2016 in New Zealand

Population

• New Zealand total – 4,693,000
• North Island – 3,596,200
• South Island – 1,096,200

• Auckland – 1,495,000
• Blenheim – 30,700
• Christchurch – 389,700
• Dunedin – 118,500
• Gisborne – 36,100
• Hamilton – 229,900
• Invercargill – 50,700
• Kapiti – 41,800
• Napier-Hastings – 131,000
• Nelson – 65,700
• New Plymouth – 56,800
• Palmerston North – 84,300
• Rotorua – 57,800
• Tauranga – 134,500
• Wellington – 405,000
• Whanganui – 39,600
• Whangārei – 56,400

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Jerry Mateparae until 31 August, then Patsy Reddy from 28 September.

Government

• Speaker of the House – David Carter
• Prime Minister – John Key, then Bill English
• Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English, then Paula Bennett
• Leader of the House – Gerry Brownlee
• Minister of Finance – Bill English, then Steven Joyce
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully

Other party leaders in parliament

• Labour – Andrew Little
• Green – James Shaw and Metiria Turei
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Māori Party – Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox
• ACT New Zealand – David Seymour
• United Future – Peter Dunne

Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sian Elias
• President of the Court of Appeal – Ellen France, and then Stephen Kós from 22 July
• Chief High Court judge – Geoffrey Venning
• Chief District Court judge – Jan-Marie Doogue

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Len Brown, then from 1 November Phil Goff
• Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby, then from 31 October Greg Brownless
• Mayor of Hamilton – Julie Hardaker, then from 9 November Andrew King
• Mayor of Wellington – Celia Wade-Brown, then from 26 October Justin Lester
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull

Events

February

• 8 February – Operation Neptune begins.
• 14 February – A significant aftershock in Christchurch causes some cliffs to collapse.

March

• 3–24 March – Second referendum on changing the country's flag – existing flag retained.
• 11 March – Parliament passes legislation to outlaw zero-hour contracts.

April

• 18 April – The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is disestablished.

June

• 6 June – The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.

August

• 5–21 August – 132 athletes from New Zealand compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

September

• 2 September – A 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes north-east of Te Araroa.

October

• 8 October – The 2016 local elections are held.

November

• 14 November – A M_W 7.8 earthquake strikes Kaikōura at midnight, killing two people.
• 22 November – Operation Neptune ends.

December

• 5 December – John Key announces that he will step down as prime minister and leader of the National Party on 12 December.
• 12 December – Bill English is sworn in as New Zealand's 39th prime minister, following the resignation of John Key.
• 15 December – Amazon Prime Video launches in New Zealand.
• 31 December – The 2017 New Year Honours are announced.

Arts and literature

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Suzanne Prentice.

Sport

Halberg Awards

• 54th Halberg Awards
• * Supreme Award – Lisa Carrington
• * Sportsman of the Year – Mahé Drysdale
• * Sportswoman of the Year – Lisa Carrington
• * Team of the Year – Men's 49er class: Peter Burling & Blair Tuke
• * Disabled Sportsperson of the Year – Liam Malone
• * Coach of the Year – Gordon Walker
• * Emerging Talent – Campbell Stewart

Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 199 competitors across 20 sports.
• Sprint canoeist Lisa Carrington becomes the first New Zealand women to win two medals in the same Olympic Games.

Paralympics

• Swimmer Sophie Pascoe overtakes Eve Rimmer to become New Zealand's most successful Paralympian in terms of medals won.

Rowing

• New Zealand Secondary School Championships (Maadi Cup)
• * Maadi Cup – Christ's College
• * Levin 75th Jubilee Cup – Diocesan School for Girls
• * Star Trophy – St Peter's School (Cambridge)

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Malcolm Dodson

Winter Youth Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 11 competitors in five sports.

Births

• 6 November – Probabeel, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 15 November – Copy That, Standardbred racehorse

Deaths

January

• 2 January – Tim Francis, diplomat
• 5 January – Keith Thiele, World War II pilot
• 7 January – David Shale, mathematician
• 8 January – Ida Gaskin, schoolteacher, quiz show contestant, politician
• 17 January
• * Melvin Day, artist
• * Jules Le Lievre, rugby union player
• 22 January – Alec Wishart, musician
• 23 January – Barry Brickell, potter
• 24 January – Neville Black, rugby union and rugby league player
• 26 January – Bob Thomas, long jumper
• 27 January – Shirley Tonkin, sudden infant death syndrome researcher
• 28 January
• * Rob Courtney, Paralympic athlete
• * Peter Robinson, musician
• * Bob Tizard, politician, deputy prime minister
• 31 January
• * Mere Broughton, Māori language activist, unionist
• * Rona McCarthy, athlete

February

• 1 February – Kelly McGarry, mountain biker
• 2 February
• * Chris Kenny, boxing trainer
• * Marcus Turner, singer-songwriter, folk musician, television presenter
• 7 February – Andrew Hintz, cricketer
• 10 February – John Spencer, businessman
• 13 February – Barry Jones, Catholic Bishop of Christchurch
• 17 February – Sophia Hawthorne, actress
• 23 February – George Newton, weightlifter
• 24 February – Ken English, rugby league player
• 26 February – Jack Forrest, rugby league player
• 28 February – Bob Morrison, association footballer
• 29 February – Ranginui Walker, Māori academic

