2020 in New Zealand

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 – Simon Bridges until 22 May, then Todd Muller until 14 July, and then Judith Collins
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Green – James Shaw and Marama Davidson
• ACT – David Seymour

  Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Helen Winkelmann

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Phil Goff
• Mayor of Tauranga – Tenby Powell
• Mayor of Hamilton – Paula Southgate
• Mayor of Wellington – Andy Foster
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Aaron Hawkins

  Events

January

• 28 January – Jacinda Ardern announces the general election date to be 19 September.
• 29 January – The New Zealand Upgrade Programme is announced.

  February

• 3 February – A state of emergency is declared in Milford Sound as rain and flooding hit the region.
• 5 February – Residents of Gore, Mataura and Wyndham are ordered to evacuate as the Mataura River bursts its banks.
• 28 February – COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand's first case of the coronavirus is confirmed. They had recently returned from Iran via Bali.

  March

• 5 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Information of the first human transmission case of the coronavirus within New Zealand is released.
• 14 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern announces new measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. These measures provide that all people who arrive in New Zealand must self-isolate for 14 days. Cruise ships are also banned from docking in New Zealand ports.
• 17 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: A $12.1 billon scheme is announced by the government, due to the economic impact of coronavirus on New Zealand, including $5.1 billion for an income subsidy. This is the biggest peacetime government spend in history.
• 19 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association announces that all Anzac Day services, scheduled for 25 April, will be cancelled and the red poppy collection postponed due to the health risk. This is the first time that Anzac Day services have not been held since 1916.
• 21 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Ardern announces the COVID-19 alert level system, with New Zealand initially being placed at alert level 2.
• 23 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand is placed at alert level 3.
• 25 March
• *COVID-19 in New Zealand: A State of National Emergency is declared in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• *COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand is upgraded to alert level 4 at 11:59 pm, and the country enters lockdown for a period of at least four weeks.
• 26 March – The perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings pleads guilty to all 51 murder charges, as well as 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
• 29 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: The first coronavirus-related death in New Zealand occurs, a woman in her 70s from Greymouth.

  April

• 6 April – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Queen Elizabeth II makes a rare broadcast to the nation and the Commonwealth regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, her fifth televised broadcast outside of her Christmas Message.
• 8 April – Dunedin's Baldwin Street reclaims its title as the steepest residential street in the world after Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales, took the title in July 2019.
• 25 April
• *COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealanders paid tribute at private dawn services as public remembrance services are cancelled, the first time since 1916.
• *Central government announces $40 million funding for mental health service, giving 1.5 million New Zealanders free access to the service, once fully operational.
• 27 April – COVID-19 in New Zealand:New Zealand enters alert level 3 for a period of at least two weeks at 11:59 pm, partially lifting the lockdown requirements.

  May

• 11 May – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Cabinet decides to lower New Zealand's COVID-19 alert level to level two, effective from the 14 May.
• 13 May
• *COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level two at 11.59pm.
• *It is reported that New Zealand Police failed to receive clearance from higher officials in central government, the senior police hierarchy or the Privacy Commissioner to use facial recognition software, after a trial was tested using the American firm Clearview AI's system.
• 14 May – The 2020 Budget is unveiled, including a $50 billion recovery package to offset the impending recession.
• 18 May – Statistics NZ announces that New Zealand's population reached five million during March, and estimates the population at 31 March as 5,002,100.
• 22 May – Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye are elected leader and deputy leader of the National Party in a leadership election, replacing Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett.

  June

• 1 June – The 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.
• 8 June
• *COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand moved to alert level one at 11:59 pm, removing nearly all social restrictions.
• 19 June – A fatal police shooting in West Auckland leaves a police officer dead and another seriously injured.

  July

• 7 July – Hamish Walker, Member of Parliament for Clutha-Southland leaks sensitive information containing private details of COVID-19 patients. On the same day, Michelle Boag, former president of the National Party confesses that she sent the infomation to Walker. Boag resigns from her position as chief executive of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.
• 9 July – Rio Tinto announces that Tiwai Point smelter is set to close, leaving 1000 people out of employment.
• 14 July
• * Todd Muller announces his immediate resignation as the leader of National Party, citing health reasons.
• * Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee are elected new leader and deputy leader of the National Party.

  Predicted and scheduled events

• 19 September – The 2020 general election, referendum on personal cannabis consumption and referendum on euthanasia are set to take place.

