2018 in New Zealand

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December 2018 – 4,886,100
• Increase since 31 December 2017 – 80,700
• Males per 100 females – 96.8

  Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Patsy Reddy

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Trevor Mallard
• Prime Minister – Jacinda Ardern
• Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters
• Leader of the House – Chris Hipkins
• Minister of Finance – Grant Robertson
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters

  Other party leaders

• National – Bill English until 27 February, then Simon Bridges
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Green – James Shaw and, from 8 April, Marama Davidson
• ACT New Zealand – David Seymour

  Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sian Elias

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Phil Goff
• Mayor of Tauranga – Greg Brownless
• Mayor of Hamilton – Andrew King
• Mayor of Wellington – Justin Lester
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull

  Events

February

• 3 February - Murder of Amber-Rose Rush, a Dunedin teenager. A doctor named Venod Skantha is charged with her murder.

  March

• 6 March – The 2018 New Zealand census is held.

  May

• 11 May – A wave of about height, the highest ever recorded, is observed near Campbell Island south of New Zealand; the previous record wave in 2012 was about.
• 17 May – The 2018 New Zealand budget is presented to Parlimanet by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson.

  June

• 4 June – The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.
• 9 June – The Northcote by-election is won by National, who retain the seat.

  December

• 1 or 2 December – Murder of Grace Millane, a British tourist. A 26-year-old man is charged with her murder on 8 December.
• 31 December – The 2019 New Year Honours are announced.

  Sport

Commonwealth Games

• New Zealand sends a team of 253 competitors in 17 sports.

Olympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of 21 competitors in five sports.

Paralympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of three competitors in two sports.

Sailing

• 24 February – 18 March: Auckland is a stopover on the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race

  Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – John Snowden

  Youth Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 61 competitors.

Deaths

January

• 4 January
• * Owen Hardy, World War II fighter pilot
• * Gail McIntosh, politician
• 5 January
• * Barry Thomas, rugby union player
• * Peter Wells, high jumper
• 7 January
• * Jim Anderton, politician
• * Buster Stiggs, musician
• 17 January – Ted McCoy, architect
• 21 January – Michael Selby, geomorphologist
• 22 January
• * Jack Doms, swimmer
• * Kevin Tate, soil chemist, climate scientist
• 25 January – Graham Williams, rugby union player
• 27 January – Grant Fell, musician
• 31 January – Pat Booth, journalist

  February

• 3 February – Ted Corbett, organic chemist
• 8 February – Gary Seear, rugby union player
• 10 February – Bevan Congdon, cricketer
• 11 February – Darien Boswell, rower
• 21 February – Beryl Fletcher, novelist
• 25 February – Noel Scott, politician
• 27 February – Keith Murdoch, rugby union player

  March

• 2 March – Gordon Challis, poet
• 9 March – Robin Archer, rugby union player and coach
• 11 March – Paddy Donovan, boxer, rugby union player
• 14 March
• *Peter Entwisle, art historian
• *Mac McCallion, rugby union player and coach
• 20 March – Dylan Mika, rugby union player
• 28 March – Norm Wilson, cricketer

  April

• 6 April – Colin McLeod, civil engineer
• 10 April – Fergie McCormick, rugby union player
• 11 April – Robert Matthews, Paralympic athlete
• 16 April – Ivan Mauger, motorcycle speedway rider
• 23 April – Haddon Donald, soldier, politician
• 24 April – Arthur Eustace, athlete, athletics coach and administrator
• 25 April – Margo Buchanan-Oliver, marketing academic
• 26 April – David Mitchell, architect

  May

• 2 May – Katherine O'Regan, politician
• 4 May – Tony Steel, rugby union player, politician
• 9 May
• * Norma, Lady Beattie – vice-regal consort
• * Carl Perkins, musician
• 15 May – Hopeful Christian, founder of Gloriavale Christian Community
• 16 May – Tom Hadfield, rugby league player
• 19 May – John Moorfield, Māori language academic
• 28 May – Dick Quax, athlete, local-body politician

