New Zealand at the 1956 Summer Olympics
New Zealand at the 1956 Summer Olympics was represented by a team of 53 competitors and 12 officials. Selection of the team for the Games in Melbourne, Australia, was the responsibility of the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association. New Zealand's flagbearer at the opening ceremony was Ritchie Johnston. The New Zealand team finished 16th on the medal table, winning a total of two medals, both of which were gold.
Medal tables
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
| Norman Read | Athletics | Men's 50 km walk | 24 November | |
| Jack Cropp Peter Mander | Sailing | 12 m² Sharpie | 29 November |
Athletics
Track and road
Field
Boxing
Cycling
Track
;Men's 1000 m time trial| Athlete | Time | Rank |
| Warwick Dalton | 1:12.6 | 8 |
;Men's sprint
;Men's tandem
;Men's team pursuit
Alan Larkins was a reserve for the team pursuit but did not compete.
Field hockey
Men's tournament
The men's field hockey team from New Zealand made its Olympic debut in Melbourne. Before 1956, the only international hockey team apart from Australia that New Zealand had played against was India.;Team roster
;Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Qualification |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | Advance to semi-finals | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Advance to semi-finals | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 5th–8th classification round | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5th–8th classification round |
;5th–8th Classification round
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Overall rank |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 7 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 8 |