# 1920 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1920 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – George V
* Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool until 7 July, then John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe from 27 September
* George V
* Lord Liverpool
* Viscount Jellicoe

### Government

The 20th New Zealand Parliament commences, with the Reform Party in Government
* Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
* Prime Minister – William Massey
* Minister of Finance – James Allen until 28 April, then William Massey from 12 May
* Minister of External Affairs – James Allen until 28 April, then Ernest Lee from 17 May
* Frederic Lang
* William Massey
* James Allen
* Ernest Lee

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – William MacDonald (Liberal Party) until his death on 31 August, then Thomas Wilford
* William MacDonald
* Thomas Wilford

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout
* Robert Stout

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
* Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
* Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Thacker
* Mayor of Dunedin – William Begg
* James Gunson
* John Luke
* Henry Thacker
* William Begg

## Events

* 1 May – The Colonist, established in 1857, publishes its final issue, and is incorporated into The Nelson Evening Mail.
* 25 August – Captain Euan Dickson makes the first aerial crossing of Cook Strait, from Christchurch to Upper Hutt, in an Avro 504K.

## Arts and literature

See 1920 in art, 1920 in literature, Category:1920 books

### Music

See: 1920 in music

### Film

See: Category:1920 film awards, 1920 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1920 films

## Sport
### Chess

* The 29th National Chess Championship, held in Wellington, is won by W. E. Mason of Wellington, his fifth title.

### Cricket

* Plunket Shield

### Football

* Provincial league champions:
** Auckland – YMCA
** Canterbury – Nomads
** Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
** Otago – Kaitangata FC
** Southland – No competition
** Wanganui – Eastbrooke
** Wellington – Wellington Thistle

### Golf

* The 10th New Zealand Open championship is won by J. H. Kirkwood
* The 24th National Amateur Championships are held in Hamilton:
** Men – Sloan Morpeth (Hamilton)
** Women – N. E. Wright (her second title)

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Reta Peter
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Man O'War

#### Thoroughbred racing

* New Zealand Cup – Oratress
* Auckland Cup – Starland
* Wellington Cup – Kilmoon / Oratress (dead heat)
* New Zealand Derby – Duo

### Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.
* Men's singles champion – E. Harraway (Dunedin Bowling Club)
* Men's pair champions – J. Turnbull, W. Spiller (skip) (Sydenham Bowling Club)
* Men's fours champions – H. Brookfield, F.L. Anderson, H.F. Tilley, A.P. London (skip) (Wanganui Bowling Club)

### Olympic games

    Gold Silver BronzeTotal 0011
* New Zealand sends a team of four competitors across three sports
* Darcy Hadfield wins the bronze medal in the men's single sculls
* New Zealand also competes at the Inter-Allied Games held in Paris

### Rugby league

* The Great Britain Lions tour New Zealand, winning the test series 3–0
** 1st test, at Wellington, 23–10
** 2nd test, at Christchurch, 19–3
** 3rd test, at Auckland, 31–7

### Rugby union

* The All Blacks tour New South Wales
* Wellington defends the Ranfurly Shield 10 times before losing it to Southland:
** vs Canterbury 15–3
** vs Bay of Plenty 22–3
** vs Taranaki 20–9 (played in Hāwera)
** vs Hawke's Bay 20–5
** vs Auckland 23–20 (played in Auckland)
** vs Taranaki 16–5
** vs Wanganui 20–14
** vs Auckland 20–3
** vs South Canterbury 32–16 (played in Timaru)
** vs Otago 16–5 (played in Dunedin)
** vs Southland 6–17 (played in Invercargill)

### Shooting

* Ballinger Belt – Herbert Croxton (Karori)

## Births
### January–March

* 1 January – Ruth Ross, historian
* 4 January – Murray Gittos, fencer
* 6 January – Winifred Lawrence, swimmer
* 11 January – Betty Plant, netball player, coach and administrator
* 14 January – Don Beard, cricketer
* 24 January –
** Len Jordan, rugby league player
** Gerard Wall, surgeon and politician
* 26 January – Tapihana Paraire Paikea, politician
* 29 January – Bob Yule, fighter pilot
* 9 February – Fred Allen, rugby union player and coach
* 17 February – Dorothea Anne Franchi, pianist, harpist, music educator and composer
* 29 February – Mary Sullivan, netball player
* 9 March – Diggeress Te Kanawa, tohunga raranga
* 23 March – Peter Quilliam, jurist

