# 1924 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1924 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – George V
* Governor-General – John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe until 26 November, then Sir Charles Fergusson from 13 December
* George V
* Viscount Jellicoe
* Sir Charles Fergusson

### Government

The 21st New Zealand Parliament continues. The Reform Party governs as a minority with the support of independents.
* Speaker of the House – Charles Statham
* Prime Minister – William Massey
* Minister of Finance – William Massey
* Minister of External Affairs – Francis Bell
* Charles Statham
* William Massey
* Francis Bell

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Thomas Wilford (Liberal Party)
* Thomas Wilford

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout
* Robert Stout

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
* Mayor of Wellington – Robert Wright
* Mayor of Christchurch – James Flesher
* Mayor of Dunedin – Harold Tapley
* James Gunson
* Robert Wright
* James Flesher
* Harold Tapley

## Events

* 29 September – The first trolleybus route in Wellington is inaugurated
* 4 July – The name for Four Square is established
* 17 November – HMS Torch hits a rock in the Chatham Islands, and is subsequently beached and abandoned
* Undated – Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward', later to become the main commercial cultivar of kiwifruit, is first grown

## Arts and literature

See 1924 in art, 1924 in literature Category:1924 books

### Music

See: 1924 in music

### Broadcasting

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

* Venus of the South Seas
See: 1924 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1924 films

## Sport
### Chess

* The 33rd National Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by S. Crakanthorp of Sydney.

### Football

* The 2nd Chatham Cup is won by Harbour Board (Auckland)
* A Chinese Universities football team tours New Zealand, including four matches against the national team:
** 16 August, at Auckland: New Zealand win 2–1
** 23 August, at Wellington: draw 2–2
** 6 September, at Dunedin: New Zealand win 5–3
** 13 September, at Christchurch: New Zealand win 4–2
* Provincial league champions:
** Auckland – Harbour Board
** Canterbury – Sunnyside
** Hawke's Bay – Whakatu
** Nelson – Athletic
** Otago – Seacliff
** South Canterbury – Albion Rovers
** Southland – Corinthians
** Taranaki – Kaponga
** Wanganui – YMCA
** Wellington – YMCA

### Golf

* The 11th New Zealand Open championship is won by Ernie Moss, with an aggregate of 301.
* The 28th National Amateur Championships are held in Auckland (men) and Hamilton (women)
** Men – L. Quin (Eltham)
** Women – Mrs Peake (Cambridge)

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Sheik
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Locanda Mac

#### Thoroughbred racing

* New Zealand Cup – Sunart
* Auckland Cup – Te Kara
* Wellington Cup – Loughrea
* New Zealand Derby – Count Cavour
* ARC Great Northern Derby – Ballymena

### Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.
* Men's singles champion – W. Carswell (Taieri Bowling Club)
* Men's pair champions – James Angus, J. A. Redpath (skip) (Canterbury Bowling Club)
* Men's fours champions – W. Ure, H. S. Hill, C. G. Maher, Bill Bremner (skip) (West End Bowling Club, Auckland)

### Olympic games

    Gold Silver BronzeTotal 0011
* New Zealand sends a team of four competitors across three sports
* Arthur Porritt wins the bronze medal in the men's 100 metres

### Rugby league

* New Zealand host the touring Great Britain team, winning the test series 2–1
** 1st test, at Dunedin, lose 18–31
** 2nd test, at Wellington, win 13–11
** 3rd test, at Auckland, win 16–8

### Rugby union

* The All Blacks tour the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada between September 1924 and February 1925, winning all 32 games, and earning the nickname The Invincibles
* The Ranfurly Shield is held and defended by Hawkes Bay all season

### Wrestling

* Ike Robin is recognised as New Zealand's first wrestling champion

## Births
### January

* 5 January – Ivan Wyatt, cricketer (d. 2009)
* 11 January – Rex Cunningham, rugby league player (d. 2015)
* 13 January – Brian Barratt-Boyes, heart surgeon (d. 2006)
* 15 January
** Barbara Angus, diplomat, historian (d. 2005)
** George Lowe, mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013)
* 21 January
** Bill Andersen, trade unionist (d. 2005)
** Ronald Sinclair, actor, film editor (d. 1992)
* 22 January – Ortvin Sarapu, chess player (d. 1999)
* 27 January
** Lyn Philp, boxer (d. 1981)
** Hector Wilson, rugby union player (d. 2004)
* 28 January – Wharetutu Stirling, Ngāi Tahu leader, conservationist (d. 1993)

