# 1917 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1917 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – George V
* Governor – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, until 28 June
* Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, from 28 June
* George V
* Lord Liverpool

### Government

The 19th New Zealand Parliament continues as a grand coalition led by the Reform Party. The general election due this year is deferred because of World War I.
* Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
* Prime Minister – William Massey (Reform Party)
* Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward
* Frederic Lang
* William Massey
* Joseph Ward

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward (Liberal Party). Ward retains the title even though he is part of the coalition government.
* Joseph Ward

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout
* Robert Stout

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
* Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
* Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Holland
* Mayor of Dunedin – James Clark
* James Gunson
* John Luke
* Henry Holland
* James Clark

## Events

* April – The first Caudron biplane purchased by Henry Wigram for the Canterbury Aviation Company arrives.
* 1 May – The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) is formed as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
* 7 May – Cecil McKenzie Hill makes the first flight for the Canterbury Aviation Company.
* June – Pilot training by the Canterbury Aviation Company commences at Sockburn.
* 24 September – Ten New Zealand soldiers are killed in England in the Bere Ferrers rail accident.
* 20 October – 850 New Zealand soldiers are killed in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the greatest loss of life in a single day in the military history of New Zealand.
* 1 December – Six o’clock closing of hotel bars is introduced as a wartime measure.

### Undated

* "Extraordinary and continuous rainfall" throughout the year causes "enormous damage to roads and bridges", and "the country became waterlogged", according to the Public Works Statement.
* The West Coast Times, established in 1865, is merged into the Hokitika Guardian and Star.

## Arts and literature

See 1917 in art, 1917 in literature, Category:1917 books

### Music

See: 1917 in music

### Film

See: Category:1917 film awards, 1917 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1917 films

## Sport
### Golf

* The New Zealand Open championship and National Amateur Championships are not held due to the war.

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Adelaide Direct
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Steel Bell (2nd win)

#### Thoroughbred racing

* New Zealand Cup – Meelaus
* Auckland Cup – Fiery Cross
* Wellington Cup – Bunting
* New Zealand Derby – Estland

### Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Wellington.
* Men's singles champion – C.R. Ingram (Wellington Bowling Club)
* Men's pair champions – A. Sawyer, J.J. Martin (skip) (Turanganui Bowling Club)
* Men's fours champions – J.S. Ryrie, A.R. Coltman, W. Coltman, G.S. Osmond (skip) (Auckland Bowling Club)

### Rugby union

* The Ranfurly Shield (held by Wellington) is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

### Soccer

* Provincial league champions:
** Auckland – Brotherhood
** Canterbury – Linwood
** Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
** Otago – Northern
** Southland – No competition
** Wanganui – No competition
** Wellington – No competition

## Births
### January

* 13 January – Doris Strachan, athlete
* 19 January – Agnes Ell, cricketer
* 20 January – Emily Carpenter, home science academic, adult educationalist, consumer advocate
* 25 January – Rosalie Gascoigne, sculptor
* 27 January – John Pattison, World War II pilot
* 28 January – Jack Hatchard, association footballer
* 31 January
** Erich Geiringer, writer, doctor, anti-nuclear weapons activist
** Frank Gill, air force officer, politician

### February

* 19 February
** Morrie McHugh, boxer, rugby union player
** Peg Taylor, cricketer
* 26 February – Clyde Jeffery, politician, mayor of Napier (1974–83)

### March

* 1 March – Bill Sutton, artist
* 9 March – Clarrie Gordon, boxer
* 10 March – Tom Pritchard, cricketer
* 20 March – Haddon Donald, soldier, politician, sports shooter
* 22 March – Phil Holloway, politician
* 26 March – Ruth Gilbert, poet

### April

* 13 April – Bruce Ferguson, soldier
* 18 April – Brian Mason, geochemistry, mineralogist, meteoriticist

### May

* 6 May – Roy Scott, cricketer
* 21 May – Margaret Milne, potter
* 22 May – Charlie Munro, jazz musician

### June

* 10 June – Jack Henry, industrialist
* 11 June – Tom Davis, Cook Islands politician
* 25 June – Nora Crawford, police officer

### July

* 1 July – Maurice Carter, property developer, politician, philanthropist
* 6 July – Arthur Lydiard, runner, athletics coach
* 7 July – John Crichton, furniture and interior designer
* 13 July – Frank Carpay, ceramics, textile and graphic designer
* 14 July – Doug Zohrab, public servant, diplomat
* 19 July – Lewis Johnston, cricket umpire
* 21 July – Jock Newall, association footballer
* 23 July – Douglas Goodfellow, businessman, philanthropist
* 27 July – Ron Meek. economist and social scientist
* 31 July – Derek Ward, World War II pilot

