The following lists events that happened during 1936 in New Zealand.
The shape of New Zealand politics for the next five decades was defined when, in the aftermath of their heavy defeat by Labour, the United and Reform parties merged to form the New Zealand National Party. In the meantime, the Labour government began implementing significant social changes.
Population A New Zealand census was held in March 1936.
Male Female Total Usually resident population 796,152 (50.7%) 773,067 (49.3%) 1,569,216 Overseas Visitors 2,931 1,650 4,581 Total 799,092 774,720 1,573,812
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal Head of State – George V (until 20 January), Edward VIII (20 January to 11 December), George VI Governor-General – The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PCStatistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
Government The 25th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government.
Speaker of the House – Bill Barnard (Labour Party) Prime Minister – Michael Joseph Savage Minister of Finance – Walter Nash Minister of Foreign Affairs – Michael Joseph Savage Attorney-General – Rex Mason Chief Justice – Sir Michael Myers
Parliamentary opposition Leader of the Opposition – George Forbes (United/Reform Party until May, then National Party), succeeded in November by Adam Hamilton (National).
Main centre leaders Mayor of Auckland – Ernest Davis Mayor of Wellington – Thomas Hislop Mayor of Christchurch – Dan Sullivan then John Beanland Mayor of Dunedin – Edwin Thomas Cox
Events 25 March – First session of the 25th Parliament commences.Lambert & Palenski: The New Zealand Almanac, 1982. 11 June – Parliament goes into recess. 21 June – Parliament resumes. 30 August – Train derails near Paraparaumu due to a landslide in heavy rain. 31 October – First session of the 25th Parliament concludes.
Arts and literature
See 1936 in art, 1936 in literature, :Category:1936 books
Music
See: 1936 in music
Radio
Radio broadcasting of sessions of Parliament commences.
See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand
Film Phar Lap's Son The Wagon and the Star On the Friendly Road
See: :Category:1936 film awards, 1936 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1936 films
Sport
Chess The 45th National Chess Championship was held in Christchurch, and was won by A.W. Gyles of Wellington.List of New Zealand Chess Champions
Golf The 26th New Zealand Open championship was won by Andrew Shaw, his 7th title. The 40th National Amateur Championships were held in New Plymouth Men: J.P. Hornabrook (Manawatu) Women: Miss E. White-Parsons
Horse racing
Harness racing New Zealand Trotting Cup – Indianapolis (3rd win) Auckland Trotting Cup – King's WarriorAuckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
Lawn bowls The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch. Men's singles champion – Frank Livingstone (Onehunga Bowling Club) Men's pair champions – J.W. Turpin, H. Haworth (skip) (Canterbury Bowling Club) Men's fours champions – C.H. Elsom, J.W. Turpin, C.J. Shaw, R. Haworth (skip) (Canterbury Bowling Club)
Olympic Games
Total 1 0 0 1
Rugby league New Zealand national rugby league team
Rugby union :Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, :Category:All Blacks Ranfurly Shield
Shooting Ballinger Belt – William Masefield (Blenheim)
Soccer An Australian national side tours New Zealand, beating the home team heavily in all three internationals:List of New Zealand national soccer matches 4 July, Dunedin: NZ 1–7 Australia 11 July, Wellington: NZ 0–10 Australia 18 July, Auckland: NZ 1–4 Australia The Chatham Cup is won by Western of Christchurch who beat Auckland Thistle 3–2 in the final.Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Provincial league champions: Auckland: Thistle Canterbury: Western Hawke's Bay: Watersiders Nelson: YMCA Otago: Seacliff Southland: Corinthians Wanganui: Thistle Wellington: Hospital
Births
January 5 January Reg Hart, rugby league player Terry Lineen, rugby union player 6 January – Terence O'Brien, diplomat 7 January Denis Pain, jurist, sports administrator Alan Powell, historian 8 January – John McCullough, rugby union player 12 January – Graham Billing, writer 13 January – Michael Selby, geomorphologist, university administrator 18 January – Hugh Anderson, motorcycle racer 21 January – Helen Clark, marine zoologist 22 January Robert Anderson, politician Don McIver, army general Nyree Dawn Porter, actor 31 January – Georgina Kirby, Māori leader, women's rights activist
February 3 February – Graham Finlay, boxer 10 February – Gerald Stewart, cricketer 11 February – Bramwell Cook, gastroenterologist 12 February – Jane Ritchie, psychologist 13 February – Steve Nesbit, rugby union player 15 February – Russell Marshall, politician, diplomat 16 February Bruce Beetham, politician Noel Everett, sailor 18 February – Pavel Tichý, logician 21 February – Bev Brentnall, cricketer 28 February – Dot Coleman, fencer
March 10 March – David Harrington, local-body politician 14 March Kevin Barry, boxing coach Bob Charles, golfer 19 March – Robert Carswell, cricketer 21 March – Margaret Mahy, writer 22 March – Douglas Gray, cricketer 24 March Wally Hirsh, public servant, writer James Morrison, cricketer 25 March – Julian Jack, physiologist
