# 1977 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1977 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,166,400.
* Increase since 31 December 1976: 3000 (0.09%).
* Males per 100 females: 99.4.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – Elizabeth II
* Governor-General – Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO, followed by The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.

### Government

1977 was the second full year of the 38th Parliament. The Third National Government was in power.
* Speaker of the House – Roy Jack.
* Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon
* Deputy Prime Minister – Brian Talboys.
* Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon.
* Minister of Foreign Affairs – Brian Talboys.
* Attorney-General – Peter Wilkinson.
* Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Bill Rowling (Labour).

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
* Mayor of Hamilton – Bruce Beetham then Ross Jansen
* Mayor of Wellington – Michael Fowler
* Mayor of Christchurch – Hamish Hay
* Mayor of Dunedin – Jim Barnes then Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

## Events

* 5 January – Led by Joe Hawke, members of Ngati Whatua occupy Bastion Point reserve (Takaparawha) to protest crown sales of land taken from Māori.
* 6 February – Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II's accession as Queen of New Zealand
* 28 February – The new Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament, nicknamed the "Beehive" due to its shape, is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, despite not being fully complete yet.
* 26 March – 1977 Mangere by-election: David Lange (Labour) is elected to replace Colin Moyle.
* 21 November – God Defend New Zealand becomes the second official national anthem of New Zealand, in conjunction with God Save The Queen.
* 6 December – The meat pie-based fast food chain Georgie Pie opens its first restaurant in Kelston, Auckland.
* 23 December – the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 passed into law
* New Zealand proclaims an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles (370 km) – the seventh largest in the world at 4.3 million km$^2$
* Mushrooms and typewriters are added to the CPI basket.

## Arts and literature

* Keri Hulme and Roger Hall win the Robert Burns Fellowship.
See 1977 in art, 1977 in literature

### Music

The New Zealand Music Awards were not held this year.
* Waikino music festival at Bicknel's farm, Waitawheta Valley, between Waihi and Waikino. Attendance 5500.
See: 1977 in music

### Radio and television

* April: Fair Go airs for the first time.
* June: Wellington's Radio Active 89FM first hits the airwaves
* Feltex Television Awards:
** Best Current Affairs: News at Ten
** Best Documentary Series: Black Future
** Best Light Entertainment: Blerta
** Best Play: The God Boy
** Best Drama: Moynihan
** Best Speciality: Country Calendar
** Best Actor: Ian Mune in Winners and Losers and Moynihan
** Best Actress: Judy Douglas in The God Boy
** Best Script: The God Boy
** Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne

### Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Max Cryer.
* Roger Hall's Middle-Age Spread premiered at the Circa Theatre, Wellington

### Television

See: 1977 in New Zealand television, 1977 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

* Landfall
* Off the Edge
* Sleeping Dogs
* Solo
* Wild Man
See: Category:1977 film awards, 1977 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1977 films

## Sport
### Athletics

* Terry Manners wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:40 in Hāwera.

### Association football

* New Zealand National Soccer League won by North Shore United
* The Chatham Cup is won by Nelson United who beat Mount Wellington 1–0 in the final.

### Chess

* The 84th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in North Shore, and is won by Ortvin Sarapu of Auckland.

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup: Sole Command
* There was no 1977 running of the Auckland Trotting Cup as the race was being rescheduled from December (1976) to February (1978)

#### Thoroughbred racing
## Births

* 22 January: Jono Gibbes, rugby player
* 25 February: Matthew Bell, cricketer
* 25 March: Brooke Walker, cricketer
* 16 May: Melanie Lynskey, actress
* 20 May: Raf de Gregorio, soccer player
* 25 May: Michael Bevin, field hockey goalkeeper
* 14 June: Duncan Oughton, footballer
* 9 July (in South Africa): Leana du Plooy, netball player'
* 5 July: Dale Rasmussen, rugby player
* 11 July: Matai Smith, television presenter
* 13 July: Xavier Rush, rugby player
* 5 September: Emily Gillam, field hockey player
* 8 September: Sheryl Scanlan, netball player
* 9 September: Caleb Ralph, rugby player
* 18 October: Ryan Nelsen, footballer
* 13 November: Chanel Cole, musician
* 28 November: Greg Somerville, rugby player
* 15 December: Dominic Bowden, television presenter
* 21 December: Leon MacDonald, rugby player
Category:1977 births

## Deaths

* 22 January: Toby Hill, watersider and trade unionist
* 18 February: Ron Jarden, rugby player.
* 7 June (in England): Sir Rex Nan Kivell, art collector.
* 26 June; Alice May Palmer, public servant and union official
* 15 August: Margaret Escott, novelist and poet.
* 24 December: Sir Roy Jack, politician and 16th Speaker of the House of Representatives.