# 1927 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1927 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,450,400
* Increase since previous 31 December 1926: 20,700 (1.45%)
* Males per 100 females: 104.3

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of state – George V
* Governor-General – Sir Charles Fergusson

### Government

The 22nd New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was by the Reform Party with a strong majority, and with the Labour and Liberal parties in opposition.
* Speaker of the House – Charles Statham (Independent)
* Prime Minister – Gordon Coates (Reform)
* Minister of Finance – William Downie Stewart (Reform)
* Minister of Foreign Affairs – William Nosworthy (Reform)
* Attorney-General – Frank Rolleston (Reform)
* Chief Justice – Sir Charles Skerrett

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Harry Holland (Labour).

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – George Baildon
* Mayor of Wellington – Charles Norwood, succeeded by George Troup
* Mayor of Christchurch – John Archer
* Mayor of Dunedin – Harold Tapley, succeeded by William Taverner

## Events

* 22 February – 22 March: Royal tour by the Duke and Duchess of York

## Arts and literature

See 1927 in art, 1927 in literature, Category:1927 books

### Music

See: 1927 in music

### Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

* Carbine's Heritage
* The Te Kooti Trail
* Under the Southern Cross
See: Category:1927 film awards, 1927 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1927 films

## Sport
### Badminton

* The New Zealand Badminton Federation, now Badminton New Zealand, is founded and the first National Championships are held, at Wanganui.
** Men's singles: R. Creed-Meredith
** Women's singles: E. Hetley
** Men's doubles: R. Creed-Meredith and M. Fell
** Women's doubles: E. Hetley and N. Wanklyn
** Mixed doubles: R. Creed-Meredith and E. Hetley

### Chess

The 36th National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by A.W.O. Davies of Auckland, his third title.

### Golf

* The 17th New Zealand Open championship was won by Ernie Moss.
* The 31st National Amateur Championships were held in Hamilton
** Men: Sloan Morpeth (Maungakiekie) – 2nd title
** Women: Mrs ? Collinson

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Kohara
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Ahuriri

#### Thoroughbred racing

* New Zealand Cup – Rapier
* Avondale Gold Cup – Te Kara
* Auckland Cup – Rapier
* Wellington Cup – Rapier
* New Zealand Derby – Agrion

### Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.
* Men's singles champion – H.C. Clarke (Rocky Nook Bowling Club)
* Men's pair champions – A. Brakebush, M. Walker (skip) (Auckland Bowling Club)
* Men's fours champions – J. McMillan, H. Rowling, J.F. Wright, A.H. Benefield (skip) (St John's Bowling Club, Wanganui)

### Rugby

* 1926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour
    Category:Rugby union in New Zealand Category:All Blacks Ranfurly Shield

### Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

### Shooting

* Ballinger Belt – Douglas Roots (Patea)

### Soccer

* 1927 Chatham Cup won by Ponsonby
* Canada toured New Zealand, playing a series of four internationals which they won 2–1.
** 25 June, Dunedin: Draw 2–2
** 2 July, Christchurch: NZ 1–2 Canada
** 9 July, Wellington: NZ 1–0 Canada
** 23 July, Auckland: NZ 1–4 Canada
* Provincial league champions:
** Auckland: Thistle
** Canterbury: Nomads
** Hawke's Bay: Napier Rangers
** Nelson: Athletic
** Otago: Northern
** South Canterbury: Rangers
** Southland: Corinthians
** Taranaki: Caledonian
** Waikato: Waihou
** Wanganui: Eastbrooke
** Wellington: YMCA

## Births
### January

* 4 January – Patrick Hanan, historian of Chinese literature
* 7 January – Mary Batchelor, politician
* 8 January – Sidney Moko Mead, anthropologist, historian, Māori leader
* 9 January – Ken English, rugby league player
* 11 January
** Johnny Hayes, cricketer
** John Tanner, rugby union player
* 12 January
** Maurice Marshall, athlete
** Emily Schuster, master weaver
* 14 January – Vera Burt, cricketer
* 20 January – Cyril Paskell, rugby league player
* 22 January – Jack Doms, swimmer

