# 2009 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 2009 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 4,332,100
* Increase since 31 December 2008: 51,900 (1.21%)
* Males per 100 Females: 95.8

## Incumbents
### Regal and vice-regal

* Head of State – Elizabeth II
* Governor-General – Anand Satyanand
* Elizabeth II
* Anand Satyanand

### Government

2009 was the first full year of the election of the 49th New Zealand Parliament.
* Speaker of the House – Lockwood Smith
* Prime Minister – John Key
* Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English
* Minister of Finance – Bill English
* Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully
* Lockwood Smith
* John Key
* Bill English
* Murray McCully

### Other party leaders

* Labour – Phil Goff (Leader of the Opposition since 11 November 2008)
* Act – Rodney Hide, since 13 June 2004
* Greens – Metiria Turei (since 30 May 2009) and Russel Norman (since 3 June 2006)
* Māori Party – Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples, both since 7 July 2004
* Phil Goff
* Rodney Hide
* Russel Norman
* Metiria Turei
* Pita Sharples

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice — Sian Elias
* Dame Sian Elias

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – John Banks, since October 2007
* Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby, since October 2004
* Mayor of Hamilton – Bob Simcock, since May 2007
* Mayor of Wellington – Kerry Prendergast, since October 2001
* Mayor of Christchurch – Bob Parker, since October 2007
* Mayor of Dunedin – Peter Chin, since October 2004
* John Banks
* Stuart Crosby
* Kerry Prendergast
* Bob Parker
* Peter Chin

## Events
### February

* 27 February: Prime Minister John Key proposes a nine-day working fortnight, to counter the Late-2000s recession.

### March

* 6 March: Retrial of David Bain begins in the Christchurch High Court
* 20 March: Roads of National Significance announced
* 25 March: Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is appointed Head of the United Nations Development Program; her resignation necessitates the 2009 Mount Albert by-election
* 26 March: the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommends eight Auckland Region local government bodies merge to form a "supercity".

### April

* 25 April: First indication of potential for Flu infection with return of students from Mexico, see 2009 flu pandemic in New Zealand

### May

* 7 May: Gunman Jan Molenaar shoots three police officers executing a routine cannabis search warrant, as well as a neighbour who tried to assist them. He killed Senior Constable Leonard Snee and seriously injured the others, and after a two-day siege, he was found dead.

### June

* 3 June: A police investigation leads to MP Richard Worth resigning ministerial portfolios including Minister of Internal Affairs "for personal reasons", with Prime Minister John Key saying, "If he hadn't resigned I would have sacked him".
* 5 June: David Bain is found not guilty of the murder of five family members.
* 12 June: Five members of the family of Janet Moses were found guilty of manslaughter after performing a fatal exorcism.
* 24 June: A NZ$36.1 million first division jackpot in the New Zealand Lotteries Commission's Big Wednesday game is won by a Masterton-based lottery syndicate of four: the largest single lottery prize won in New Zealand.
* 29 June: A state of emergency is declared in the Waikato due to landslides.

### July

* 4 July: The Ministry of Health confirms the first three deaths in New Zealand from the 2009 flu pandemic.
* 15 July: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes in Fiordland at 9:22 pm, 90 km north-west of Tuatapere.

### August

* 4 August: Former MP Phillip Field found guilty on bribery, corruption and obstruction of justice charges.
* 8–9 August: New Zealand's first Telethon for 16 years raises $2 million for the KidsCan Stand Tall Trust.

### October

* 30 October – Electricity supply to Northland and northern Auckland is cut for three hours, affecting 280,000 customers, after a forklift carrying a shipping container hits the only major transmission line supplying the region.

### November

* 30 November: Atea-1, the first New Zealand rocket into space, is launched from Great Mercury Island.

### Full date unknown

* Liz Duggan begins serving as Archdeacon of Central Otago.

