# 1974 in New Zealand

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive
The following lists events that happened during 1974 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,091,900.
* Increase since 31 December 1973: 65,200 (2.20%).
* Males per 100 females: 99.7.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – Elizabeth II
* Governor-General – Sir Denis Blundell GCMG GCVO KBE QSO.

### Government

The 37th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was by a Labour majority of 55 seats to the National Party's 32 seats.
* Speaker of the House – Stan Whitehead.
* Prime Minister – Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling
* Deputy Prime Minister – Hugh Watt then Bob Tizard
* Minister of Finance – Bill Rowling then Bob Tizard.
* Minister of Foreign Affairs – Norman Kirk then Bill Rowling.
* Attorney-General – Martyn Finlay.

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Jack Marshall (National) until 4 July, then Robert Muldoon (National).

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
* Mayor of Hamilton – Mike Minogue
* Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts then Michael Fowler
* Mayor of Christchurch – Neville Pickering then Hamish Hay
* Mayor of Dunedin – Jim Barnes

## Events

* 24 January – 2 February: Christchurch hosts the 1974 British Commonwealth Games.
* 30 January – 8 February: Royal visit by the Queen for the Commonwealth Games and Waitangi Day accompanied by the Duke, Princess Anne, Mark Phillips and Charles, Prince of Wales.
* 6 February – Waitangi Day, then named New Zealand Day, is first celebrated as a nationwide public holiday.
* 1 April – The Accident Compensation Commission is established, providing universal no-fault accidental injury cover to all New Zealanders.
* 9 April – Dunedin experiences a magnitude 4.9 earthquake which causes $3.5 million (2024 terms) in damages.
* August – The government approved Sunburst as the first ohu, a type of rural intentional community, near Whitianga, Coromandel.
* 31 August – Prime Minister Norman Kirk dies of heart complications, aged 51. He was replaced by Bill Rowling, see New Zealand Labour Party leadership election, 1974.
* September – The country's first Pizza Hut restaurant opens in New Lynn, Auckland.
* The voting age is lowered from 20 to 18.

## Arts and literature

* Hone Tuwhare wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
See 1974 in art, 1974 in literature

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

* BEST NEW ARTIST Bunny Walters
* RECORDING ARTIST / GROUP OF THE YEAR Bull Dogs All-Star Goodtime Band
* BEST NZ RECORDED COMPOSITION John Hanlon – Is It Natural
* PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey – Is It Natural
* ARRANGER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey – Is It Natural
See: 1974 in music

### Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Les Andrews.

### Radio and television

* The target delivery date for colour television for all New Zealanders was when the country hosted the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
* 17 October – Coronation Street episode 924, the first Coronation Street episode filmed in colour, airs on NZBC TV.
* Feltex Television Awards:
** Best Programme: Richard John Seddon – Premier
** Best Performer: Bill McCarthy
** Best Actor: Tony Currie as Seddon
** Writing: Alexander Guyan in Lunch with Richard Burton
** Allied Crafts: Janice Wharekawa – Vision Mixer for Happen Inn and others
** Special Award: Television team for the 1974 Commonwealth Games
See: 1974 in New Zealand television, 1974 in television, Category:Television in New Zealand, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

See: Category:1974 film awards, 1974 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1974 films

## Sport
### British Commonwealth Games

| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 9 | 8 | 18 | 35 |

### Chess

* The 81st National Chess Championship is held in Christchurch. The title is shared by P.A. Garbett and Ortvin Sarapu, both of Auckland.

### Horse racing
#### Harness racing

* Robalan defeats hot favorite Young Quinn to win the New Zealand Trotting Cup
* Auckland Trotting Cup: Young Quinn

### Soccer

* New Zealand National Soccer League won by, Mount Wellington
* The Chatham Cup is won by Christchurch United who beat Wellington Diamond United 2–0 in the final.

## Births

* 6 January: Dion Waller, rugby player
* 10 January: Jemaine Clement, comedian
* 28 February: Moana Mackey, politician
* 21 March: Rhys Darby, actor and comedian
* 27 April (in Australia): Richard Johnson, soccer player
* 6 May: Sean Pero Cameron, basketball player
* 2 June: Andy Booth, motor racing driver
* 15 June: Andrew Timlin, field hockey player
* 10 July: Chris Drum, cricketer
* 14 July (in Bulgaria): Pavlina Nola, tennis player
* 26 July: Kees Meeuws, rugby player
* 1 August: Michelle Turner, field hockey player
* 27 August: Michael Mason, cricketer
* 15 September: Emily Drumm, cricketer
* 11 October: Liz Couch, skeleton racer
* 23 October: Beatrice Faumuina, discus thrower
* 5 November: Taine Randell, rugby player
* 13 November: Carl Hoeft, rugby player
* 22 November: Oliver Driver, actor, director, broadcoaster and television presenter
* 2 December: Robbie Hart, cricketer
* 7 December: Jason Spice, rugby and cricket player
* 10 December: Chris Martin, cricketer
* Kate Duignan, novelist
* Tim Selwyn, activist
Category:1974 births

## Deaths

* 12 February: Alice Bush, doctor and medical activist.
* 13 February: Murray Hudson GC, soldier.
* 13 February: Sir Leslie Munro, diplomat and politician.
* 14 February: Charles 'Stewie' Dempster, cricketer.
* 5 August: Robert McKeen, politician – 12th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
* 12 August: James Fletcher, industrialist.
* 30 August: Professor George Jobberns, academic.
* 31 August: Norman Kirk, Prime Minister.
* 7 September: Paddy Kearins, politician.
* 12 September: Hector Bolitho, writer and biographer.
* 26 October: Dan Riddiford, politician.
* 28 October: Charles Elliot Fox, missionary.
* 11 December: Maurice Duggan, writer.