1901 in New Zealand

Population

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Queen Victoria, succeeded by Edward VII
• Governor – The Earl of Ranfurly GCMG

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Maurice O'Rorke
• Premier / Prime Minister – Richard Seddon
• Minister of Finance – Richard Seddon

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – William Russell, until 3 July, then vacant.

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Logan Campbell
• Mayor of Wellington – John Aitken
• Mayor of Christchurch – William Reece then Arthur Rhodes
• Mayor of Dunedin – Robert Chisholm then George Denniston

  Events

• 28 January – Captain William James Hardham became the first New Zealand-born winner of the Victoria Cross as a result of action in the South African War.
• 2 February – a day of mourning acknowledging the death of Queen Victoria brings the nation to a standstill.
• Union of the Synod of Otago and Southland with the Northern Presbyterian Church to form the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.
• A second visit to New Zealand by members of the Royal Family: the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
• The New Zealand red ensign became the official flag for merchant vessels.
• Founding of the New Zealand Socialist Party.
• New Zealand rejects the proposal to become a state in the Commonwealth of Australia
• Richard Seddon adopts the term Prime Minister rather than Premier.

  Arts and literature

Music

Sport

Chess

Golf

• Men: Arthur Duncan – 3rd title
• Women: E.S. Gillies

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• Auckland Trotting Cup: Thorndean

  Rugby

• The Earl of Ranfurly announced his intention to present a cup to the NZRFU, without stipulating what form of competition it should be awarded for.
• A New Zealand representative team won both test matches against a touring team from New South Wales.

  Soccer

• Auckland: Grafton AFC
• Otago: Roslyn Dunedin
• Wellington: Wellington Swifts

  Births

• 7 February: Arnold Nordmeyer, politician.
• 26 February: Leslie Munro, diplomat.
• 25 March: Raymond Firth, ethnologist.
• 10 April: Robert Aitken, physician and university administrator.
• 17 May: Robert Macfarlane, politician.
• 19 May: William Stevenson, industrialist and philanthropist.
• 13 June: John Cawte Beaglehole, historian and biographer.
• 15 June: Dove-Myer Robinson, long-serving mayor of Auckland.
• 5 July: Len Lye, sculptor, filmmaker, writer.
• 24 December: Nola Luxford, silent film actress.

Deaths

• 14 February: Edward Stafford. politician and 3rd Premier of New Zealand.
• 17 April Loughlin O'Brien, politician.
• 15 July: Frederic Carrington, surveyor and politician.
• 6 August : John McKenzie, politician
• 2 September: Charles Brown, politician
• 27 September: Matthew Holmes, politician
• 5 December Francis Rich, politician and farmer.