### April–June

* 2 April – David Gay, soldier, cricketer and educator
* 4 April – Jim Kearney, rugby union player
* 5 April – Pat Ralph, marine biology academic
* 12 April – Shona Dunlop MacTavish, dancer, choreographer
* 14 April – John Chewings, politician
* 23 April – Colin Horsley, classical pianist and music teacher
* 26 April – Joyce McDougall, psychoanalyst
* 17 May – Frank Corner, diplomat
* 18 May – Molly Macalister, sculptor
* 19 May – Frank Tredrea, cyclist
* 26 May
** Frank Bethwaite, pilot, boat designer
** Merimeri Penfold, Māori language academic
* 4 June – Bev Malcolm, netball player
* 8 June – Manahi Nitama Paewai, doctor, rugby union player, politician and community leader
* 20 June – John O'Shea, filmmaker
* 28 June – Kōhine Pōnika, composer of waiata Māori

### July–September

* 10 July – Warwick Snedden, cricketer
* 11 July – Richard Dell, malacologist
* 9 August – Albert Jones, amateur astronomer
* 29 August
** Eric Batchelor, soldier
** Jack Laird, potter
* 3 September – Peter de la Mare, physical organic chemist
* 9 September – Joan Francis, cricketer
* 10 September – Russell Pettigrew, businessman and philanthropist
* 24 September – Alister Abernethy, trade unionist, politician and public servant
* 30 September
** Margaret Alington, librarian and historian
** Trevor Horne, politician

### October–December

* 6 October – Hugh Sheridan, boxer
* 7 October – James Brodie, geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist
* 8 October – Jean Wishart, magazine editor
* 24 October – Ron Westerby, rugby league player
* 28 October
** Peggy Dunstan, poet, writer
** Bob Stuart, rugby player and administrator
* 1 November – Harry Dansey, journalist, cartoonist, broadcaster, politician and race relations conciliator
* 9 November – John Macdonald, forensic psychiatrist
* 16 November – Ronald Davison, jurist
* 11 December – Gus Fisher, fashion industry leader and philanthropist
* 15 December – Peg Batty, cricketer
* 27 December – Warren Freer, politician
* 28 December – Marty McDonnell, Australian rules footballer

### Exact date unknown

* Entreaty, Thoroughbred racehorse

## Deaths
### January–March

* 5 January – Walter Gudgeon, farmer, soldier, historian, land court judge, colonial administrator (born 1841)
* 15 January – Richard Cockburn Maclaurin, mathematical physics academic (born 1870)
* 24 January – William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket, Governor of New Zealand (1904–1910) (born 1864)
* 27 January – William Fitzgerald, teacher, educationalist (born 1838)
* 29 January – Constance Frost, doctor, bacteriologist, pathologist (born c.1863)
* 3 March – George Vesey Stewart, politician (born 1832)

### April–June

* 10 April – Courtney Nedwill, doctor, public health officer (born 1837)
* 21 April – Jesse Piper, politician (born 1836)
* 26 April
** George Robertson, rugby union player (born 1859)
** George Hogben, educationalist, seismologist (born 1853)
* 2 May – A. L. Beattie, locomotive designer/engineer (born 1852)
* 6 May – James Black, cricketer (born 1873)
* 13 May – Fred Hobbs, politician (born 1841)
* 20 May – Henare Kaihau, politician
* 20 June – John Grigg, astronomer (born 1838)

### July–September

* 23 July – Robin Dods, architect (born 1868)
* 28 July – Edward Shillington, librarian (born 1835)
* 17 August – Amey Daldy, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1829)
* 23 August – David Cossgrove, teacher, soldier, scout leader (born 1852)
* 25 August – Donald Reid, politician (born 1855)
* 31 August – William MacDonald, politician (born 1862)
* 26 September – Appo Hocton, servant, landlord, carter, farmer (born c.1823)

### October–December

* 1 October – Henare Wepiha Te Wainohu, Māori leader, Anglican clergyman, army chaplain (born 1882)
* 7 October – Chew Chong, merchant, fungus exporter, butter manufacturer (born c.1844)
* 10 October – Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1868)
* 14 October – Samuel Carnell, politician (born 1832)
* 21 October – Mary Gibbs, community leader (born 1836)
* 12 November – Thomas Porter, soldier, land purchase officer (born 1843)
* 14 November – Edward Ker Mulgan, newspaper editor, teacher, school inspector (born c.1858)
* 17 November – Alexander Hogg, politician (born 1841)
* 23 November – Cyril Mountfort, architect (born 1853)
* 28 November – Peter Webb, rugby union player (born 1854)
* 13 December – Joseph Tole, politician (born 1846)
* 16 December – George Jones, politician (born 1844)
* 27 December – Charles Button, politician, solicitor, judge (born 1838)