1923 in New Zealand

1923 in New Zealand
The following lists events that happened during 1923 in New Zealand.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal
Head of State – George V
Governor-General – John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe
Government
The 21st New Zealand Parliament begins. The Reform Party governs as a minority with the support of independents.
Speaker of the House – Charles Statham (Independent)
Prime Minister – William Massey
Minister of Finance – William Massey
Minister of External Affairs – Ernest Lee until 13 January, then Francis Bell from 7 June
Parliamentary opposition
Leader of the Opposition – Thomas Wilford (Liberal Party)
Judiciary
Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
Mayor of Wellington – Robert Wright
Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Thacker, succeeded by James Flesher
Mayor of Dunedin – James Douglas, succeeded by Harold Tapley
Events
28 March – The Tauranga by-election is won by Charles Edward MacMillan (Reform Party)
March – The inflation rate in New Zealand reaches its lowest recorded value, −15.3 per cent
1 May – The Oamaru by-election is won by John MacPherson (Liberal Party)
14 June − The New Zealand Permanent Air Force, the forerunner of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, is established
6 July – The Ongarue railway disaster results in the deaths of 17 passengers when the overnight Auckland-Wellington Express runs into a landslip at Ongarue near Taumarunui
4 August – Opening of the Otira Tunnel on the Midland Line
15 December – The British and Intercolonial Exhibition opens in Hokitika
Undated
New Zealand gains the right to conduct its own trade negotiations independently of Britain
The Ross Dependency is claimed by Britain and placed under New Zealand administration
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand is formed
The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, funded by the New Zealand government as a gift to Britain before World War I, is broken up for scrap
Arts and literature
See 1923 in art, 1923 in literature, :Category:1923 books
Music
Production of the musical "Tutankhamen" by L.P.Leary at His Majesty's Theatre in Auckland. Music by Eric Waters.
See: 1923 in music
Radio
A set of Broadcasting regulations are issued under the Post And Telegraph Act 1920. Under the new regulations the country is divided into four numerical transmission regions. The regulations also stipulate that the owner of a receiving set is to pay an annual licence of five shillings while permission to transmit costs two pounds.
See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand
Film
The Romance of Sleepy Hollow
See: 1923 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1923 films
Sport
Chess
The 32nd National Chess Championship is held in Christchurch, and is won by John Boyd Dunlop of Oamaru (his third title)
Cricket
Plunket Shield
Football
The inaugural competition for the Chatham Cup is won by Seacliff AFC (Otago)
The New Zealand team tours Australia, playing 16 matches:
24 May, at Granville – lose 1–3 vs Granville
26 May, at Sydney – draw 2–2 vs New South Wales
29 May, at Newcastle – lose 0–2 vs Newcastle
2 June, at Ipswich – win 4–2 vs Ipswich / West Moreton
4 June, at Brisbane – win 3–1 vs Queensland
6 June, at Nambour – win 2–0 vs North Coast
9 June, at Brisbane – lose 1–2 vs Australia
13 June, at Cessnock – lose 1–2 vs South Maitland
16 June, at Sydney – win 3–2 vs Australia
20 June, at Sydney – win 3–4 vs Metropolis
23 June, at Sydney – win 3–1 vs Granville
25 June, at Sydney – draw 1–1 vs New South Wales
30 June, at Newcastle – win 4–1 vs Australia
3 July, at Weston – lose 1–4 vs South Maitland
7 July, at Wollongong – lose 0–2 vs South Coast
11 July, at Lithgow – win 4–0 vs Western Districts
Provincial league champions:
Auckland – North Shore AFC (Devonport)
Canterbury – Sunnyside
Hawke's Bay – Whakatu
Nelson – Athletic
Otago – HSOB
South Canterbury – Albion Rovers
Southland – Nightcaps
Taranaki – Hawera
Wanganui – Eastown Workshops
Wellington – Waterside
Golf
The 10th New Zealand Open championship is won by A. Brooks.
The 27th National Amateur Championships are held in Wanganui:
Men – J. Goss (Wanganui)
Women – E. Vigor Brown (Napier)
Horse racing
Harness racing
New Zealand Trotting Cup – Great Hope
Auckland Trotting Cup – Blue Mountain King
Thoroughbred racing
New Zealand Cup – Rouen
Auckland Cup – Te Kara / Muraahi (dead heat)
Wellington Cup – Rapine
New Zealand Derby – Black Ronald
ARC Great Northern Derby – Enthusiasm
Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.
Men's singles champion – M. Walker (Ponsonby Bowling Club)
Men's pair champions – W. McCallum, T. Edwards (skip) (Temuka Bowling Club)
Men's fours champions – R.S. Somervell, J.F. Hosking, V.P. Casey, A. Parsons (skip) (Ponsonby Bowling Club)
Rugby union
A New South Wales team tours New Zealand, playing three matches against the New Zealand team. New Zealand wins all three: 19–9, 34–6 and 38–11.
defend the Ranfurly Shield for the full season, defeating Wairarapa (6–0), (10–6), (15–0), (9–8), Horowhenua (38–11), and (20–5).
