2011 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 4,399,400
• Increase since 31 December 2010: 25,600
• Males per 100 Females: 95.7

  Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Sir Anand Satyanand, succeeded by Sir Jerry Mateparae

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Lockwood Smith
• Prime Minister – John Key
• Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English
• Minister of Finance – Bill English
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully

  Other Party leaders

• Labour – Phil Goff until 13 December, then David Shearer from 13 December.
• ACT – Rodney Hide until 30 April, then Don Brash 30 April to 26 November, then TBD.
• Green – Metiria Turei and Russel Norman
• Māori Party – Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples

  Judiciary

• Chief Justice — Sian Elias

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Len Brown
• Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby
• Mayor of Hamilton – Julie Hardaker
• Mayor of Wellington – Celia Wade-Brown
• Mayor of Christchurch – Bob Parker
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull

  Events

January

February

• 16 February – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard becomes the first foreign head of government to address the New Zealand Parliament while in session.
• 22 February – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Christchurch, causing a major damage to the city and killing 185 people.
• 23 February – Prime Minister John Key declares a national state of emergency following the Christchurch earthquake, the first national state of emergency in 60 years.

  March

• 5 March – A by-election is held in the Botany electorate and won by Jami-Lee Ross of the National Party.
• 8 March – Five-yearly New Zealand census was scheduled but cancelled due to the effects of the Christchurch earthquake.
• 18 March – A memorial service for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake is held at Hagley Park, attended by Prince William on behalf of the Queen of New Zealand.
• 24 March – New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy: The Marine and Coastal Area Bill, an act to replace the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, passes its third reading in Parliament.

  April

• 30 April – The national state of emergency put into place after the 22 February Christchurch earthquake is lifted.

  May

• 3 May – A tornado hits the suburb of Albany in northern Auckland, killing one and causing property damage.
• 19 May – Minister of Finance Bill English delivers the "Zero Budget", an atypical election year government budget which plans $1.2b worth of spending cuts over the next four years.

  June

• 13 June – A magnitude 6.3 earthquake aftershock strikes Christchurch, causing additional earthquake damage to the city.
• 16–26 June – Ash from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile causes widespread disruption to flights across New Zealand.
• 21 June – An emperor penguin, later nicknamed "Happy Feet" after the 2006 film, is found washed up on the Kapiti Coast, the first emperor penguin to be found in New Zealand for 44 years.
• 25 June – A by-election is held in the Te Tai Tokerau electorate and won by Hone Harawira of the Mana Party.

  July

• 21–22 July – New Zealand Prime Minister John Key visited to Washington, D.C. in the United States to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama. During their meeting at the White House, Prime Minister John Key and U.S. President Obama send their condolences to the people of Norway following the tragic terrorist attacks in Oslo, and are a reminder that the entire world must work together to prevent future attacks since World War II.

  August

• 15 August – The largest cold snap in fifty years causes widespread snow on both the North and South Islands, causing disruption to power supplies and the closures of roads and Wellington International Airport.
• 31 August – Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae is sworn in as New Zealand's 20th Governor-General, replacing Sir Anand Satyanand.

  September

• 9 September – The Rugby World Cup begins, the first time the event has been held in New Zealand since 1987. New Zealand playing Tonga at Eden Park, Auckland in the opening game, which was marred with overcrowding problems on the Auckand Waterfront fan zone and transport failures resulting in some spectators missing the game.
• 28 September – A New Zealand Special Air Service soldier dies fighting in Afghanistan, the second in two months.
• 30 September – Credit agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's both downgrade New Zealand's long-term credit rating from AA+ to AA.

  October

• 5 October – The container ship MV Rena runs aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga, causing a large oil spill into the Bay of Plenty.
• 11–13 October – The Tauranga oil spill becomes the nation's worst maritime environmental disaster, as tonnes of fuel oil from the MV Rena washes ashore near Tauranga and containers begin to fall off the damaged ship.
• 23 October – The Rugby World Cup concludes, with the New Zealand All Blacks winning the tournament and the Webb Ellis Cup after defeating France 8–7 in the final at Eden Park, Auckland.
• 25–30 October – Natural gas supply to the Upper North Island is severely cut back after a major leak is found in the Maui high pressure gas line in northern Taranaki, affecting 255,000 consumers including many several major industrial users, thermal power stations, dairy factories, hospitals and businesses.

