2021 in New Zealand

Sports

Horse racing

Harness racing

• Auckland Cup – cancelled due to COVID-19
• New Zealand Cup – Copy That
• Rowe Cup – Sundees Son

Thoroughbred racing

• Auckland Cup – Ocean Billy
• New Zealand Cup – Mondorani
• Wellington Cup – Waisake

Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 225 competitors across 21 sports.

Rowing

• New Zealand Secondary School Championships (Maadi Cup)
• * Maadi Cup – Christ's College
• * Levin Jubilee Cup – Rangi Ruru Girls' School
• * Star Trophy – Rangi Ruru Girls' School

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Mike Collings

Births

• 18 September – Willydoit, Thoroughbred racehorse

Deaths

January

• 6 January – Alan Burgess, cricketer, world's oldest living first-class cricketer .
• 8 January
• * John Hicks, Olympic field hockey player .
• * Stewart McKnight, cricketer and curler.
• 12 January – John Ward, cricketer .
• 15 January – Bill Whitehead, rugby league manager.
• 17 January – Tom Prebble, educationalist and university administrator .
• 18 January – Ash Gardiner, rugby union player .
• 20 January
• * Doug Bowden, cricketer .
• * Bill Sheat, lawyer and arts advocate.
• 23 January – Phil Bishop, herpetologist .
• 26 January
• * Ben Te Haara, Māori Anglican priest, Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau .
• * Peter Thorburn, rugby union player and coach .
• * Peter Vere-Jones, actor .
• 30 January – Bill Hammond, artist.

February

• 3 February – Peter Nicholls, sculptor .
• 4 February – Solomon Faine, microbiologist .
• 6 February – Bruce Taylor, cricketer .
• 22 February – Peter Rattray, cricketer .

March

• 3 March – Jonathan Temm, lawyer, president of the New Zealand Law Society, Queen's Counsel .
• 5 March – Francis Small, civil engineer and scouting leader, managing director of New Zealand Rail / Tranz Rail, president of IPENZ, Bronze Wolf Award .
• 12 March – Avenal McKinnon, art historian and writer, director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery .
• 15 March – Miriama Rauhihi Ness, Māori activist and social worker.
• 18 March – David Braithwaite, property developer and local politician, Mayor of Hamilton .

April

• 3 April – John Edgar, sculptor and medallist.
• 8 April – John da Silva, Olympic and British Empire and Commonwealth Games wrestler, boxer and youth worker.
• 15 April – Leon van den Eijkel, artist.
• 17 April – John Ogilvie, cricketer .
• 18 April
• * Mary Earle, food technologist .
• * Iain Gallaway, cricketer, rugby union referee, lawyer and sports commentator, president of New Zealand Cricket, chair of the Broadcasting Standards Authority .
• 19 April – Mike Dormer, cricketer .
• 20 April – Karen Trillo, Commonwealth Games lawn bowls player .
• 27 April – Dave Cull, television presenter, writer, and local politician, mayor of Dunedin .

May

• 3 May – Steve McKean, basketball coach .
• 4 May – Margaret Forsyth, world champion netball player, netball coach and local politician, Hamilton city councillor .
• 8 May
• * George Skudder, rugby union player .
• * Rana Waitai, politician, MP for Te Puku O Te Whenua .
• 10 May – Jenny King, librarian .
• 14 May – David McPhail, comedian, actor and writer .
• 15 May – Emily Mair, opera singer, pianist, and vocal coach .
• 17 May
• * Nan Kinross, nurse and nursing academic .
• * Janet Shackleton, hurdler, British Empire Games bronze medallist .
• 21 May – Merv Norrish, diplomat and public servant, ambassador to the United States, secretary of foreign affairs .
• 23 May – Ross Taylor, geochemist and planetary scientist .

June

• 1 June – Ian Shearer, politician, MP for Hamilton East, Minister for the Environment, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Broadcasting .
• 2 June
• * Vonnie Cave, photographer, camellia grower and gardening writer.
• * Les Rackley, boxing trainer .
• 4 June – Tilly Hirst, world champion netball player .
• 7 June – Richard Nunns, Hall of Fame traditional Māori instrumental musician.
• 9 June
• * Shane Dowsett, rugby league player .
• * Steve Mrkusic, architect.
• 11 June
• * Dame Georgina Kirby, Māori leader and women's advocate, president of the Māori Women's Welfare League .
• * Ron Sang, architect, art collector.
• 12 June – Robert Edgcumbe, 8th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, peer.
• 14 June
• * Sir Eion Edgar, Hall of Fame businessman and philanthropist, chancellor of the University of Otago, Senior New Zealander of the Year .
• * Sir Ian Hassall, paediatrician and children's advocate, Children's Commissioner .
• 16 June – John Osmers, Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist, Bishop of Eastern Zambia .
• 17 June – Fane Flaws, musician, songwriter and artist.
• 19 June – Colin Loader, rugby union player .
• 20 June – Frank Albrechtsen, association footballer .
• 24 June – Tom Flaws, cricketer .
• 25 June – John Sigley, cricketer .

July

• 5 July – Vivienne Cassie Cooper, planktologist and botanist .
• 6 July – Mary Fama, applied mathematician .
• 9 July
• * Betty Gilderdale, children's author, Margaret Mahy Award, Children's Literature Association Award for Services to Children's Literature .
• * Ngaire Lane, Olympic swimmer .
• 11 July – George Petersen, biochemist, Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Rutherford Medal .
• 15 July – Bruce Watt, rugby union player and coach.
• 17 July – Jonathan White, landscape artist and conservationist.
• 18 July – Philip Sherry, newsreader and local politician, Auckland Regional Councillor, Bay of Plenty Regional Councillor .
• 19 July – Paratene Matchitt, artist .
• 23 July – Fred Fastier, pharmacologist .
• 28 July – Malcolm McCaw, cricketer and accountant.

