# 1909 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1909 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

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

## Government

The 11th New Zealand Parliament commenced.
* 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 until February and thereafter as leader of the Reform Party)

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – Arthur Myers then Charles Grey
* Mayor of Wellington – Alfred Newman
* Mayor of Christchurch – Charles Allison
* Mayor of Dunedin – John McDonald then James Walker

## Events

* 1 January: The Quackery Prevention Act 1908 becomes law, preventing false advertising in relation to ingredients, composition, structure, nature or operation of a medicine.
* 12 February: Inter-island steamer SS Penguin is wrecked at Cape Terawhiti in Cook Strait with the loss of 75 lives.
* 14 February: The first North Island Main Trunk passenger express train leaves Auckland for Wellington, an overnight trip scheduled to take 19 hours 15 minutes, with a sleeping car, day cars with reclining seats, postal/parcels vans, and a dining car for part of the way.

### Undated

* The Canterbury (NZ) Aero Club, the first in New Zealand, is formed by George Bolt.

## Arts and literature

See 1909 in art, 1909 in literature

### Music

See: 1909 in music

### Film

See: 1909 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1909 films

## Sport
### Boxing

National amateur champions
* Heavyweight – M. Ryan (Invercargill)
* Middleweight – S. Monaghan (Ohakune)
* Welterweight – G. Watchorn (Palmerston North)
* Lightweight – J. Finnerty (Invercargill)
* Featherweight – J. Hagerty (Timaru)
* Bantamweight – C. Stewart (Timaru)

### Chess

* The 22nd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.K. Kelling of Wellington.

### Golf

* The third New Zealand Open championship was won by J.A. Clements (his second consecutive win).
* The 17th National Amateur Championships were held in Auckland
** Men: Arthur Duncan (Wellington) – 6th title
** Women: Mrs ? Bevan.

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup: Wildwood Junior
* Auckland Trotting Cup: Havoc

### Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

### Rugby union

* Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield only once, beating Taranaki 18-5

### Soccer

Provincial league champions:
* Auckland: Auckland Corinthians
* Canterbury: Burnham Industrial School
* Otago: Dunedin City
* Southland: Murihiku
* Taranaki: Kaponga
* Wellington: Wellington Swifts

### Tennis

* Anthony Wilding and Australian Norman Brookes, as the Australasian team, successfully defend the Davis Cup, beating the United States 5–0. The final is held in Sydney.
* Anthony Wilding wins the men's singles at the Australian Open.

## Births

* 15 April: Jack Watts, politician.
* 18 April: Tom Skinner, politician, Federation of Labour president.
* 20 May: Bill Pratney, cyclist.
* 13 June: Ralph Hanan, politician.
* 27 July: Charles Brasch, poet and literary editor.
* 20 August: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
* 15 September: Jean Batten, aviator.
* 16 September: Rod MacKenzie, rugby union player
* 31 October: Frank Bateson, astronomer.
* 23 December: Don Cleverley, cricketer.

## Deaths

* 14 February: Elsie Dohrmann, scholar, teacher and temperance campaigner
* 28 April: John Wilson (businessman), businessman and judge
* 7 August: Arthur Remington, politician
* 14 August: Samuel Brown, Mayor of Wellington.
* Maria Sophia Pope, shopkeeper and businesswoman.