### February

* 2 February – Whatumoana Paki, Kīngitanga elder
* 3 February – Graham Mexted, rugby union player
* 6 February – Thomas Wells, cricketer, schoolteacher
* 9 February – Walter Brown, actor
* 12 February – John Todd, businessman, philanthropist
* 16 February – Des White, rugby league player
* 18 February – Hugh Kawharu, academic, Ngāti Whātua leader
* 20 February – Allan Wild, architect, academic
* 24 February – Jim Edwards, politician
* 27 February – Peter Whittle, mathematician, statistician

### March

* 2 March – Ray Farman, cricketer
* 3 March – Bruce Tabb, accountancy academic
* 9 March – Dave Leech, hammer thrower
* 13 March
** Thea Muldoon, wife of Robert Muldoon
** Albert Putt, cricketer
* 14 March – Tim Besley, civil engineer, businessman, public servant
* 17 March – Christopher Small, sociomusicologist
* 24 March – John Head, schoolteacher, anti-landmine campaigner
* 31 March – Pat Hond, police officer, teacher, soldier, community worker

### April

* 5 April
** Neil Anderson, naval officer
** Eddie Robinson, rugby union player
* 6 April – Barney Clarke, boxer
* 9 April – Tiny Hill, rugby union player and selector
* 13 April – George Chapman, accountant, businessman, politician
* 14 April – Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel laureate chemist
* 15 April – Joan Talbot, fashion designer and retailer
* 18 April – Stanley Callagher, rowing coxswain
* 20 April – Douglas J. Martin, Mormon leader
* 21 April – Tom Logan, water polo player, swimmer, surf lifesaver, dentist, naval officer

### May

* 1 May
** Pat Downey, lawyer and public servant
** Duncan McMullin, jurist
* 8 May – Gray Nelson, public servant, diplomat
* 9 May – Gerry Clark, sailor, writer and ornithologist
* 17 May – Jacqueline Sturm, poet and short-story writer
* 20 May – Donald Coleman, cricketer
* 22 May – Eric Petrie, cricketer
* 23 May – Jack Cropp, sailor
* 25 May – Helen Smith, politician
* 26 May – John Worrall, cricketer

### June

* 1 June – John O'Brien, rower
* 4 June – William Fyfe, geochemist
* 5 June – Bill McLennan, rugby league player
* 8 June – Bob Walls, painter
* 15 June – Roland Avery, rugby league referee
* 16 June
** Kate Harcourt, actor
** Trevor Redmond, speedway rider
* 20 June – Bill Bradfield, amateur astronomer
* 27 June – Brian Brake, photographer

### July

* 9 July – Joyce Fenton, fencer
* 10 July
** Ken Deas, cricketer
** Peter Eastgate, rugby union player
* 18 July
** Zin Harris, cricketer
** Jack Sutherland, athlete
* 19 July – Ray Harper, rugby union player and administrator
* 20 July – Tom Lynch, rugby union and rugby league player
* 25 July
** James Belich, politician, mayor of Wellington
** Dorothy Fletcher, historian

### August

* 19 August – John Caselberg, writer
* 25 August – Keith Cumberpatch, field hockey player
* 26 August
** Jill Amos, local-body politician, community leader
** Bill McCaw, rugby union player
* 30 August – Humphrey Gould, rower, businessman
* 31 August – Reg King, association footballer

### September

* 1 September – Myra Larcombe, police officer, historian, and swimming coach
* 9 September – John Hickman, meteorologist
* 14 September – John Hall-Jones, historian, otolaryngologist
* 22 September – Peter Burke, rugby union player, coach and administrator
* 27 September – Te Uruhina McGarvey-Tiakiwai, Māori cultural leader

### October

* 9 October
** Bob Goslin, boxer
** Ron Trotter, businessman
* 11 October – Leonard Watson, cricketer
* 22 October – Wally Clark, zoologist
* 24 October – Ian Monro, naval officer
* 30 October – Jill McDonald, children's writer and illustrator