### February

* 14 February
** Bos Murphy, boxer (d. 2000)
** Reg Singer, association footballer (d. 2001)
* 24 February – Jack Forrest, rugby league player (d. 2016)
* 27 February – John Shanahan, swimmer (d. 1987)
* 29 February – David Beattie, jurist, sports administrator, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 2001)

### March

* 5 March – Nau Cherrington, rugby union player (d. 1979)
* 6 March – Percy Murphy, politician, first Māori mayor (d. 2009)
* 7 March
** J.G.A. Pocock, historian (d. 2023)
** Brownie Pūriri, public servant (d. 1979)
* 9 March – Warren Sinclair, radiation science and medicine expert (d. 2014)
* 10 March – Peter Stichbury, potter (d. 2015)
* 22 March – Grace Gooder, cricketer (d. 1983)
* 24 March – Norm Holland, jockey (d. 2014)
* 26 March
** Jack McNab, rugby union player, coach and administrator (d. 2009)
** Josie Yelas, netball player (d. 1996)
* 29 March – Haydn Sherley, broadcaster (d. 2007)
* 31 March – Joan de Hamel, children's writer (d. 2011)

### April

* 2 April – Lauris Edmond, poet and writer (d. 2000)
* 5 April – Barbara Hale, librarian (d. 2013)
* 3 April – Errol Brathwaite, writer (d. 2005)
* 18 April – Tiny White, equestrian (d. 2020)
* 30 April
** Richard Giese, flautist (d. 2010)
** Mervyn Probine, physicist, public servant (d. 2010)

### May

* 1 May – Ted Johnson, rower (d. 1985)
* 5 May – Frank Creagh, boxer (d. 1998)
* 12 May – Malcolm Templeton, diplomat (d. 2017)
* 22 May – Stella Casey, social campaigner (d. 2000)

### June

* 2 June – Pat Evison, actor (d. 2010)
* 3 June – Ken Armstrong, association footballer (d. 1984)
* 7 June – Bob Tizard, politician (d. 2016)
* 8 June – Ian Colquhoun, cricketer (d. 2005)
* 9 June – John Scott, architect (d. 1992)
* 14 June
** David Ballantyne, journalist, writer (d. 1986)
** Miriam Dell, women's advocate (d. 2022)

### July

* 7 July – D. P. O'Connell, barrister, legal academic (d. 1979)
* 15 July
** Bub Bridger, poet and short story writer (d. 2009)
** Brian Sutton-Smith, writer and play theorist (d. 2015)
* 23 July – Betty Bourke, politician, health administrator (d. 2015)
* 25 July
** Jim Beard, architect (d. 2017)
** Peter Mann, Anglican bishop (d. 1999)
* 26 July – Ces Renwick, cricketer (d. 2014)
* 28 July
** Eric Fisher, cricketer (d. 1996)
** William Fraser, politician (d. 2001)

### August

* 1 August – Peter Smith, rugby union player (d. 1954)
* 2 August – Ainsley Iggo, neurophysiologist (d. 2012)
* 7 August – Alan Wilkinson, association footballer (d. 2015)
* 12 August – Gordon Hobson, amateur wrestler (d. 1985)
* 13 August – John Rymer, Anglican cleric (d. 2003)
* 22 August – Pat O'Connor, professional wrestler (d. 1990)
* 23 August
** Bahri Kavaja, association footballer (d. 1987)
** Doug Mudgway, amateur wrestler (d. 1988)
* 28 August
** Tony MacGibbon, cricketer (d. 2010)
** Janet Frame, writer (d. 2004)
* 31 August – Don Beaven, medical researcher (d. 2009)

### September

* 3 September – John Ingram, mechanical engineer, businessman (d. 2015)
* 4 September – Lory Blanchard, rugby league player and coach (d. 2013)
* 5 September – Nick Carter, cyclist (d. 2003)
* 6 September – Hugh Poole, sailor (d. 2012)
* 7 September – Wanda Cowley, children's writer (d. 2017)
* 8 September – Frank Holmes, economist (d. 2011)
* 15 September – Rex Challies, cricketer (d. 2003)
* 17 September – Les Watt, cricketer (d. 1996)
* 23 September – Peggy Hay, designer (d. 2016)
* 24 September – Sammy Guillen, cricketer (d. 2013)
* 27 September – Louis Johnson, poet (d. 1988)
* 30 September – Trevor Hatherton, geophysicist (d. 1992)

