# 1908 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1908 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – Edward VII
* Governor – The Lord Plunket GCMG KCVO

## Government

The 16th New Zealand Parliament concluded but the Liberal Party retained in power following the 1908 General Election in November/December
* Speaker of the House – Sir Arthur Guinness
* Prime Minister – Joseph Ward
* Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward
* Attorney-General – John Findlay
* Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – William Massey, (Independent).

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – Arthur Myers
* Mayor of Wellington – Thomas Hislop
* Mayor of Christchurch – George Payling then Charles Allison
* Mayor of Dunedin – John Loudon then John McDonald

## Events
### April

* 8 April – The Invercargill Tragedy occurs, in which James Reid Baxter kills his family and then himself.

### August

* 7 August: First through passenger train on the North Island Main Trunk railway, over temporary track north of Taonui, the 11-car Parliamentary Special carrying the Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward and other parliamentarians north to see the American Great White Fleet at Auckland (9 to 15 August).

### November

* 6 November: The North Island Main Trunk railway linking Wellington and Auckland is completed, with the last spike driven in by Prime Minister Joseph Ward at Manganui-o-te-Ao and commemorated by the Last Spike Monument.
* 9 November: A two-day NIMT rail passenger service starts, with an overnight stop at Ohakune.

### December

* 2 December: Dunedin Public Library opens, aided by a grant from Andrew Carnegie.
* Late December: Wanganui (population 9000) became the first provincial town to introduce trams

#### Undated

* Blackball, New Zealand coal miners strike for 11 weeks, an important step in the formation of the New Zealand Labour Party.
* Auckland. Three cultivars of the Feijoa are introduced into New Zealand.

## Arts and literature

See 1908 in art, 1908 in literature

### Books

* The first Edmonds Cookery Book is published.

### Music

See: 1908 in music

### Film

See: 1908 in film, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1908 films

## Sport
### Boxing

The welterweight division is included in the national championships for the first time.
National amateur champions
* Heavyweight – M. Ryan (Invercargill)
* Middleweight – J. Smith (Auckland)
* Welterweight – R. Mayze (Christchurch)
* Lightweight – T. Metcalfe (Auckland)
* Featherweight – W. Elliott (Timaru)
* Bantamweight – J. Parker (Christchurch)

### Billiards

The Auckland Sports Club, the national representative to the British Billiards Association, holds the first national championship.
* National Champion: J. Ryan (Auckland)

### Chess

* The 21st National Chess Championship was held in Wellington, and was won by of A.W.O. Davies of Wellington, his second title.

### Golf

* The second New Zealand Open championship was held at Balmacewen golf club and was won by 19-year-old professional J.A. Clements
* The 16th National Amateur Championships were held in Otago
** Men: H.C. Smith (Otago)
** Women: Miss ? Christie

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup: Durbar
* Auckland Trotting Cup: Scotia

#### Thoroughbred racing

* Auckland Cup – All Red

### Olympic Games

* New Zealanders compete at the Olympic Games for the first time, as part of the Australasian team. Harry Kerr becomes the first New Zealander to win an Olympic medal.

### Rugby league

* New Zealand national rugby league team tour of Great Britain:
** lost to Wales, 9–8
** 1st test: lost to Great Britain 8–5 at Cheltenham
** 2nd test: beat Great Britain 18–6 at Chelsea
** 3rd test: beat Great Britain 14–6 at leeds

### Rugby union

* Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield against Marlborough (32–0), Wellington (24–3), Taranaki (9–0) and Otago (11–5)

### Soccer

Provincial league champions:
* Auckland: Auckland Corinthians
* Canterbury: Christchurch Club
* Otago: Northern Dunedin
* Southland: Murihiku
* Taranaki: Hawera
* Wellington: Diamond Wellington

### Tennis

* Anthony Wilding pairs with Australian Norman Brookes, as the Australasian team, to win the Davis Cup, beating the United States 3–2. The final is held in Melbourne.
* Anthony Wilding, partnered with Norman Brookes, wins the men's doubles at the Wimbledon Championship

## Births

* 12 March: Rita Angus, painter.
* 2 June: Lindsay Weir, cricketer.
* 5 June: Les George, rugby player.
* 19 June: Fred Baker, soldier.
* 18 August: Bill Merritt, cricketer.
* 21 September: Charles Upham, double Victoria Cross winner.
* 25 September: Herbert Dudley Purves, medical researcher.
* 26 September: John Pascoe, photographer and mountaineer
* 17 December: Sylvia Ashton-Warner, writer and educator.

## Deaths

* April: Charles Rous-Marten, journalist and railway writer (b. 1842 in England)
* 20 May: Albert Henry Baskerville, rugby league pioneer (b. 1883)
* 3 August: Henry Feldwick, politician (b. 1844)
* 2 October: Charles Kidson, art teacher, artist, craftsman and sculptor (b. 1867)
* 8 November: Edward Connolly, politician (b. 1822)