1964 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,617,000
• Increase since 31 December 1963: 50,100
• Males per 100 females: 100.8

  Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Brigadier Sir Bernard Fergusson GCMG GCVO DSO OBE.

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Ronald Algie .
• Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake
• Deputy Prime Minister – Jack Marshall.
• Minister of Finance – Harry Lake.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Keith Holyoake.
• Attorney-General – Ralph Hanan.
• Chief Justice — Sir Harold Barrowclough

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Walter Nash until 31 March, then Arnold Nordmeyer.

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
• Mayor of Hamilton – Dennis Rogers
• Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts
• Mayor of Christchurch – George Manning
• Mayor of Dunedin – Stuart Sidey

  Events

January

• 2 January: description

  February

March

April

June

• 21–27 June: The Beatles tour New Zealand.

  July

August

September

October

November

• The Continental Shelf Act 1964 passes into law

  December

Arts and literature

• Maurice Gee wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

New books

• Washday at the Pa

Music

• See 1964 in music
• 21–27 June: The Beatles tour New Zealand.

  Radio and television

• Coronation Street was shown for the first time on New Zealand television on AKTV2 in the Auckland region on Thursday 14 May, running from 8.25 pm to 8.52 pm. As television was not then networked throughout New Zealand, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin followed in June and July; on Tuesday in Wellington and Christchurch and Thursday in Dunedin.
• Television licences reach 168,000.
• Broadcast relay stations at Mount Erin, Kuriwao Hill and Mount Hedgehope are commissioned, extending television coverage to Hawke's Bay, South Otago and Southland.
• A Māori broadcasting section of NZBC is established.
• NZBC begins plans for the Avalon studios.
• New Zealand Television Workshop awards:
• *Best Factual: Focus
• *Best Light Entertainment: Music Hall
• *Best Documentary: The Distant Shore

Film

• Runaway

Sport

Athletics

• Peter Snell – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's 800 metres
• Peter Snell – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's 1500 metres
• John Davies – Olympic Bronze Medal, Men's 1500 metres
• Marise Chamberlain – Olympic Bronze Medal, Women's 800 metres
• Ray Puckett wins his fourth national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:38.6 on 7 March in Lower Hutt.

  Chess

• The 71st National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by R.A. Court of Wellington.

  Cricket

• New Zealand cricket team
• Plunket Shield was won by Auckland

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Cairnbrae
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Lordship

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – Ron Buchan
• Men's pair champions – W.D. Scott, G.P. Ogilvie
• Men's fours champions – C.T. Bateman, J.M. Clarke, R.D. Barron, H. Deavoll

  Netball

• Silver Ferns

  Olympic Games

Summer Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 64 competitors.

  Winter Olympics

• New Zealand does not participate in the 1964 Winter Olympics.

  Rugby league

• New Zealand national rugby league team
• Rugby League World Cup

  Rugby Union

• :Category:All Blacks
• Bledisloe Cup: New Zealand beat Australia by 2 tests to 1
• Ranfurly Shield: Taranaki was successful in all defences, with 8 wins and 1 draw.

  Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Mount Roskill who beat King Edward Technical College Old Boys 3–1 in the final.
• Provincial league champions:
• * Auckland: Blockhouse Bay
• * Bay of Plenty: Kahukura
• * Buller: Waimangaroa United
• * Canterbury: Christchurch City
• * Franklin: Papatoetoe
• * Hawke's Bay: Napier Rovers
• * Manawatu: Thistle
• * Marlborough: Woodbourne
• * Nelson: Rangers
• * Northland: Otangarei United
• * Otago: Northern AFC
• * Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
• * South Canterbury: West End
• * Southland: Invercargill Thistle
• * Taranaki: Moturoa, Old Boys
• * Waikato: Hamilton
• * Wairarapa: YMCA
• * Wanganui: Wanganui United
• * Wellington: Diamond
• * West Coast: Grey United

  Yachting

• Helmer Pedersen, and Earle Wells – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's Flying Dutchman class

  Births

• 10 February: John Campbell, broadcaster
• 1 March: Anne Judkins, race walker
• 23 March: John Mitchell, rugby player and coach
• 7 April: Russell Crowe, actor
• 12 May: Matthew Palmer, legal academic
• 24 May: Aaron Craig,
• 27 May: Joel Hayward, strategic studies scholar and poet
• 10 June: Tony Martin, comedian.
• 12 June: Lorraine Downes, beauty queen
• 18 June: Simon Dallow, newsreader
• 19 June: Michael Kenny, heavyweight boxer
• July: Shayne Carter, musician
• 11 August: Grant Waite, golfer
• 27 August: Lynley Hannen, rower
• 23 October: David Penfold, field hockey player
• 29 October: Anthony Mosse, swimmer.
• 3 November: Bryan Young, cricketer
• 5 December – Brent Todd, rugby league footballer
• 16 December: John Kirwan, rugby footballer and coach
• 24 December: Nick Smith, politician
• Unknown: Martin Devlin, sports broadcaster
• Steve Braunias, journalist
• Glenn Colquhoun, poet
• Shane Cotton, painter
• Brad McGann, filmmaker
• Andrew Niccol, film director

  Deaths

• 10 June : Harold Caro, Mayor of Hamilton.
• 12 December: John Norman Massey, MP and politician.