March

• 3 March – Martin Crowe, cricketer
• 4 March – Harry Turbott, architect, landscape architect, environmentalist
• 5 March – David Abbott, cricket umpire
• 10 March – Judy Pickard, abstract painter, librarian and advocate for women's rights
• 11 March – Sel Belsham, rugby league player, cricketer
• 16 March – George Menzies, rugby league player and coach
• 18 March – Paul Swadel, film director and producer
• 19 March – Graham Fortune, diplomat and public servant
• 25 March – Ross Jennings, television producer and director
• 27 March – Frank Torley, television reporter, director and producer
• 31 March – Mark Vryenhoek, alpine skier

April

• 3 April
• * Rowley Habib, poet, playwright, short-story writer
• * Whai Ngata, broadcaster, journalist, lexicographer
• 4 April – Maida Bryant, politician, community leader
• 7 April – Matiu Dickson, politician, kapa haka exponent
• 11 April – Ruth Gilbert, poet
• 12 April – Alan Loveday, violinist
• 13 April – Kurtis Haiu, rugby union player
• 14 April – Colin Knight, educationalist
• 22 April
• * Rex Fell, Thoroughbred racehorse breeder
• * Peter Sellers, sports broadcaster
• 23 April – Bill Sevesi, musician
• 24 April – Paul Annear, jeweller
• 27 April – Chris Parkinson, broadcaster

May

• 3 May – Ian Quigley, politician
• 13 May – David Garner, physical oceanographer
• 18 May – Ian Watkin, actor
• 21 May – Tony Kriletich, rugby league player
• 25 May – Bob Sorenson, rugby union player and coach, cricketer

June

• 1 June – Leonard Boyle, bishop
• 2 June
• * Keith Lawrence, World War II fighter pilot
• * Brian Reidy, rugby league player
• 4 June – Bill Snowden, rugby league player
• 6 June – Keith Smith, cricketer
• 7 June – Sir Graham Latimer, Māori leader
• 9 June – Joyce Carpenter, diver
• 10 June – Derek Wilson, architect and environmentalist
• 15 June – David Hall, chemistry academic
• 16 June – Pat Suggate, geologist
• 21 June – Susanna Ounei, Kanak independence activist, feminist
• 23 June – Roy Crawford, mechanical engineering academic, university administrator
• 25 June – Jack Cropp, yachtsman
• 27 June – Dame Grace Hollander, community leader
• 29 June – Maurie Gordon, sport shooter

July

• 5 July
• * Johnny Borland, high jumper, athletics administrator
• * Max Carr, field athlete and coach, athletics official, air force officer
• * Rex Pickering, rugby union player
• 14 July
• * Ivan Bootham, writer, composer
• * Hallard "Snow" White, rugby union player, coach and administrator
• 19 July – Ray Bell, rugby union player
• 20 July
• * Dick Corballis, English literature academic
• * Ray Moreton, rugby union player
• 21 July – Sid Hurst, farmer
• 22 July – Lee Grant, actor, singer, choreographer
• 26 July – Henry Connor, botanist
• 30 July – Peter Gossage, author and illustrator

August

• 2 August – Terence Bayler, actor
• 3 August – Chris Amon, motor racing driver
• 5 August – Don Donnithorne, architect
• 7 August – Sir Ron Scott, sports administrator
• 11 August – Sir Ian Turbott, diplomat, university administrator
• 19 August – Bob Skelton, jockey
• 22 August – Don McIver, military leader, public servant
• 24 August – Glen Evans, politician, mayor of Lower Hutt
• 29 August – Edward Latter, military officer, politician, diplomat
• 30 August – Brian Robinson, inorganic chemist

September

• 1 September – Sir Graeme Douglas, businessman, pharmacist, philanthropist
• 4 September – Ross McPherson, field hockey player, cricketer
• 7 September – Don "D. J." Cameron, sports journalist
• 11 September – Let's Elope, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 16 September – Reese Griffiths, rugby league player
• 19 September – Margaret Baird, immunologist
• 23 September

October

• 1 October
• * Brian Bell, ornithologist
• * Toni Williams, singer
• 3 October – David Donald, cricketer
• 4 October – Peggy Hay, designer
• 14 October
• * Avis Higgs, textile designer, painter
• * Helen Kelly, trade unionist
• 15 October
• * Doug Anderson, rugby league player
• * Octagonal, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 21 October – Wally Argus, rugby union player
• 24 October – Roger Slack, plant biologist and biochemist
• 29 October – Tom Weal, politician
• 30 October – Reg Boorman, politician

November

• 11 November – Sir James McNeish, writer
• 13 November – Leslie Kenton, journalist, entrepreneur
• 14 November – Marti Friedlander, photographer
• 15 November – Rod Bieleski, plant physiologist
• 16 November – Jean Wishart, magazine editor
• 20 November
• * Mita Mohi, rugby league player, mau rākau and kapa haka exponent, youth worker
• * Tim Raphael, Anglican priest
• 21 November – Helen Ryburn, school principal, local-body politician
• 22 November
• * Mike Burgoyne, rugby union player
• * Bev Malcolm, netball player
• 25 November – Bill Skelton, jockey
• 28 November – Ray Columbus, entertainer
• 29 November – Margaret Belcher, literary scholar

December

• 3 December – Sir David Hay, cardiologist, anti-smoking campaigner
• 6 December – Elva Bett, artist, art historian, art gallery director
• 12 December – Lord Gyllene, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 13 December – Christopher Vance, Standardbred racehorse
• 14 December – Bunny Walters, singer
• 15 December – Richard Dowden, astrophysicist
• 18 December – Frank Crotty, rower, industrial chemist
• 19 December – Arthur Berry, cricketer
• 23 December – Doug Coombs, cricketer, geologist
• 24 December – Ron Broom, cricketer
• 25 December – John Gregson, George Cross recipient
• 30 December – Con Linton, sailor