1941 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1941 in New Zealand.

Population

Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,631,200.
Increase since 31 December 1940: -2400.
Males per 100 females: 96.1.
The scheduled New Zealand census was not held due to World War II.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State - George VI
Governor-General - The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PC, succeeded same year by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Cyril Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM

Government

The 26th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government. 1941 should have been an election year, but because of World War II the election was deferred until 1942.

Speaker of the House - Bill Barnard
Prime Minister - Peter Fraser
Minister of Finance - Walter Nash
Minister of Foreign Affairs - Frank Langstone
Attorney-General - Rex Mason
Chief Justice — Sir '''Michael Myers'''

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition - Sidney Holland.

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Auckland - Ernest Davis then John Allum
Mayor of Hamilton - Harold Caro
Mayor of Wellington - Thomas Hislop
Mayor of Christchurch - Robert M. Macfarlane then Ernest Andrews
Mayor of Dunedin - '''Andrew Allen'''

Events

16 January: formation of the New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Air Force
March: 2NZEF deployed to northern Greece and were soon involved in the Battle of Greece.
24–30 April: New Zealand forces evacuated from mainland Greece to Crete.
14 May: The minesweeper was sunk by a mine while sweeping in the Hauraki Gulf, and sank with the death of five of her crew.
20 May - 1 June: Battle of Crete - New Zealand forces suffer heavy losses: 671 dead, 967 wounded, 2,180 captured. On the first day of the German invasion, Charles Upham wins the V.C
8 October: four police officers and three civilians are shot and killed at Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika, by Stanley Graham
7 December: Hawaii bombed in a surprise attack by Japanese carrier forces on the US Navy.
8 December: New Zealand declares war on Japan in response to Japanese attack on the United States.
10 December: British battlecruiser and battleship sunk by Japanese torpedo planes, effectively taking Britain out of the sea war in the Pacific.
15 December: A RNZAF Lockheed Hudson bomber returning to Nelson from a coastal patrol hit the top of a limestone bluff near Collingwood in thick fog, killing all four crew.
19 December: New Zealand suffers its worst naval loss when 150 New Zealanders on board are killed after the ship strikes mines and sinks off the coast of Libya.
German surface raiders operated in New Zealand waters in 1940 and 1941, sinking four ships.

Arts and literature

See 1941 in art, 1941 in literature

Sport

Most sporting events were on hold due to the war.

Chess

The 50th National Chess Championship was held in Timaru, and was won by P. Allerhand of Wellington.

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Josedale Grattan
Auckland Trotting Cup – Uenuku

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.

Men's singles champion – C. Spearman
Men's pair champions – H.S. Maslin, M.J. Squire
Men's fours champions – C.H. Elsom, D.H. Joseph, A. Williamson, P. Munn

Rugby union

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

Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

Chatham Cup competition not heldProvincial league champions:
* Auckland: Comrade
* Canterbury: Western
* Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB
* Nelson: No competition
* Otago: Mosgiel
* South Canterbury: No competition
* Southland: No competition
* Waikato: No competition
* Wanganui: No competition
* Wellington: Seatoun

Births

5 January: Bob Cunis, cricketer.
3 February: Gary Bartlett, cricketer.
11 February: Alan "A. K." Grant, writer, humourist.
12 February: Ross Morgan, cricketer.
12 February: Bruno Lawrence, actor.
26 February: Keith Thomson, cricketer.
8 April: Roderick Deane, economist, public sector reformer, and businessman.
7 May: Grahame Bilby, cricketer.
17 June: Claire Stewart, politician.
5 July: Lynley Dodd, children's author.
20 July: Pita Sharples, academic and politician.
17 August: Owen Marshall, writer.
22 August: Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII, Maori tribal leader
12 September: Doug Kidd, politician.
17 September: Tilly Hirst, netball player.
29 October: Bryan Yuile, cricketer.
7 November: Jim Sutton, politician.
10 November: Gary Day, actor.
12 November: Jenny McLeod, composer and musician.
24 November: Bob Harvey, mayor of Waitakere City.Chin Wing Ho (Peter Chin), mayor of Dunedin.Malcolm Douglas, politician.Allan Hawkey, cartoonist.
: Bernard Holman, artist. Ian Mune, actor and director.Ian Peters, politician.
Alan Reay, structural engineer.

:Category:1941 births

Deaths

2 May: Sir James Parr, politician.
26 May: William John Lyon, Labour MP, killed serving with 2NZEF on Crete.
27 April:Elizabeth Taylor, community leader.
27 July: Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, painter.
11 September: Albert Glover, politician.
4 October: George Troup, architect.
20 October: Stanley Graham, murderer.
1 November: Gordon Hultquist, Labour MP, killed serving with 2NZEF in North Africa.
28 November: John Manchester Allen, National MP, killed serving with 2NZEF in Libya.
29 November: Arthur Nattle Grigg, National MP, killed serving with 2NZEF in Libya.
30 November: Thomas David Burnett, National MP.James Alexander Pond, analytical chemist and homeopathic pharmacist.