# 1978 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1978 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,165,200.
* Change since 31 December 1977: -1,200 (-0.04%).
* Males per 100 females: 99.2.
* This was the first year since 1941 in which New Zealand's population declined (due to emigration, largely to Australia).

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – Elizabeth II
* Governor-General – The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.

### Government

* Speaker of the House – Richard Harrison.
* Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon
* Deputy Prime Minister – Brian Talboys.
* Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon.
* Minister of Foreign Affairs – Brian Talboys.
* Attorney-General – Peter Wilkinson until 13 December, then Jim McLay.
* Chief Justice — Sir Richard Wild (until 20 January), Sir Ronald Davison (starting 3 February)

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Bill Rowling (Labour).
* Social Credit Party – Bruce Beetham

### Main centre leaders

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

## Events

* The Pureora Forest Park was established after a series of protests and tree sittings.
* 18 February – The Rangitikei by-election was won by Bruce Beetham for Social Credit.
* 1 April – Flag carriers Air New Zealand and the National Airways Corporation merge to form a single airline under the Air New Zealand name.
* 25 April – A 506 day long Māori occupation of and protest in Bastion Point ends.
* 12 September – Kaimai Rail Tunnel on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, at 8896 m the longest tunnel in New Zealand, opened.
* December – Holy Name Seminary, Christchurch (Catholic) closed.

## Arts and literature

* Roger Hall and Peter Olds win the Robert Burns Fellowship.
See 1978 in art, 1978 in literature, Category:1978 books

### January

* Nambassa, three-day music, crafts and alternative lifestyles festival on Phil and Pat Hulses' 400-acre (1.6 km$^2$) farm in Golden Valley, north of Waihi. Attendance 25,000.

### October

* Nambassa winter road show, toured the North Island of NZ, promoting the 1979 festival.

### Music
#### New Zealand Music Awards

Winners were as follows:
* ALBUM OF THE YEAR Hello Sailor – Hello Sailor
* SINGLE OF THE YEAR Golden Harvest – I Need Your Love
* TOP MALE VOCALIST John Rowles
* TOP GROUP Hello Sailor
* TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O’Neill
* ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Ian Morris – Hello Sailor
* PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Rob Aicken – Hello Sailor
* MOST PROMISING GROUP Citizen Band
* MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Kim Hart
* MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Dennis O’Brien
See: 1978 in music

### Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to George Tumahai.

### Radio and television

* 23 November – the AM broadcast band moves from 10 kHz spacing to 9 kHz spacing, in line with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.
* Feltex Television Awards:
** Best Current Affairs: Dateline Monday
** Best Information: Fair Go
** Best Documentary: Birth with R.D. Laing
** Best Light Entertainment: A Week of It
** Best Drama: The Governor
** Best Speciality: Sport on One
** Best Actor: David McPhail on A Week of It
** Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne
** Best Script: He Iwi Ko Tahi Tatou: episode four of The Governor
See: 1978 in New Zealand television, 1978 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

* Angel Mine
* Skin Deep
See: Category:1978 film awards, 1978 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1978 films

## Sport
### Athletics

* Paul Ballinger wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:33 on 11 March in Hastings.

### Chess

* The 85th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by Craig Laird of Tauranga.

### Commonwealth Games

| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 5 | 6 | 9 | 20 |

### Cricket

* 15 February: After 48 years of trying, New Zealand beats England in a Test match for the first time, winning the Test at the Basin Reserve.

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup: Trusty Scot
* Auckland Trotting Cup: Sole Command. From 1978–86 the race was over 2700m and there was no handicapping.

### Soccer

* New Zealand National Soccer League won by Christchurch United
* The Chatham Cup is won by Manurewa who beat Nelson United 1–0 in the final.

## Births

* 2 January: Dan Ward-Smith, rugby union player
* 5 January: Adi Dick, musician.
* 21 January (in the United States): Mike Chappell, basketballer.
* 3 February: Keith Cameron, rugby union player.
* 26 February: Rico Gear, rugby union player.
* 8 April: Nathan Mauger, rugby union player.
* 29 April: Donna Loffhagen, netball and basketball player.
* 19 May: Willie Walker, rugby union player.
* 28 May: John Dennison, poet.
* 1 June: Ben Lummis, singer and winner of New Zealand Idol (season 1).
* 11 June: Daryl Tuffey, cricketer.
* 4 July: Bianca Russell, field hockey player.
* 6 July: Kevin Senio, rugby union player.
* 12 July: Claire Chitham, actor.
* 26 July: David Kosoof, field hockey player.
* 28 July: Jacob Oram, cricketer.
* 14 August (in South Africa): Greg Rawlinson, rugby union player.
* 5 September:
** Chris Hipkins, politician.
** Chris Jack, rugby union player.
* 10 September: Nish Selvadurai, comedian.
* 13 September: Andrew Hore, rugby union player.
* 18 September: Iain Lees-Galloway, politician.
* 21 September: Doug Howlett, rugby union player.
* 10 October: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (twins), rowers, Olympic gold medallists (2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing)
* 26 October: Ricky Cockerill, figure skater.
* 6 November: Dean Kent, swimmer.
* 11 November: Lou Vincent, cricketer.
* 19 November (in Australia): Mahé Drysdale, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2012 London)
* 21 November: Paul Urlovic, soccer player.
* William Dwane Bell, convicted murderer.
* Mok TzeMing, writer.
Category:1978 births

## Deaths

* 6 January: Burt Munro, record-setting motorcyclist
* 30 March: Sir Charles William Hamilton (Bill Hamilton), inventor of the jetboat.
* 13 May: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
* 22 May: Sir Richard Wild, 9th Chief Justice of New Zealand.
* 23 July: Sir Ronald Algie, politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
* 18 August: Ronald L. Meek, economist.
* John Hutton, glass engraver
Category:1978 deaths