## Holidays and observances

* 6 February - Waitangi Day (Friday)
* 10 April/13 April Good Friday/Easter Monday
* 25 April - ANZAC Day (Saturday)
* 1 June - Queen's Birthday Monday
* 24 June - Matariki (Wednesday)
* 26 October - Labour Day Monday

## Arts and literature
### Music

* May - New Zealand Music Month
** Vodafone Album of the year: Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
** Vodafone Single of the year: Ladyhawke - My Delerium
** Best group: Midnight Youth
** Best male solo artist: Savage
** Best female solo artist: Ladyhawke
** Breakthrough artist of the year: Ladyhawke
** Best Music Video: Chris Graham – Brother (Smashproof)
** Best Rock Album: Midnight Youth – "The Brave Don't Run"
** Best Urban/Hip Hop Album: Ladi 6 – "Time Is Not Much"
** Best Aotearoa Roots Album: Fat Freddy's Drop – "Dr Boondigga and the Big BW"
** Best dance/electronica album: Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
** Best gospel/Christian album: Mumsdollar - Ruins
** Best classical album: David Bremner – "Gung Ho"
** The Vodafone People's Choice Award, voted by New Zealand music fans: Smashproof
** Highest Selling NZ Single: Smashproof feat. Gin - Brother
** Highest Selling NZ Album: The Feelers - The Best: 1998 - 2008
** Radio Airplay Record of the Year: Tiki Taane- "Always on my mind"

### Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Eddie Low MNZM.

### Film

* Earth Whisperers/Papatuanuku

### Internet
## Sport
### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* Auckland Trotting Cup: Auckland Reactor

#### Thoroughbred racing

* Katie Lee becomes the first racehorse to win both the New Zealand 2000 Guineas and the New Zealand 1000 Guineas.

### Soccer

The 2009 Chatham Cup is won by Wellington Olympic, who beat Three Kings United 2–1 in the final.

### Shooting

* Ballinger Belt –
** David Rich (Australia)
** Mike Collings (Te Puke), second, top New Zealander

## Births

* 27 August – Sacred Falls, Thoroughbred racehorse
* 4 September – Habibi, Thoroughbred racehorse
* 18 November – Dundeel, Thoroughbred racehorse
* 20 November – Prince of Penzance, Thoroughbred racehorse

## Deaths
### January

* 4 January – Sonny Fai, rugby league player (born 1988)
* 8 January – Wally Williams, water polo player (born 1921)
* 17 January – Mike Parkinson, rugby union player (born 1948)
* 20 January – Lyn Forster, arachnologist (born 1925)
* 26 January – Gerry Merito, entertainer (born 1938)
* 26 January – Don Ladner, rugby league player (born c.1948)

### February

* 4 February – Antonie Dixon, convicted murderer (born 1968)
* 27 February – Kilmeny Niland, artist and illustrator (born 1950)

### March

* 2 March – Robert Bruce, professional wrestler and talent agent (born 1943)
* 9 March – Graham Mexted, rugby union player (born 1927)
* 10 March – Dell Bandeen, netball player (born 1922)
* 12 March – Mary Batchelor, politician (born 1927)
* 13 March – Geoff Moon, veterinary surgeon, ornithologist and photographer (born 1915)
* 21 March – Beach Towel, standardbred racehorse (foaled 1987)
* 24 March – Denis Miller, air force bomber and airline pilot (born 1918)

### April

* 1 April – Kevin Briscoe, rugby union player (born 1936)
* 11 April – James Brodie, geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist (born 1920)
* 17 April – Richard Sutton, chess player and legal academic (born 1938)
* 26 April – Sir Pupuke Robati, Cook Islands politician (born 1925)
* 27 April – John Bollard, lawyer, environment court judge (born 1940)

### May

* 1 May – Sunline, thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 1995)
* 3 May – Percy Marunui Murphy, soldier and politician, first Māori mayor (born 1924)
* 12 May – Dame Heather Begg, opera singer (born 1932)
* 23 May
** Jack McNab, rugby union player, coach and administrator (born 1924)
** Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa, Cook Islands politician (born 1921)
* 30 May – Ferris de Joux, automotive design, engineer and constructor (born 1935)

