# 1973 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1973 in New Zealand.

## Population

* Estimated population as of 31 December 1973: 3,024,900.
* Increase since 31 December 1972 – 65,200 (2.20%).
* Males per 100 females – 99.7.
* It took 21 years for the population to grow from 2 million to 3 million.

## Incumbents
### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State – Elizabeth II
* Governor-General – Denis Blundell
* Elizabeth II
* Denis Blundell

### Government

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

### Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition – Jack Marshall (National)
* Jack Marshall

### Judiciary

* Chief Justice — Richard Wild

### Main centre leaders

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

## Events

* 1 January – The 1973 New Year Honours are announced
* 11 January – Air New Zealand accepts delivery of its first McDonnell Douglas DC-10 jet.
* 4 February – The details of the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement are announced
* 7 February – A heat wave affects large parts of New Zealand. Rangiora reaches 42.4 °C (108.3 °F), the highest temperature recorded in New Zealand as of December 2023.
* 11 February – The Rolling Stones play a single New Zealand concert, at Western Springs Stadium, Auckland, on their 1973 Pacific Tour.
* 27 February – Leaking drums of organophosphate cotton defoliant spread fumes across Parnell, Auckland, causing 640 people to be treated in hospital and 6,000 people to be evacuated.
* 1 March – The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement is implemented
* 10 April – Prime Minister Kirk cancels the 1973 South African rugby tour to New Zealand over fears of civil unrest.
* 16 April – After a retrial, Arthur Allan Thomas is again found guilty of the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe.
* 2 June – The 1973 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced
* 19 October – The New Zealand Day Act 1973, making 6 February a national holiday, receives royal assent.
* 31 October – Colour television is introduced.
* December – The national vehicle speed limit is reduced to 80 km/h to reduce fuel consumption.

## Arts and literature

* Graham Billing wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
See 1973 in art, 1973 in literature

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

* ALBUM OF THE YEAR John Donoghue – Spirit Of Pelorus Jack
* RECORDING ARTIST / GROUP OF THE YEAR Shona Laing
* BEST SINGLE / SINGLE OF THE YEAR John Hanlon – Damn The Dam
* BEST NEW ARTIST Shona Laing
* BEST NZ RECORDED COMPOSITION Anna Leah – Love Bug
* PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Keith Southern – Join Together
* ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Peter Hitchcock – Only Time Could Let Us Know
* ARRANGER OF THE YEAR Mike Harvey – Damn The Dam
See: 1973 in music

### Performing arts

* Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Ray Columbus.

### Radio and television

* Colour television broadcasts begin at 7:45 pm on 31 October. The licence fee for a colour television is NZ$35.
* In December, Fred Dagg makes his first appearance.
* Feltex Television Awards:
** Natural History Programme: Bird of a Single Flight
** Best News, Current Affairs: Election Night '72
** Best Light Entertainment: Loxene Golden Disc 1972
** Best Drama and the Arts: Gone Up North and An Awful Silence
** Best Documentary: Deciding
** Allied Crafts: Loxene Golden Disc set and work on Pop Co.
* The first ZM radio stations were started in 1973 as 1ZM Auckland, 2ZM Wellington and 3ZM Christchurch.
See: 1973 in New Zealand television, 1973 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

### Film

* Rangi's Catch
See: Category:1973 film awards, 1973 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1973 films

## Sport
### Athletics

* Terry Manners wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:18:28.7 on 10 March in Inglewood. In the same year, on 1 December, the title is taken over by John Robinson who wins his first national title, clocking 2:15:03.6 in Christchurch.

### Chess

* The 80th National Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by Ortvin Sarapu of Auckland (his 12th title).

### Horse racing

From January 1973, all races are run at metric distances rather than imperial.

#### Harness racing

* New Zealand Trotting Cup – Arapaho
* Auckland Trotting Cup – Arapaho

### Soccer

* New Zealand National Soccer League is won by Christchurch United
* The Chatham Cup is won by Mount Wellington who beat North Shore United 3–0 in the final
* New Zealand hosts and wins the inaugural Oceania Cup tournament, beating Tahiti 2–0 in the final

## Births

* 25 January: Ruben Wiki, rugby league footballer
* 20 February: Leisen Jobe, field hockey player
* 1 April: Stephen Fleming, cricketer
* 8 April: Nicholas Tongue, freestyle swimmer
* 27 May:
** Tana Umaga, rugby player
** Ian Winchester, athlete
* 16 June: Shane Reed, athlete (died 2022)
* 2 July: Andrew Buckley, field hockey player
* 10 July: Andrew McCormick, rugby union footballer
* 23 July: Adrian Cashmore, rugby player
* 31 July: Tasha Williams, hammer thrower
* 4 August: Hymie Gill, field hockey player
* 5 August: Justin Marshall, rugby player
* 13 August: Martin Moana, rugby league footballer
* 19 August: Carl Bulfin, cricketer
* 23 August: Kerry Walmsley, cricketer
* 5 September: Lesley Nicol, netball player
* 1 September: Trent Bray, freestyle swimmer
* 14 November: Darren Smith, field hockey player
* 15 November: Shayne O'Connor, cricketer
* 16 November: Brendan Laney, rugby player
* 29 December: Garth da Silva, boxer
* Kirsten Cameron, swimmer
* Dom Harvey, podcaster and former radio host

## Deaths

* 5 February – John Stewart, politician (born 1902)
* 11 April – Rongowhakaata Pere Halbert, Māori leader, interpreter, historian, genealogist (born 1894)
* 20 May – Charles Brasch, poet and literary editor (born 1909)
* 18 November – Peter McKeefry, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal (born 1899)
* 19 November – Cyril Allcott, cricketer (born 1896)
* 15 December – Keith Buttle, mayor of Auckland (born 1900)

### Full date unknown

* Edith Louisa Niederer, farmer and community leader (born 1890)