
21 September – Denis Browne, Catholic bishop
22 September
* Graham Houghton, missionary, educator
* Trevor McKee, Thoroughbred racehorse trainer
23 September – Ross Morrison, cricketer
28 September
* Graeme Caughley, ecologist
* Vincent O'Sullivan, writer

October

5 October – Brian Maunsell, boxer
9 October – Richard Walls, businessman, politician
14 October – George Salmond, public health administrator
21 October – Robert Monteith, cricket umpire
23 October – Lawrie Creamer, milk protein chemist
27 October – Neville Huxford, cricketer
28 October – Jim Dawson, cricketer

November

2 November – Dylan Taite, music journalist
3 November – Peter Coutts, cricketer
4 November – Brian Edwards, broadcaster, author
12 November – Helen Thayer, explorer
13 November – Abdul Rahim Rasheed, Muslim community leader, lawyer
19 November
* Meg Campbell, poet
* Kenneth Keith, jurist
23 November – James Wallace, businessman, arts patron
25 November – Frances Cherry, writer

December

1 December – Bill Hume, association footballer
3 December – Peter Morris, cricketer
4 December – Ross Dallow, police officer, politician
5 December – Roger Douglas, politician
12 December – Grant Tilly, actor
25 December
* Reese Griffiths, rugby league player
* Ginger Molloy, motorcycle racer
26 December
* Pam French, fencer
* Gavin Hitchings, jeweller
29 December
* Ian Lawrence, lawyer, politician
* Ethna Rouse, cricketer

Undated

Bridget Armstrong, actor
Mary Cresswell, poet
Peter Dwyer, zoologist, anthropologist
Michael Harlow, poet, publisher, editor, librettist
Ken Maddock, anthropologist
Toi Te Rito Maihi, artist
Reihana Parata, master weaver
Jim Peters, politician
Pauline Rhodes, artist
Judy Siers, writer, historian
Allan Wallbank, politician
Judy Wilson, sculptor and fibre artist
Spiro Zavos, cricketer, journalist, writer

Deaths

20 February: Rua Kenana Hepetipa, Māori prophet.
5 March: Sir Frederic Lang, politician – 8th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
29 May: Charles Hall, politician.
19 October: Sir Ernest Rutherford, physicist.
27 October: Thomas Field, politician.
16 November: John Lillicrap, 29th Mayor of Invercargill.
29 November: John Jenkinson, politician.