Births
January–February
2 January – Joe McManemin, athletics coach, sports administrator
6 January – Norman Kirk, politician
11 January – Charles Philip Littlejohn, parliamentary officer
15 January – Nick Unkovich, lawn bowls player
27 January – Robert Burchfield, lexicographer
11 February – Bryce Rope, rugby union player and coach
March–April
1 March – Stephen Jelicich, architect, historian
2 March
Ron Elvidge, rugby union player
Don Taylor, cricketer
12 March – James Godwin, war crimes investigator
13 March – Travers Hardwick, rugby league player and coach
24 March – Poul Gnatt, ballet dancer and ballet master
26 March – Ronald Dobson, rugby union player
27 March – Donald Murdoch, cricketer
31 March – Lawrie Miller, cricketer
6 April – Rina Moore, doctor
7 April
Lindsay Daen, sculptor
Russell Stone, historian
14 April – Stan Cowman, cricket umpire
16 April – Thomas Freeman, cricketer
17 April – Ken Mudford, motorcycle racer
18 April – Allan Deane, cricketer
26 April – Harold Nelson, athlete
29 April – Jean Herbison, academic, university chancellor
May–June
17 May – Doug Ottley, association footballer
26 May
Bill Meates, rugby union player
Thomas Paulay, earthquake engineer, academic
4 June – Olga Stringfellow, journalist and author
7 June – Peter Sutton, Anglican bishop
19 June – Rex Orr, rugby union player
25 June – Margaret Reid, Presbyterian minister
30 June – Melvin Day, artist
July–August
8 July – Margaret di Menna, microbiologist
13 July – Max Lewis, cricketer
14 July – Noel Chambers, swimmer
16 July
Richard Bolt, air force officer
Terry Harris, water polo player
18 July
John Morton, marine zoologist, theologian, conservationist
JJ Stewart, rugby union coach and administrator, politician
26 July – Betty Gilderdale, children's author
28 July – Bill Sevesi, musician
9 August – Bob Neilson, rugby league player
11 August – Roy Roper, rugby union player
12 August – Janet Holm, environmental activist, historian
14 August – Jack Luxton, politician
15 August – Norm Jones, politician
28 August – Maurice Casey, jurist
September–October
9 September – Des Christian, rugby union player and coach
19 September – Bob Sorenson, rugby union player and coach, cricketer
29 September – Vernon McArley, cricketer
3 October – Jack McLean, rugby union and rugby league player
4 October – Lachie Grant, rugby union player
9 October
Bob Fenton, politician
Ronald Tremain, composer, music academic
11 October – Ed Nichols, alpine skier
15 October
Joyce Carpenter, diver
Jim McCormick, rugby union player
18 October – Rob Talbot, politician
20 October – Mike Minogue, politician
29 October
David Kear, geologist, science administrator
Ted Thorne, naval officer
November–December
1 November – Peter Mahon, jurist
4 November – Joan Hatcher, cricketer
5 November – Frederick Stanley, cricketer
9 November – Marion Robinson, physiologist and nutritionist
10 November – Brian Ashby, Roman Catholic bishop
11 November – Sonja Davies, trade unionist, peace activist, politician
13 November – Austen Gittos, fencer
17 November
Dick Scott, historian, journalist
Bert Sutcliffe, cricketer
18 November – Neville Pickering, politician
20 November – Robert Harwood, cricketer
22 November – Guy Doleman, actor
28 November – Eric Heath, cartoonist
2 December – Andy Keyworth, master mariner
6 December – Karl Sim, art forger
13 December – Richard Campion, theatre director
14 December – Bob Quickenden, association footballer
17 December – John Darwin, statistician
20 December – Arthur Mills, cricketer
24 December – Bert Cook, rugby union and rugby league player
Deaths
January–March
9 January – Katherine Mansfield, writer (born 1888)
14 January – Frederick Radcliffe, photographer (born 1863)
28 January – Alfred Holdship, cricketer (born 1867)
6 February – William Thomas Jennings, politician (born 1854)
22 February – Sir William Herries, politician (born 1859)
17 March – Daniel Cooper, convicted baby farmer and illegal abortionist (born 1881)
25 March – John Patterson, politician, businessman (born 1855)
26 March – William Wescombe Corpe, sawmiller, dairy manufacturer (born 1836)
April–June
3 April
Charles H. Mills, politician (born 1843)
Arthur Seymour, politician (born 1832)
4 April – Charles Curtis, storekeeper, local-body politician (born 1850)
12 April
William Collins, politician (born 1853)
Randell McDonnell, cricketer (born 1843)
27 April – Gordon Millington, cricketer (born 1848)
7 May – Walter Dinnie, police commissioner (born 1850)
9 May – John Fuller, singer and theatrical company manager (born 1850)
21 May – Leopold Prime, cricketer (born 1884)
July–September
8 July – Henry Lawson, cricketer (born 1862)
16 July – Sir William Fraser, politician (born 1840)
27 July – William Dawson, brewer, politician (born 1852)
3 August – Frederick Fulton, cricketer (born 1859)
8 September – Thomas Mahoney, architect (born 1854)
23 September – Sarah Higgins, midwife, writer (born 1830)
26 September – Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury, Ngāti Kahungunu scholar, recorder, interpreter (born 1841)
October–December
8 October – Angus Stuart, rugby union player (born 1858)
15 October – Thomas Frederic Cheeseman, botanist (born 1846)
17 October – William Meares, cricketer (born 1848)
10 November – John Stallworthy, politician (born 1854)
11 November – Robert Murdoch, malacologist (born 1861)
25 November – Sydney Callaway, cricketer (born 1868)
29 November – Gilbert Mair, soldier, interpreter, public servant (born 1843)
11 December – Joseph Maddison, architect (born 1850)
14 December – Michael Godby, cricketer (born 1850)
See also
History of New Zealand
List of years in New Zealand
Military history of New Zealand
Timeline of New Zealand history
Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica
Timeline of the New Zealand environment
References
External links
Events of the Past Year as compiled by The New Zealand Herald