### June

* 7 June – Keith Steele, cricketer and lawyer (born 1951)
* 8 June – Taini Morrison, kapa haka leader (born c.1958)
* 12 June – Ivan Lichter, thoracic surgeon and palliative care pioneer (born 1918)
* 19 June – Ron Crocombe, Pacific studies academic (born 1929)
* 28 June – Tom Paulay, earthquake engineer (born 1923)
* 30 June – Joan Wiffen, amateur paleontologist (born 1922)

### July

* 3 July – Frank Devine, newspaper editor and journalist (born 1931)
* 7 July – Ian Grey, rugby league player (born 1931)
* 11 July –
** Seddon Bennington, museum administrator (born 1947)
** Cyril Paskell, rugby league player (born 1927)
* 14 July – Bill Young, politician and diplomat (born 1913)
* 18 July – Graham Stanton, New Testament scholar (born 1940)
* 19 July – Ces Mountford, rugby league player and coach (born 1919)
* 20 July
** Tom Hellaby, cricketer (born 1958)
** Hew McLeod, historian (born 1932)
* 25 July – Lorrie Pickering, politician (born 1919)
* 30 July –
** Julian Dashper, artist (born 1960)
** Diggeress Te Kanawa, tohunga raranga (born 1920)

### August

* 7 August
** Jack Laird, potter (born 1920)
** Eru Potaka-Dewes, actor, Māori religious leader and activist (born 1939)
* 16 August – Alistair Campbell, poet, playwright and novelist (born 1925)
* 18 August – Rufus Rogers, politician (born 1913)
* 21 August – Reg King, association football player (born 1927)
* 24 August – Kashin, elephant (born 1968)
* 26 August – Sir Jack Harris, 2nd Baronet, businessman (born 1906)
* 29 August – Bob Parker, rower (born 1934)
* 30 August – Percy Tetzlaff, rugby union player (born 1920)

### September

* 8 September – Ahmed Said Musa Patel, Muslim religious leader (born 1937)
* 9 September – Dame Patricia Bergquist, zoology and anatomy academic (born 1933)
* 11 September – John Pattison, pilot, Battle of Britain veteran (born 1917)
* 12 September – Helen Wily, mathematician (born 1921)
* 20 September – Ken Hough, dual international cricketer and association footballer (born 1928)
* 24 September – Sir Howard Morrison, entertainer (born 1935)
* 26 September – Paul Medhurst, track cyclist (born 1953)
* 27 September – Murray Smith, politician (born 1941)

### October

* 3 October – Leigh Davis, writer (born 1955)
* 4 October – Roger Green, archaeologist (born 1932)
* 9 October – Noel Bowden, rugby union player (born 1926)
* 13 October – Betty Clegg, watercolour artist (born 1926)
* 14 October – Martyn Sanderson, actor, filmmaker and poet (born 1938)
* 17 October – Dame Doreen Blumhardt, potter, ceramicist and arts educator (born 1914)
* 31 October – Tim Bickerstaff, broadcaster, newspaper columnist and author (born 1942)

### November

* 4 November – Sir Don Beaven, diabetes researcher (born 1924)
* 5 November – Adam Firestorm, professional wrestler (born 1976)
* 15 November – Tia Barrett, diplomat (born 1947)
* 19 November – Pat Mackie, miner and trade unionist (born 1914)
* 29 November – Bill Hunt, alpine skier (born 1929)
* 30 November – Elva Simpson, netball player (born 1936)

### December

* 3 December – Brian Mason, geochemist and mineralogist (born 1917)
* 6 December – Eldred Stebbing, record label founder and owner (born 1921)
* 8 December – Bub Bridger, poet and short-story writer (born 1924)
* 20 December – John Veitch, cricketer (born 1937)
* 29 December – Paul Sapsford, rugby union player (born 1949)
* 30 December – Jacqueline Sturm, poet and short-story writer (born 1927)