# 1926 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1926 in New Zealand.

## Population

The 1926 New Zealand census is held on 20 April.
| | Male | Female | Total |
| Usually resident population | 716,310 (51%) | 687,330 (49%) | 1,403,640 |
| Overseas visitors | 3,333 | 1,167 | 4,500 |
| Total | 719,643 | 688,497 | 1,408,140 |

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – George V
* Governor-General – Sir Charles Fergusson
* George V
* Sir Charles Fergusson

### Government

The 22nd New Zealand Parliament continues with the Reform Party governing.
* Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
* Prime Minister – Gordon Coates
* Minister of Finance – William Nosworthy until 24 May, then William Downie Stewart
* Minister of External Affairs – Francis Bell until 18 January, then from 24 May William Nosworthy
* Charles Statham
* Gordon Coates
* William Nosworthy
* William Downie Stewart
* Francis Bell

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – vacant until 26 June, then Harry Holland (Labour Party)
* Harry Holland

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout, then Charles Skerrett from 1 February
* Robert Stout
* Charles Skerrett

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – George Baildon
* Mayor of Wellington – Charles Norwood
* Mayor of Christchurch – John Archer
* Mayor of Dunedin – Harold Tapley
* George Baildon
* Charles Norwood
* John Archer
* Harold Tapley

## Events

* 15 April – The Eden by-election is won by Rex Mason (Labour). As a result, Labour became the dominant party in opposition, with 12 seats compared to the Liberals' 11.
* 15 November – The Balfour Declaration asserts the right of New Zealand and other dominions to exist as independent countries
* 3 December – Nine miners die in an explosion in the Dobson coal mine near Brunner
* Undated
** Writer and adventurer Zane Grey first visits New Zealand, helping to popularise big-game fishing
** Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is established
** Pavlova reportedly created by a Wellington hotel chef in honour of the visit of Anna Pavlova
** Ash eruption of Red Crater, Mount Tongariro
** Leonard Cockayne publishes the first part of Monograph on New Zealand beech forests, which argues that the forests could be managed with a rotation of 80–120 years, but warns about overgrazing by deer

## Arts and literature

See 1926 in art, 1926 in literature, Category:1926 books

### Music

See: 1926 in music

### Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

See: 1926 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1926 films

## Sport
### Chess

* The 35th National Chess Championship is held in Dunedin, and is won by S. Crakanthorp of Sydney, his second title

### Cricket

* New Zealand, along with India and the West Indies, is admitted to the Imperial Cricket Conference, increasing the number of test playing nations to six

### Football

* The Chatham Cup is won by Sunnyside (Christchurch)
* Provincial league champions:
** Auckland – Tramways
** Canterbury – Sunnyside
** Hawke's Bay – Whakatu
** Nelson – Athletic
** Otago – HSOB
** South Canterbury – Colmoco
** Southland – Ohai
** Taranaki – Auroa
** Waikato – Huntly Thistle
** Wanganui – Woollen Mills
** Wellington – Hospital

### Golf

* The 16th New Zealand Open championship is won by Andrew Shaw after a playoff with Ernie Moss.
* The 8th National Amateur Championships are held at Miramar (men) and Balmacewan (women)
** Men – Arthur Duncan (Wellington) (his tenth title)
** Women – Louisa Kerr (Timaru)

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Ahuriri (2nd win)
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Talaro

#### Thoroughbred racing

* New Zealand Cup – Count Cavour
* Avondale Gold Cup – Beacon Light
* Auckland Cup – Tanadees
* Wellington Cup – Enthusiasm
* New Zealand Derby – Commendation

### Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.
* Men's singles champion – W. Foster (Caledonian Bowling Club)
* Men's pair champions – W. R. Todd, E. Tamlyn (skip) (St Kilda Bowling Club)
* Men's fours champions – J. D. Best, H. G. Siedeberg, F. McCullough, E. Harraway (skip) (Dunedin Bowling Club)