### October

* 5 October – Victor Brooker, cricketer
* 11 October – Arthur Hughes, rugby union player, businessman, horse racing administrator (d. 2005)
* 19 October – Keith Gudsell, rugby union player (d. 2007)
* 30 October – Roy McLennan, politician (d. 2013)

### November

* 5 November – Geoff Smale, sailor (d. 2011)
* 23 November
** Doug Coombes, mineralogist and petrologist (d. 2016)
** Doug Dillon, jurist (d. 1999)
* 28 November – Colin McLachlan, politician (d. 1985)

### December

* 2 December
** Gerald O'Brien, politician (d. 2017)
** Brian Poananga, sportsman, military leader, diplomat (d. 1995)
* 5 December – Gavin Downie, politician (d. 1998)
* 7 December – Jimmy Haig, rugby union and rugby league player (d. 1996)
* 12 December
** Neill Austin, politician (d. 2008)
** Brown Turei, Anglican archbishop (d. 2017)
* 23 December – Len Castle, potter (d. 2011)
* 26 December – Leonard Kent, cricketer (d. 2014)
* 28 December – Loo-Chi Hu, marine equipment designer, t'ai chi teacher (d. 2013)
* 29 December
** Eve Poole, 41st Mayor of Invercargill (d. 1992)
** Bob Vance, cricket player and administrator (d. 1994)
** Ivan Walsh, association footballer, cricketer (d. 2005)
* 30 December – Joe Phillips, rugby league player (d. 1969)

## Deaths
### January–March

* 5 January – Mary Player, midwife, feminist, social reformer (born c.1857)
* 6 January – Henry Hill, cricketer (born 1845)
* 19 January – Frances Parker, suffragette (born 1875)
* 24 January – Acton Adams, politician (born 1843)
* 27 January – William Gardiner, cricketer (born 1864)
* 2 February
** Daniel Claffey, cricketer (born 1869)
** John Duncan, politician (born 1848)
* 11 February – Arthur Lomas, cricketer (born 1895)
* 17 February – James Tibbs, schoolteacher (born 1855)
* 22 February – Mary Dawson, farmer, environmentalist (born 1833)
* 24 February – Joseph Borton, cricketer (born 1832)
* 1 March – Elizabeth Parsons, singer (born 1846)
* 4 March – Gilbert Carson, politician (born 1842)
* 6 March – Grace Joel, artist (born 1865)
* 10 March – George Bourne, photographer (born 1875)
* 17 March – Martin Chapman, cricketer, barrister, politician (born 1846)

### April–June

* 3 April – Alfred Newman, politician (born 1849)
* 19 April – Charles Louisson, politician (born 1842)
* 7 May – Alfred Luttrell, architect and building contractor (born 1865)
* 9 May – James Mason, doctor, bacteriologist, public health administrator (born 1864)
* 19 May – Joseph Pabst, cricketer (born 1870)

### July–September

* 17 July – William Davidson, pioneer of refrigerated shipping (born 1846)
* 19 July – Sir Walter Buchanan. politician (born 1838)
* 25 July – Lawrence Birks, electrical engineer (born 1874)
* 10 August – Edward Wakefield, politician (born 1845)
* 19 August – Alfred Baldey, politician (born 1836)
* 17 September – Richard Vincent, cricketer (born 1846)
* 19 September – Sir John Salmond, legal academic, public servant, jurist (born 1862)
* 27 September – Thomson Leys, journalist, newspaper editor and proprietor, philanthropist (born 1850)

### October–December

* 18 October – Walter Mason, cricketer (born 1847)
* 23 October – Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa, politician (born c.1842)
* 13 November – Charles Boxshall, cricketer (born 1862)
* 27 November – Joseph Grimmond, politician (born 1843)
* 15 December – Paratene Ngata, Ngāti Porou leader, politician (born c.1849)
* 19 December – William Maslin, politician (born 1850)