August

• 1 August – Kihi Ngatai, Māori leader and horticulturalist, member of the Waitangi Tribunal .
• 3 August – Brian Maunsell, Olympic boxer .
• 4 August – Graham McRae, motor racing driving, SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship winner, Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year .
• 5 August
• * Brian Henderson, Hall of Fame television and radio broadcaster, Gold Logie Award .
• * Murray Rose, politician, MP for Otago Central .
• 7 August – Mark Weedon, rugby union player .
• 8 August – Perry Harris, rugby union player .
• 9 August – Olivia Podmore, Olympic and Commonwealth Games cyclist.
• 10 August
• * Don McKechnie, cricketer and cricket umpire.
• * John Riordan, jockey, Auckland Cup, W. S. Cox Plate .
• * Peter Whittle, mathematician, John von Neumann Theory Prize, Fellow of the Royal Society .
• 11 August – Sir David Levene, Hall of Fame businessman and philanthropist.
• 14 August – Francis Mossman, actor .
• 15 August
• * Greg Rowlands, rugby union player .
• * Gary Woollard, rugby league player .
• 16 August – Marilynn Webb, artist and educator, Frances Hodgkins Fellow, Te Tohu mō Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu .
• 17 August – Tom Larkin, public servant and diplomat, ambassador to Japan .
• 18 August – Austin Mitchell, academic, broadcaster, writer and politician, MP for Great Grimsby .
• 19 August
• * Sir Michael Cullen, politician, MP, Minister of Social Welfare, Minister of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister .
• * Lyn Hartley, local-body politician, Mayor of Kawerau .
• 22 August – Danny Campbell, rugby league player .
• 23 August – Gary Tricker, painter and printmaker.
• 24 August
• * Bruce Culpan, rower, British Empire and Commonwealth Games silver medallist .
• * Harry Kent, Olympic track cyclist, British Commonwealth Games gold medallist, world championship silver medallist, Lonsdale Cup .
• 25 August – Max Cryer, broadcaster, entertainer and writer, Entertainer of the Year, Benny Award .
• 28 August – Joye Evans, radiographer and guiding leader, New Zealand Girl Guides chief commissioner .

September

• 1 September
• * Noel Dellow, cricketer .
• * Alison Gray, writer and social researcher.
• 4 September
• * Martin Thompson, artist.
• * Lydia Wevers, literary academic, editor and critic.
• 5 September – Viv Stephens, cricket player and administrator.
• 6 September
• * Billy Apple, pop artist, Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon .
• * Peter Arnold, cricket player and administrator, president of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club .
• 17 September – Angela Ballara, historian, member of the Waitangi Tribunal .
• 19 September – Dame Jocelyn Fish, women's rights advocate and local politician, Piako county councillor, president of the National Council of Women .
• 23 September
• * Taito Phillip Field, politician, MP for Otara and Māngere, leader of the New Zealand Pacific Party .
• * John Mitchell, historian.
• 24 September – Waka Nathan, rugby union player, selector and administrator, Tom French Cup, president of the Auckland Rugby Union .
• 30 September
• * Dorothea Brown, librarian .
• * Jenny Kirk, politician, MP for Birkenhead, North Shore city councillor .

October

• 1 October – Earle Wells, Hall of Fame sailor, Olympic champion .
• 4 October
• * Laurie Davidson, Hall of Fame yacht designer .
• * John Hastie, Commonwealth Games sport shooter and gunsmith, Ballinger Belt .
• * Joy Watson, children's author, Gaelyn Gordon Award .
• 5 October – Pam Williams, Hall of Fame businesswoman and philanthropist.
• 6 October – Sir Noel Anderson, lawyer and judge, president of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court justice, Queen's Counsel .
• 8 October
• * Jack Manning, architect, NZIA Gold Medal .
• * Ian Ormond, association footballer .
• 11 October – Barry Mora, operatic baritone .
• 13 October – Ray Cranch, rugby league player and administrator.
• 18 October
• * Fred Goodall, cricket umpire.
• * Sean Wainui, rugby union player .
• 19 October – Bob Graham, rugby union player and coach .
• 31 October – Dame Catherine Tizard, zoologist, television personality, and politician, mayor of Auckland City, governor-general .

November

• 13 November
• * Michael Corballis, psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Rutherford Medal .
• * Jack Kiddey, cricketer .
• * Keith Mann, British Empire and Commonwealth Games fencer, and sports administrator.
• 15 November – Sir Rod Weir, Hall of Fame stock and station agent and businessman.
• 16 November – John Luxton, politician, MP for Matamata and Karapiro, National list MP, Minister of Police, Minister for Land Information .
• 23 November – Robert Ellis, artist and professor of fine arts .
• 27 November – Jimmy O'Dea, trade unionist and activist.

December

• 2 December – Lyndsey Leask, Hall of Fame softball administrator.
• 6 December – Tom Horton, air force pilot and commander .
• 9 December
• * Brian Aldridge, cricket umpire.
• * Julie Brougham, Olympic equestrian .
• 12 December – Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, Tongan noble, deputy prime minister of Tonga .
• 19 December – Peter Innes, dentistry academic .
• 24 December – Terry Morrison, rugby union player and sprinter.
• 26 December – George Johnson, artist.
• 27 December – Keri Hulme, writer, Booker Prize .
• 30 December – Billy Harrison, rugby league player .

Exact date unknown

• Reg Cooke, rugby league player .