### Rugby league

* The New Zealand national rugby league team tours Britain, losing all three tests against Great Britain and one test against Wales
* The NZRFU takes legal action to prevent the NZRL from using the name "All Blacks" for the national rugby league team

### Rugby union

* 1926 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales
* 1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour
* Ranfurly Shield – held by Hawkes Bay for the full season

## Births
### January

* 3 January
** Marie Clay, literacy researcher
** David Spence, mathematician
* 6 January – Pat Vincent, rugby union player, coach and administrator
* 10 January – Jim Eyles, archaeologist
* 11 January – Mary Rouse, cricketer
* 19 January – Peter Cape, musician
* 20 January – Tui Uru, broadcaster, singer
* 29 January – Dennis McEldowney, writer, publisher

### February

* 3 February – Guy Ngan, artist
* 7 February – Graham Latimer, Māori leader
* 13 February – Lloyd Berrell, actor
* 14 February – Sheila Natusch, naturalist, writer, illustrator
* 20 February – Ted Meuli, cricketer
* 26 February – Edwin Norton, weightlifter

### March

* 5 March – Joan Mattingley, clinical chemist
* 13 March – June Litman, journalist
* 19 March – Noel Bowden, rugby union player
* 22 March – Helen Young, radio manager, arts advocate
* 24 March
** Betty Clegg, watercolour artist
** Rowena Jackson, ballet dancer
* 27 March – Harry Tapping, cricketer

### April

* 2 April – Maurie Gordon, sport shooter
* 6 April – Don Bacon, microbiologist
* 11 April – Vivienne Boyd, community leader
* 12 April – Hoani Waititi, Māori community leader
* 14 April – Barbara Anderson, writer
* 18 April – Peter Henderson, rugby union and rugby league player, sprinter
* 22 April – Arthur Eustace, track and field athlete, coach and administrator

### May

* 6 May – Colin Webster-Watson, sculptor, poet
* 9 May – Robin Cooke, jurist
* 15 May – Lyall Barry, swimmer, schoolteacher, local historian
* 19 May – Nancy Adams, botanist, botanical artist, museum curator
* 23 May – John Hollywood, cricketer
* 27 May – Gordon Leggat, cricket player and administrator

### June

* 7 June – John Kennedy, Roman Catholic journalist
* 11 June – Louise Sutherland, cyclist
* 17 June – Don Rowlands, rower, rowing administrator, businessman
* 18 June – Joe Walding, politician, diplomat
* 19 June
** Rod Coleman, motorcycle racer
** Barrie Hutchinson, water polo player, rugby union player and administrator, politician
* 23 June – Jim Barnden, boxer
* 24 June – Graham Liggins, medical scientist
* 25 June – June Schoch, athlete
* 29 June – James K. Baxter, poet

### July

* 4 July – Arnold Heine, Antarctic scientist, tramper, conservationist
* 5 July – Trevor Davey, politician
* 14 July – Patricia Woodroffe, fencer
* 18 July – Bernard Diederich, writer, journalist, historian
* 22 July – Ron Russell, politician
* 23 July – Tom O'Donnell, medical practitioner and academic
* 31 July – Don Donnithorne, architect

### August

* 10 August – Edwin Carr, composer
* 17 August – Solomon Faine, microbiologist

### September

* 10 September – Jack Somerville, lawn bowls player
* 11 September – Joe Schneider, rower
* 17 September – Bert Lunn, rugby union player
* 22 September – Denzil Meuli, writer, newspaper editor, Roman Catholic priest
* 29 September – Vivienne Cassie Cooper, planktologist, botanist

### October

* 4 October – Phar Lap, Thoroughbred racehorse
* 10 October – Noeleen Scott, lawn bowls player
* 13 October
** George Gair, politician, diplomat
** Bill James, rower
* 16 October – Peter Arnold, cricket player and administrator
* 26 October – John Myles, athlete
* 28 October
** Doug Anderson, rugby league player
** Merv Norrish, diplomat, public servant
* 30 October – Nan Kinross, nurse and nursing academic
* 31 October – Stanley Dallas, recording engineer, radio technician