  June

• 4 June – J. B. Munro, politician, disability advocate
• 7 June – Sir Neil Waters, university administrator
• 13 June – Milan Mrkusich, artist, designer
• 14 June
• * Vincent Gray, chemist, climate change denier
• * Steve Kuzmicich, statistician
• 18 June – Graham Davy, athlete, sports administrator
• 23 June – Koro Wētere, politician
• 30 June – Mark Irwin, rugby union player

  July

• 1 July – Merv Richards, pole vaulter, gymnastics and pole vault coach
• 3 July – Gary Bold, physicist
• 4 July – Harry M. Miller, impresario
• 9 July
• * Sam Chisholm, media executive
• * Colin Quincey, first person to row solo across the Tasman Sea
• 13 July – Naturalism, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 14 July – Janet Holm, environmental activist, historian
• 17 July – David Stevens, screenwriter
• 25 July – Rick Littlewood, judoka
• 29 July
• * Graham Finlay, boxer
• * Phillip Orchard, rugby league player

  August

• 2 August – Bob Berry, dendrologist
• 3 August
• * Reinhart Langer, botanist, university administrator
• * Murray Matthewson, orthopaedic surgeon
• 4 August – Delwyn Costello, cricketer
• 17 August – Warwick Roger, journalist, magazine editor
• 18 August – Ronnie Moore, speedway rider
• 19 August – Margaret Reid, Presbyterian minister
• 20 August – Greg Boyed, television presenter
• 21 August – Spencer P. Jones, musician
• 23 August – Wendy Hutton, travel and food writer
• 30 August – Jack Garrick, ichthyologist

  September

• 5 September
• * Alan Peart, World War II fighter ace
• * John Stacpoole, architect, historian
• 7 September – John O'Sullivan, rugby league player
• 14 September – Ruth Dowman, athlete
• 16 September – Assid Corban, politician, businessman
• 24 September — Merv Smith, radio personality

  October

• 2 October – Barry Linton, cartoonist
• 3 October – David Fergusson, psychologist
• 4 October
• * Penny Bright, activist
• * Barrie Frost, psychologist, neuroscientist
• 6 October – Wilf Malcolm, mathematician, university administrator
• 13 October – Bob Doran, computer scientist
• 14 October – Tom Delahunty, association football referee
• 17 October
• * Denis Adam, arts patron
• * Sir Ngātata Love, academic, Te Āti Awa leader
• * Sir Thomas Thorp, jurist
• 19 October – Sir John McGrath, jurist
• 24 October – Keith Hunter, marine and freshwater chemist
• 27 October – Murray Khouri, clarinetist
• 31 October
• * Sir Thomas Eichelbaum, jurist
• * Maurice Mahoney, architect

  November

• 4 November – Tama Renata, musician
• 6 November – Gordon Whiting, jurist
• 13 November – Sir John Anderson, businessman, sports administrator
• 14 November – Douglas Wright, dancer, choreographer
• 18 November – Peter Peryer, photographer
• 19 November – Neil Collins, broadcaster, local-body politician
• 20 November – Cyril Belshaw, anthropologist
• 24 November – Gordon Copeland, politician
• 28 November – Georgie Salter, netball player and coach

  December

• 1 December – Vivian Lynn, artist
• 2 December – William Smith, naval officer
• 3 December – Geoff Murphy, film director and screenwriter
• 5 December – John Armstrong, politician
• 6 December – Robin Clark, chemist
• 11 December
• * Winifred Griffin, swimmer
• * Hiwi Tauroa, rugby union player and coach, Race Relations Conciliator
• 20 December
• * Randall Carrington, cricketer
• * Trevor Chinn, glaciologist
• 21 December – Fay Gock, horticulturalist
• 25 December – Bill Baillie, athlete