  November

• 10 November – Pike River Mine disaster: The Department of Labour files 25 criminal charges in relation to the disaster.
• 26 November – 2011 general election and 2011 voting system referendum:
• * The National Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister John Key, wins a plurality of 60 seats in the general election, and indicates he will work with ACT, United Future and the Māori Party to form a minority government.
• * On advance vote counts, the existing Mixed Member Proportional voting system gains the majority of the vote, and will be kept to elect the Parliament.

  December

• 10 December – Official results for the 26 November general election and voting system referendum are released:
• *The National Party is confirmed to hold a plurality of the votes and seats. With confidence and supply agreements with ACT New Zealand and United Future confirmed, National announces it will form a minority government with a one-seat majority, returning the Fifth National Government to a second term in office.
• *Full results of the referendum on the voting system confirm that the Mixed Member Proportional voting system, with 57.8% of the vote, will be kept but will be reviewed. The First Past the Post voting system gains the most votes for the preferred alternative voting system.
• 11 December – The National Party signs a confidence and supply agreement with the Maori Party, extending its majority to govern to seven seats.
• 13 December – A fault disconnects Huntly Power Station from the national grid at 12:38pm, resulting in 200,000 customers across the North Island losing power as Transpower employs load shedding to prevent a cascade failure of the North Island electricity network. Electricity is gradually restored to customers as reserve generation comes online to replace Huntly.
• 14 December – A state of emergency is declared in the Nelson region after nearly 200mm of rain falls on the region in 24 hours, causing widespread flooding.
• 20–21 December – The 50th New Zealand Parliament is opened, with members elected at the 26 November general election being sworn in and the Governor-General delivering the Speech from the Throne.
• 23 December – A magnitude 5.8 and a magnitude 6.0 earthquake strike Christchurch at 1:58pm and 3:18pm respectively, causing damage, liquefaction, minor injuries, and majorly disrupting shopping and travel in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period.

  Holidays and observances

• 3–4 February – Chinese New Year
• 6 February – Waitangi Day
• 25 April – ANZAC Day
• 6 June – Queen's Birthday Monday
• 24 October – Labour Day

  Arts and literature

Awards

New books

Films

• The Devil's Rock
• Love Birds
• My Wedding and Other Secrets
• The Most Fun You Can Have Dying
• Dreamer by Design

  Music">Music of New Zealand">Music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Shane Hales.

  Television">Television in New Zealand">Television

• C4 to be renamed FOUR

  Sport

Events

• 3 October – The New Zealand Warriors are defeated 10–24 in the 2011 NRL grand final against the Manly Sea Eagles in Sydney.
• 23 October – The All Blacks win the 2011 Rugby World Cup, defeating France 8–7 in the final at Eden Park, Auckland.

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Henry Greaves

  Thoroughbred racing

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Richard Rowlands

  Deaths

January

• 19 January – Bryce Postles, cricketer
• 21 January – Wally Hughes, association football player and coach

  February

• 12 February
• * Kevin Barry, Sr., boxing coach
• * Frank Whitten, actor
• 15 February – Dame Judith Binney, historian and author
• 20 February – Bob McDowall, freshwater ichthyologist
• 22 February
• * Jo Giles, television personality and sportswoman
• * Amanda Hooper, field hockey representative

  March

• 2 March – Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke, formerly Rajah Muda of Sarawak
• 6 March – John Morton, zoologist
• 13 March
• * Yvonne du Fresne, writer
• * Ritchie Pickett, country singer
• 23 March – Zena Daysh, human ecologist
• 30 March – Denis McLean, diplomat, academic, author and civil servant

  April

• 7 April – Pat Creedy, rugby union and rugby league player
• 9 April – Geoff Smale, sailor
• 10 April – Don Merton, conservationist
• 17 April – Ken Cumberland, geographer
• 20 April – Kerry Smith, actress and broadcaster
• 21 April – Stanley Callagher, rowing coxswain
• 22 April – Tim Eliott, actor
• 23 April – Ready Teddy, eventing horse
• 24 April – Colin Snedden, cricketer
• 28 April – Mike Imber, ornithologist

