1930 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,506,800
• Increase since previous 31 December 1929: 20,700
• Males per 100 females: 103.9

  Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of state – George V
• Governor-General – General Sir Charles Fergusson Bt GCMG KCB DSO MVO succeeded the same year by The Lord Bledisloe GCMG KBE PC

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
• Prime Minister – Sir Joseph Ward until 28 May, then George Forbes
• Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward until 28 May, then George Forbes
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Joseph Ward until 28 May, then George Forbes.
• Attorney-General – Thomas Sidey until 22 September, then William Downie Stewart
• Chief Justice — Sir Michael Myers

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Gordon Coates.

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – George Baildon
• Mayor of Hamilton – John Robert Fow
• Mayor of Wellington – George Troup
• Mayor of Christchurch – John Archer
• Mayor of Dunedin – Robert Black

  Events

• August: The Atmore Report on the education system is presented.
• 4 November: Superhorse Phar Lap wins the Melbourne Cup.

  Arts and literature

• Kowhai Gold, an anthology of New Zealand poetry edited by Quentin Pope published in London and New York

  Music

Radio

Film

• 3 January: The Coubray-tone News- the first New-Zealand made "talkies" – premiered.
• The Romance of Maoriland

Sport

British Empire Games

Chess

Cricket

• New Zealand's first ever Test matches, a home series of three x three-day games against England. Series won 1–0 by England
• * 10,11,13 January Lancaster Park, Christchurch. New Zealand lost by eight Wickets to England.
• * 24,25,27 January Basin Reserve, Wellington. New Zealand drew with England.
• * 14,15,17 February Eden Park, Auckland. England drew with New Zealand .
• * 21,22,24 February at Eden Park: England drew with New Zealand – this fourth Test was arranged due to the rain washout of the third test.

  Golf

• The 20th New Zealand Open championship was won by Andrew Shaw, his third title.
• The 34th National Amateur Championships were held in the Manawatu district
• * Men: H.A. Black
• * Women: Miss O. Kay

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Wrackler
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Carmel

  Thoroughbred racing

• New Zealand Cup – Nightmarch
• Avondale Gold Cup – Prodice
• Auckland Cup – Motere
• Wellington Cup – Concentrate
• New Zealand Derby – Cylinder

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – F. Lambeth
• Men's pair champions – G.L. Gladding, H. Jenkins
• Men's fours champions – E.S. Wilson, L.C. Buist, J. Dowland, D.M. Stuart

  Rugby union

• Ranfurly Shield

  Rugby league

Soccer

• 1930 Chatham Cup won by Petone
• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland: YMCA
• * Canterbury: Thistle
• * Hawke's Bay: Whakatu
• * Nelson: Thistle
• * Otago: Seacliff
• * Southland: Corinthians
• * Taranaki: Caledonian
• * Waikato: Pukemiro
• * Wanganui: KP's
• * Wellington: Hospital

  Births

January

• 3 January – Ruth Dowman, athlete
• 8 January
• * Ethna Rouse, cricketer
• * Dave Spence, cricketer
• 21 January – Peter Tapsell, politician
• 24 January – Terence Bayler, actor
• 27 January – Bob O'Dea, rugby union player

  February

• 11 February – Bruce Cathie, pilot, author
• 17 February – Jonathan Bennett, philosopher
• 20 February
• * Kevin Meates, rugby union player
• * Vida Stout, limnographer
• 21 February – Joan Metge, social anthropologist
• 22 February – Ivan Mercep, architect

  March

• 5 March – Brian Bell, ornithologist
• 9 March – Mina Foley, opera singer
• 20 March – Thomas Williams, Roman Catholic cardinal
• 25 March – Margery Blackman, weaver
• 27 March – Paul Cotton, diplomat
• 28 March – Helmer Pedersen, sailor
• 30 March – Charlie Steele Jr., association football player, rugby union player
• 31 March – Barry Mitcalfe, poet, anti-nuclear activist

  April

• 1 April – Dennis Young, rugby union player
• 3 April – Marama Martin, television and radio broadcaster
• 5 April – Bill Tinnock, rower
• 7 April – Koro Dewes, Ngāti Porou kaumātua and Māori language advocate
• 8 April
• * David Benney, applied mathematician
• * Ivan Vodanovich, rugby union player, coach and administrator
• 18 April – Clive Revill, singer, actor
• 19 April
• * Reg Douglas, rower
• * Ewan Jamieson, military leader

  May

• 13 May – Richard Kearney, jurist
• 20 May – Alexia Pickering, disabilities rights campaigner
• 21 May – Keith Davis, rugby union player
• 24 May – Ivor Richardson, jurist
• 30 May – Colleen Dewe, politician

  June

• 1 June – Matt Poore, cricketer
• 7 June – Ian Leggat, cricketer
• 15 June – Bev Brewis, high jumper
• 25 June – Peter Wight, cricketer

  July

• 11 July
• * Jack Alabaster, cricketer
• * Guy McGregor, field hockey player
• 25 July – Murray Chapple, cricketer
• 30 July – David Weston, cricketer