### November

* 3 November – Edward Gaines, Roman Catholic bishop
* 7 November – Graeme Allwright, singer-songwriter
* 14 November – Fritz Eisenhofer, architect
* 20 November – Tom Newnham, political activist

### December

* 1 December – Barry Dallas, politician
* 5 December – Derek Turnbull, athlete
* 7 December – Jack Kelly, rugby union player, schoolteacher
* 12 December
** Maida Bryant, politician, community leader
** Laurie Davidson, yacht designer
* 13 December – Dave Batten, athlete
* 14 December – Alan Rowe, actor
* 15 December – Ron Bailey, politician
* 18 December – Jock Aird, association footballer
* 20 December – John Holland, athlete
* 21 December – Alan Hellaby, businessman
* 23 December – Peter Iles, cricketer
* 24 December – Jimmy Edwards, rugby league player
* 25 December – Colin Chambers, swimmer
* 30 December – Richard Farrell, pianist
* 31 December – Pauline Yearbury, artist

### Exact date unknown

* George Johnson, artist
* Maurice K. Smith, architect, architectural academic

## Deaths
### January–March

* 19 January – Helen Stace, school matron (born 1850)
* 8 February – John Graham, politician (born 1843)
* 14 February – Ellen Hewett, writer (born 1843)
* 27 February – James Palmer Campbell, politician (born 1855)
* 1 March – John Barton Roy, politician (born 1854)
* 13 March – Mere Rikiriki, Māori prophet (born c.1855)
* 15 March – Charles Blomfield, artist (born 1848)
* 22 March – Louisa Baker, journalist, novelist (born 1856)

### April–June

* 14 April – Hans Madsen Ries, Lutheran pastor, politician (born 1860)
* 17 April – Andrew Graham, politician (born 1843)
* 26 April – Bobby Leach, thrillseeker (born 1858)
* 1 May
** William Geddis, journalist, politician (born 1860)
** Isabella May, temperance worker, suffragist, dress reformer (born 1850)
* 24 May – William Morley, Methodist minister, historian (born 1842)
* 28 May – Frederick Liggins, cricketer (born 1873)
* 5 June – Elizabeth Gard'ner, home science teacher and administrator, writer (born 1858)
* 8 June – David Goldie, politician, mayor of Auckland (1898–1901) (born 1842)
* 13 June – Gottfried Lindauer, painter (born 1839)
* 15 June – William Belcher, trade union leader (born c.1860)
* 24 June – G. P. Nerli, painter (born 1860)

### July–September

* 18 July – Archibald Cargill, cricketer (born 1853)
* 1 August – Sophia Anstice, dressmaker, draper, businesswoman (born 1849)
* 13 August – Te Mete Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui leader, assessor (born c.1836)
* 18 August – Grace Neill, nurse, social reformer (born 1846)
* 3 September – John McCombie, gold prospector, mine manager (born 1849)
* 8 September – Hugh Lusk, politician (born 1837)

### October–December

* 1 October – Suzanne Aubert (Sister Mary Joseph), missionary nun (born 1835)
* 9 October – Sir Arthur Myers, politician, mayor of Auckland (1905–09) (born 1868)
* 18 October – Sir James Carroll, politician (born 1857)
* 26 October – Frederick Pirani, politician (born 1858)
* 7 November – Henry Baker, cricketer (born 1904)
* 7 December – Charles Purnell, journalist, newspaper editor, writer (born 1843)
* 12 December – Jane Preshaw, nurse, midwife, hospital matron (born 1839)
* 22 December – Mina Arndt, painter (born 1885)
* 23 December – Joseph Frear, builder (born 1846)
* 28 December – Robert William Felkin, medical missionary, explorer, ceremonial magician (born 1853)