  May

• 3 May – Paul Ackerley, hockey player and coach
• 16 May – Ian Payne, cricketer
• 21 May – Martin Winch, guitarist

  June

• 1 June – Trevor Howard-Hill, bibliographer
• 3 June
• * Nathaniel Millar, fencer
• * Jim Vivieaere, artist and art curator
• 6 June
• * Ted Jones, neuroscientist
• * Shrek, celebrity sheep
• 12 June – Geoffrey Fisken, World War II flying ace
• 16 June – Dorice Reid, Cook Island politician

  July

• 1 July – Harold Nelson, Olympic runner
• 5 July – Lesley Rowe, athlete
• 13 July – Dame Vivienne Boyd, community leader
• 16 July – Dame Katerina Mataira, educator and Māori language proponent, co-founder of Kura Kaupapa Māori
• 19 July – Roy Meehan, Olympic wrestler
• 20 July
• * Graham Cowan, cricket umpire
• * Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, politician, longest-serving female member of the House of Representatives
• 21 July – Don Jowett, athlete
• 28 July – Joan de Hamel, children's author

  August

• 5 August – Grahame Jarratt, rower
• 7 August – Nancy Wake, World War II special operative
• 14 August – Sir Paul Reeves, Anglican archbishop, Primate, Governor-General
• 15 August
• * Eric Dempster, cricket player and umpire
• * Genesis Potini, chess player
• 17 August – Bill Robinson, seismic engineer
• 20 August – Russell Calvert, politician, mayor of Dunedin
• 21 August – Christine Cole Catley, journalist, publisher and author
• 24 August
• * Horlicks, Throroughbred racemare
• * Joyce McDougall, psychoanalyst
• * Graeme Moody, sports broadcaster
• 26 August
• * Gordon Crook, visual artist
• * Sylvia Siddell, painter, etcher, screenprinter

  September

• 1 September
• * Maunga Emery, rugby union and rugby league player
• * Rex Orr, rugby union player
• 2 September – Allan Hubbard, businessman
• 4 September – Dana Wilson, rugby league player
• 7 September – Christopher Small, sociomusicologist
• 10 September – Ken Ruby, wrestler
• 20 September – Johannes La Grouw, architect, engineer, businessman
• 22 September – Whatumoana Paki, Māori elder, husband of Te Atairangikaahu and father of Tuheitia Paki
• 28 September – Leon Smith, soldier
• 29 September – Len Castle, potter
• 30 September – Alexander Grant, ballet dancer

  October

• 3 October – Fraser Bergersen, plant biologist
• 13 October – Chris Doig, opera singer and sports administrator
• 23 October – Sir Frank Holmes, economist and government advisor
• 24 October – Sir Peter Siddell, painter
• 25 October – Vengeance of Rain, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 28 October – Roger Kerr, businessman and political campaigner, executive director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable
• 30 October – Richard Walls, politician and businessman, former MP for Dunedin North, former Mayor of Dunedin

  November

• 6 November – Allan Peachey, politician, MP for Tāmaki
• 10 November – Ted Bollard, plant physiologist, science administrator
• 12 November – Gavin Bornholdt, Olympic sailor
• 16 November – Bob Bell, politician
• 17 November
• * Peter Gwynne, actor
• * Maurice Crow, weightlifter
• 19 November
• * David Bolstad, woodchopper
• * Russell Garcia, composer

  December

• 4 December – Alamein Kopu, politician, former MP
• 7 December
• * Shona Bell, palaeontologist
• * Betty Flint, botanist
• 11 December – Phillip Cottrell, journalist
• 15 December
• * Jason Richards, motor racing driver
• * Carmen Rupe, transsexual entertainer
• 16 December – Te Paekiomeka Joy Ruha, Māori leader
• 24 December – Tom Logan, water polo player, swimmer, dentist, naval officer
• 28 December – Volksraad, Thoroughbred sire