  Holidays and observances

• 1 January – New Year's Day
• 2 January – Day after New Year's Day
• 6 February – Waitangi Day
• 10 April – Good Friday
• 12 April – Easter Sunday
• 13 April – Easter Monday
• 25 April – Anzac Day
• 27 April – Anzac Day observed
• 1 June – Queen's Birthday
• 26 October – Labour Day
• 25 December – Christmas Day
• 26 December – Boxing Day
• 28 December – Boxing Day observed

  Sports

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt –
• * David Black
• * Allan White, second, top New Zealander

  Winter Youth Olympics

• New Zealand sent a team of 20 competitors across nine sports to the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 9–22 January.

Deaths

January

• 1 January – Dick Scott, historian, journalist
• 7 January – Rob Ronayne, lawyer and jurist
• 10 January – Tiny White, equestrian
• 14 January – Bernard Diederich, author, journalist, historian
• 18 January – Piri Sciascia, Māori leader, kapa haka exponent, university administrator
• 22 January - John Kasper, cricketer
• 25 January
• * Shirley Murray, hymn writer
• * Dame Alison Roxburgh, women's rights advocate, community leader
• 26 January – Gordon McLauchlan, author and social historian
• 29 January
• * Ruth Butterworth, political studies academic
• * Keith Nelson, association footballer
• 31 January – Tony Ford, lawyer and jurist

  February

• 1 February – Denford McDonald, businessman
• 2 February – Mike Moore, politician, former prime minister
• 4 February
• * Andrew Brough, singer, songwriter and guitarist
• * Peter Hogg, lawyer and legal scholar
• 8 February – Lew Mander, organic chemist
• 13 February
• * Sir Des Britten, television chef, Anglican priest
• * Jimmy Thunder, boxer
• 15 February – Alan Henderson, television cameraman and puppeteer
• 16 February – Graeme Allwright, singer and songwriter
• 17 February – Terry Lineen, rugby union player
• 18 February – James Lobet, aircraft designer
• 19 February – Wes Sandle, physicist
• 29 February – Tina Carline, broadcaster

  March

• 3 March – Kerry Marshall, politician
• 4 March – Helen Courtney, cartoonist and illustrator
• 5 March
• * Troy Collings, travel executive
• * Shirley Cowles, cricketer
• * Jeanette Fitzsimons, politician
• 11 March – Sir Rob Fenwick, environmentalist, businessman
• 21 March – Cindy Beavis, broadcaster
• 22 March
• * Bob McCullough, cricketer
• * Peter Stapleton, musician
• 26 March – Colin Graham, cricketer

  April

• 3 April – Eric Verdonk, rower
• 6 April – Jock Edwards, cricketer
• 8 April – Te Huirangi Waikerepuru, Māori language activist, trade unionist
• 11 April – Might and Power, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 14 April – Dean Parker, screenwriter, journalist, political commentator
• 22 April – Dennis Copps, cricket umpire
• 23 April – Bruce Allpress, actor
• 24 April – Phil Broadhurst, jazz musician, composer, radio presenter

  May

• 4 May – Alan Sutherland, rugby union player
• 7 May – Margaret Loutit, microbiologist
• 8 May – James Hill, rower
• 14 May – Tony Coll, rugby league player, local-body politician
• 15 May – Rick Muru, rugby league player
• 29 May – Susie Simcock, squash player and administrator

  June

• 2 June
• * Leslie Kay, electrical engineer.
• * Lindsay Townsend, rugby union player
• 4 June – Giyannedra Prasad, Fijian lawyer and politician
• 10 June
• * Joan Ferner, women's rights advocate
• * Murray Hill, seed technologist
• 11 June
• * Basil Meeking, Roman Catholic bishop
• * Matt Poore, cricketer
• 16 June – Alistair Soper, rugby union player
• 18 June - Jim Young, boat builder and designer.
• 20 June – Aaron Tokona, musician
• 21 June – Dennis Young, rugby union player
• 23 June – Mike McCool, rugby union player
• 24 June – Toni Waho, Māori language advocate
• 28 June
• * John Kneebone, farming leader
• * Jim Ross, educationalist, public servant

  July

• 1 July – Bill Black, pilot, live deer capture pioneer
• 2 July – Bill Massey, softball player, coach and umpire
• 10 July – Genevieve Westcott, journalist and television presenter
• 12 July – Kevin Dwyer, cricketer
• 14 July – James Brown, public servant
• 20 July – Ross Dallow, police officer, politician
• 21 July – Bruce McPhail, rugby union player
• 29 July – Andy Haden, rugby union player

  Country overviews

• New Zealand
• History of New Zealand
• History of modern New Zealand
• Outline of New Zealand
• Government of New Zealand
• Politics of New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• Years in New Zealand

  Related timelines for current period

• 2020
• COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
• COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
• COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ships
• 2020 in Oceania
• 2020 in politics and government
• 2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season
• Tropical cyclones in 2020
• 2020 UCI Oceania Tour January 15-March 15
• 2020s