### November

* 7 November – Brian Finlay, rugby union player
* 15 November – Wallace (Bill) Rowling, politician, 30th Prime Minister of New Zealand
* 18 November
** Giovanni Cataldo, fisherman, search and rescue organiser
** Pat Creedy, rugby union and rugby league player
* 19 November – Thomas Engel, rower
* 21 November – Peter Mulgrew, mountaineer, sailor, businessman
* 24 November
** Geoff Mardon, speedway rider
** Kevin Skinner, rugby union player
* 25 November – Alison Preston-Thomas, netball player

### December

* 1 December – John Branthwaite, Anglican priest
* 2 December – Les Hunter, politician
* 4 December – Peter Hall, cricketer
* 6 December – Alan Gilbertson, cricketer
* 8 December
** David Hay, cardiologist, anti-smoking campaigner
** Hamish Hay, politician, mayor of Christchurch
* 10 December – Graham Gordon, general practitioner and surgeon
* 18 December – Rom Harré, philosopher, psychologist
* 19 December – Robert Couper, cricketer
* 23 December – Pat Sheahan, rugby union player, publican, publisher
* 30 December – John Pring, rugby union referee

### Exact date unknown

* Colin Franklin, electrical engineer
* Rusty Robertson, rowing coach

## Deaths
### January–March

* 4 January
** Herbert Drewitt, World War I flying ace (born 1895)
** Joseph Ward, astronomer (born 1862)
* 13 January
** Frank S. Anthony, author (born 1891)
** John Fisher, politician (born 1837)
* 21 January – Kiti Karaka Rīwai, Māori tribal leader (born 1870)
* 26 January – Robert Wellwood, farmer, auctioneer, commission agent, politician (born 1836)
* 29 January – Sir Henry Brett, journalist, newspaper proprietor, writer, politician, mayor of Auckland (1877–78) (born 1843)
* 21 February – Thomas Ryan, rugby union player, artist, steamer captain (born 1864)
* 17 March – Bella MacCallum, botanist, mycologist (born 1886)
* 26 March – Edward Withy, shipbuilder, politician (born c.1844)
* 31 March – David Guthrie, politician (born 1856)

### April–June

* April – T. T. Rawhiti, Kīngitanga secretary and administrator
* 4 April – Cuthbert Cowan, politician (born 1835)
* 6 April – Elsie Reeve, jeweller (born 1885)
* 8 April – John O'Donovan, police commissioner (born 1858)
* 14 April – James Wilson, politician (born 1865)
* 26 April – William Jolliffe, film censor (born 1851)
* 28 April – Sarah Featon, botanical artist (born 1848)
* 2 May – Eden George, photographer, politician, mayor of Christchurch (1892–93) (born 1863)
* 1 June
** Thomas Andrew, cricketer (born 1927)
** Sir Worley Edwards, jurist (born 1850)
* 11 June
** John Ormsby, land negotiator and commissioner, politician (born 1854)
** Hōne Taare Tīkao, Ngāi Tahu leader, scholar, politician (born 1850)
* 17 June – Lake Ayson, acclimatisation officer, fisheries inspector (born 1855)

### July–September

* 18 July – Eustace Ferguson, pathologist, entomologist (born 1884)
* 24 July – Arthur Harvey, doctor (born 1866)
* 27 July – Newton King, auctioneer, merchant, businessman (born 1855)
* 5 August – Thomas Groube, cricketer (born 1857)
* 7 August – Frank Mace, soldier (born 1837)
* 11 August – Edmond Slattery, swagger, rural labourer (born c.1839)
* 25 August – Richard Bollard, politician (born 1863)
* 3 September – Bill Cunningham, rugby union player (born 1874)
* 30 September – Edmund Taylor, temperance advocate, politician (born 1855)

### October–December

* 9 October – Charles Mules, Anglican bishop (born 1837)
* 12 October – Louis Fowler, cricketer (born 1865)
* 12 November – John Aris, cricketer (born 1843)
* 17 November – Charlie Smyth, police officer, trade unionist, baker (born 1883)
* 21 November – Oscar Alpers, journalist, poet, lawyer, jurist (born 1867)
* 26 November – Percy Gates Morgan, geologist, science administrator (born 1867)
* 28 November – Charles Lewis, politician (born 1857)
* 8 December – Robert Allan, businessman, manufacturer (born 1847)
* 18 December – Hugh Finn, politician (born 1847)