### August

* 1 August – Esme Tombleson, politician
* 3 August – Eddie Isbey, politician
* 7 August – Arthur Cresswell, cricketer
* 24 August – Ruth Park, writer

### September

* 2 September – Jack Scholes, sailor
* 6 September – Cecil Hight, World War II pilot
* 7 September – Ewen Solon, actor
* 16 September – David Lewis, sailor, Polynesian scholar
* 23 September – Wiremu Te Tau Huata, Anglican priest, military chaplain
* 26 September – James Coe, artist, art teacher, industrial designer, ergonomist
* 30 September – Denis Rogers, politician, mayor of Hamilton (1959–68)

### October

* 2 October – Rosaleen Norton, artist, occultist
* 17 October
** Martin Donnelly, cricketer, rugby union player
** John Oswald Sanders, missionary
* 18 October – Roy White, rugby union player
* 31 October – Evan Mackie, World War II pilot

### November

* 6 November – Henry Walters, cricketer
* 17 November – Tom Larkin, public servant, diplomat
* 25 November – Paul Beadle, sculptor, medallist

### December

* 2 December – Betty Batham, marine biologist
* 7 December – Bert Roth, librarian, historian
* 8 December – Alan Stewart, rugby union player, university administrator
* 11 December – Owen Snedden, Roman Catholic bishop
* 12 December – Alan Deere, military pilot, author
* 13 December – Keith Hay, construction company founder, politician, conservative activist
* 24 December – Ronald Triner, road cyclist

## Deaths
### January–February

* 3 February – Robert McNab, politician (born 1864)
* 17 February
** Graham Gow, government trade representative (born 1850)
** Sir George McLean, politician (born 1834)
* 22 February – Hugh Murray-Aynsley, politician (born 1828)

### March–April

* 6 March
** Tame Parata, politician (born c.1837)
** William Salmond, Presbyterian minister, theologian (born 1835)
* 11 March – William Hosking, doctor (born 1841)
* 13 March – Percy Dix, vaudeville company manager (born 1866)
* 27 March – Joseph Braithwaite, bookseller, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1905–06) (born 1848)
* 30 March – Ferdinand Holm, mariner, ship owner (born 1844)
* 23 April – Robert Bruce, politician, conservationist (born 1843)

### May–June

* 2 May – Alfred Lee Smith, politician (born 1838)
* 7 June
** Bill Bussell, rugby league player (born 1887)
** George Sellars, rugby union player (born 1886)
* 8 June
** George Bollinger, soldier, diarist (born 1890)
** Charles Henry Brown, military leader (born 1872)
** Thomas Culling, World War I flying ace (born 1896)
* 20 June – Reg Taylor, rugby union player (born 1889)
* 22 June – John Lecky, rugby union player (born 1863)

### July–August

* 8 July – Alexander McKay, geologist (born 1841)
* 14 July
** Robert Batley, storekeeper, sheep farmer (born 1849)
** Alexander Bruce, politician (born c.1839)
* 15 July – Bill Mackrell, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1881)
* 23 July – James Gore, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1881–82) (born 1834)
* 27 July – Arthur Brown, Mayor of Wellington
* 30 July – William Baldwin, politician (born 1836)
* 31 July – William Henry Dillon Bell, politician (born 1884)
* 4 August
** Purakau Maika, newspaper editor and publisher (born c.1852)
** Cecil Perry, cricketer (born 1846)
* 5 August – Don Buck, gum digger (born c.1869)
* 6 August – Charles James, rugby league player (born 1891)
* 7 August – Francis Earl Johnston, army officer (born 1871)
* 14 August – William Sanders, naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1883)
* 24 August – Alfred Kidd, politician, mayor of Auckland (1901–03) (born 1851)
* 26 August – William Lane, journalist, utopian (born 1861)

### September–October

* 4 October – Dave Gallaher. rugby union player (born 1873)
* 6 October – John Davies Ormond, politician (born 1831)
* 12 October
** Henry Du Vall, rugby league player (born 1886)
** George Augustus King, military officer (born 1885)
* 20 October – Elise Kemp, nurse (born 1881)
* 22 October – Bob Fitzsimmons, boxer (born 1863)
* 27 October – William Beehan, politician (born 1853)

### November–December

* 10 November – Charles King, cricketer (born 1847)
* 13 November – Cecil Fitzroy, politician, mayor of Hastings (1894–99) (born 1844)
* 15 November – Frank Twisleton, soldier, writer (born 1873)
* 29 November – Ellen Greenwood, schoolteacher, social worker (born 1837)
* 12 December – Sir Charles Bowen, politician (born 1830)
* 14 December – George Wilson, cricketer (born 1887)
* 23 December – Clive Franklyn Collett, World War I flying ace (born 1886)