  August

• 2 August – Mick Bremner, rugby union player and administrator
• 5 August – Bruce Turner, field hockey player, cricketer
• 12 August – Brian Molloy, rugby union player, plant ecologist, conservationist
• 15 August – Leo T. McCarthy, politician
• 18 August
• * Graeme Dallow, police officer
• * Denis McLean, diplomat, author
• 21 August – Cyril Eastlake, rugby league player
• 28 August – Tony Small, diplomat
• 30 August – Noel Harford, cricketer

  September

• 3 September – Cherry Wilder, fantasy and science-fiction writer
• 6 September – David Simmons, ethnologist
• 10 September – Pauline Engel, educator
• 11 September – Kenneth Minogue, political theorist
• 19 September
• * Robin Archer, rugby union player
• * Volker Heine, physicist
• 22 September – John Hill, cricketer
• 28 September – Sel Belsham, rugby league player
• 30 September – George Menzies, rugby league player

  October

• 1 October – Bob Jolly, veterinary academic
• 21 October – Lawrence Reade, cricketer
• 22 October – Lois McIvor, artist
• 29 October – Hugh Burry, rugby union player, medical academic

  November

• 11 November – Ian Burrows, army officer
• 16 November – Merv Richards, pole vaulter, gymnastics and pole vault coach
• 17 November – Chic Littlewood, television entertainer, actor
• 20 November – James Hill, rower
• 22 November – Bill Lambert, politician
• 30 November – Leonard Boyle, Roman Catholic bishop

  December

• 16 December
• * Leslie Clark, cricketer
• * Harry Turbott, architect, landscape architect
• 23 December – Jean Stewart, swimmer
• 27 December – John Drawbridge, artist
• 31 December – Ron Johnston, motorcycle speedway rider

  Undated

• Peter Bush, sports photographer
• Daphne Walker, singer

  Deaths

January–February

• 6 January – Walter Harper, Anglican clergyman
• 9 January – Joseph Harkness, politician
• 11 January – Eru Tumutara, Ringatū bishop
• 24 January
• * Ellen Crowe, community leader
• * Sophia Taylor, suffragist
• * Herman van Staveren, rabbi, philanthropist
• 25 January – Pat Hickey, trade union leader
• 5 February – John Holland Baker, surveyor, public servant
• 11 February – Anne Wilson, poet, novelist
• 12 February – Elizabeth Fergusson, nurse, midwife
• 14 February – Sir Thomas Mackenzie, politician, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 21 February – Charles Garrard, cricketer, school inspector

  March–April

• 4 March – Henry Michel, politician
• 11 March – George Edgecumbe, newspaper proprietor, businessman
• 5 April – Wereta Tainui Pitama, Ngāi Tahu leader, politician
• 10 April – John McCaw, farmer
• 16 April – Makereti Papakura, tour guide, entertainer, ethnographer

  May–June

• 20 May – Adelaide Hicks, midwife
• 29 May – William Charles Nation, spiritualist, Arbor Day advocate
• 30 May – William Chatfield, architect
• 26 June – Frederick Cooke, trade unionist, politician
• 27 June – Sir Māui Pōmare, doctor, politician

  July–August

• 3 July – Tom Cross, rugby union and rugby league player
• 8 July – Sir Joseph Ward, politician, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 19 July – Sir Robert Stout, politician, Premier of New Zealand
• 24 July – Alfred Philpott, museum curator, entomologist
• 30 July – George Hutchison, politician
• 10 August – William Hawkins, cricketer, politician
• 15 August – Wesley Spragg, butter manufacturer, temperance campaigner, benefactor
• 18 August – James Flesher, politician, mayor of Christchurch
• 20 August – George Hunter, politician, racehorse breeder
• 27 August
• * Emily Hill, schoolteacher, suffragist, temperance worker
• * Robert Neill, cricketer

  September–October

• 4 September
• * George Duncan, mining and tramway engineer
• * Thomas Hickman, police officer
• 9 September – Alexander Bathgate, lawyer, businessman, writer, conservationist
• 11 September – William Parker, cricketer
• 24 September – Harry McNish, carpenter, Antarctic explorer
• 1 October
• * Marjory Nicholls, poet, drama producer
• * Hoeroa Tiopira, rugby union player
• 5 October – Frederick Fitchett, politician
• 13 October – Alfred George, newspaper proprietor
• 14 October – Thomas Fleming, miller
• 17 October – Amelia Randall, community leader, businesswoman, benefactor
• 21 October – Frank McNeill, cricketer
• 27 October – Francis Watson, cricketer
• 29 October – George Ewing, cricketer

  November–December

• 1 November – Heni Materoa Carroll, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki leader
• 3 November – Nellie Ferner, artist photographer, community leader
• 8 November – Robert Scott, railway engineer, academic
• 12 November – Crawford Anderson, politician
• 7 December – John Barr, politician
• 15 December – Cecil de Lautour, politician
• 17 December – Arthur O'Callaghan, politician
• 29 December – Otene Paora, Ngāti Whātua leader, Anglican lay reader, land negotiator