April 1 April – Desmond Park, cricketer 3 April – Tama Poata, writer, actor, human rights activist 5 April – Robin Carrell, haematologist 9 April – Mary Webb, cricketer 15 April – Michael Brown, Anglican priest 19 April – Anthony Small, cricketer 22 April Kevin Barry, rugby union player Glen Evans, local-body politician 23 April – John D'Arcy, cricketer 24 April – Ngai Tupa, Cook Islands politician 26 April – Robert Mahuta, Māori leader, academic 27 April Peter Nicholls, sculptor Betty Steffensen, netball player, coach, umpire and administrator 28 April – Ans Westra, photographer 29 April – Peter Atkins, Anglican bishop
May 1 May – Glenys Arthur, neurologist 3 May – Raymond Hawthorne, theatre director 6 May Pat Walsh, rugby union player and selector Cliff Whiting, artist, heritage advocate 7 May – Kenneth Ferries, cricketer 8 May – Ruia Morrison, tennis player 29 May – Murray Mills, Anglican bishop 30 May – Roy Harford, cricketer
June 2 June – James Wright, cricketer 3 June – Colin Meads, rugby union player 4 June – Robert Kelly, cricketer 6 June – Precious McKenzie, weightlifter 16 June – Graeme Barrow, author 18 June – Denny Hulme, racing driver 21 June – Colin Nicholson, lawyer, judge 23 June – Richard Johnstone, cyclist, cycling coach 30 June – Peter Bloomfield, cricketer
July 1 July Jonathan Elworthy, politician Jim Savage, athlete 16 July Tamati Reedy, rugby union player, public servant, academic Rob Storey, farmers' leader, politician 23 July – Graham Buist, cricketer 24 July – Thomas O'Neil, cricketer 28 July – Donald Eagle, cyclist 31 July – Mike Watt, sport shooter
August 1 August – Elizabeth McRae, actor 5 August – Bruce Stewart, playwright 7 August – Joy Cowley, author 8 August – David Penman, Anglican archbishop 10 August – Marilyn Pryor, anti-abortion activist 13 August Bob Graham, rugby union player and coach George Newton, weightlifter 15 August Hamish Keith, writer, art curator Trevor Moffitt, artist J. B. Munro, politician, disability advocate 19 August – Norman Woods, cricketer 20 August – Kevin Briscoe, rugby union player 23 August – John Stopford, rugby league player
September 1 September – Selwyn Cushing, businessman 7 September – Alistair Soper, rugby union player 9 September – Dorothy Grover, philosopher 10 September Howard Carter, Pentecostal Christian leader Michael Corballis, psychologist Michael Hartshorn, organic chemist Bill Massey, softball player, coach and umpire 14 September – Robert Page, rowing coxswain 17 September – Barry Dineen, cricketer, rugby union player, businessman 18 September – Margaret Belcher, literary scholar 20 September – Murray McEwan, cricketer 21 September – Peter McLeavey, art dealer
October 4 October – Graham Davy, athlete, sports administrator 10 October Artie Dick, cricketer Carmen Rupe, drag performer, brothel keeper, LGBT rights activist 20 October – Jim Gerard, politician 23 October – Barry Sinclair, cricketer 31 October – Reuben Ngata, parasports competitor
November 6 November – Elva Simpson, netball player 9 November – Graham Hamer, rugby union coach 20 November – Graeme Tarr, cricketer 22 November – Ian Pool, demographer 23 November – Rex Pickering, rugby union player 24 November – Avinash Deobhakta, lawyer, judge 25 November – Jock Bilger, sailor 27 November – Terry O'Sullivan, rugby union player 29 November – Peter Cullinane, Roman Catholic bishop
December 5 December – Evelyn Stokes, geographer 12 December – Wilf Haskell, cricketer, sports historian 23 December – Paddy Donovan, boxer, rugby union player 25 December – Sonia Cox, badminton and tennis player
Undated Beau Vite, Thoroughbred racehorse David Beauchamp, civil engineer Michael Friedlander, businessman, philanthropist James Greig, potter High Caste, Thoroughbred racehorse Elric Hooper, actor, theatre director Judy Howat, lawn bowls player Sani Lakatani, Niuean politician Terry McGee, geographer Stanley Palmer, painter and printmaker Jenny Pattrick, novelist, jeweller John Riordan, jockey Jim Siers, author, filmmaker, record producer Adrienne Stewart, arts patron (born in Australia) Barrie Truman, association football coach David Vere-Jones, mathematical statistician Murray C. Wells, accountancy academic
Deaths
January–March 5 January – Arthur Singe, rugby league player 16 January – Sir William Hall-Jones, politician, prime minister (1906) (born 1851) 20 January – James Clark, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1915–1919) (born 1870) 5 February – Timothy O'Connor, rugby union player (born 1860) 6 February – Edwin Bezar, soldier, author (born 1838) 8 February – Robert Holmes, civil engineer (born 1856) 19 February Andrew Entrican, businessman, politician (born 1858) Malcolm McGregor, World War I flying ace, aviation pioneer (born 1896) 3 March – Lucy Lovell-Smith, temperance worker and women's rights advocate (born 1861) 4 March – Arthur Henry Adams, journalist, author (born 1872) 10 March – David Kennedy, priest, astronomer (born 1864) 12 March – Janet Williamson, nurse (born 1862) 13 March Sir Francis Bell, politician, mayor of Wellington (1891–1893), prime minister (1925) (born 1851) Elizabeth Herriott, scientist, academic (born 1882) 14 March – William Holdship, cricketer (born 1872) 17 March – Albert Duder, mariner, harbourmaster (born 1856) 29 March – Forrest Ross, mountaineer, journalist, writer (born 1860)
April–June 18 April – John Swan, architect (born 1874) 21 April – Harold Smith, politician (born 1866) 5 May – Sir Joseph Kinsey, businessman, bibliophile, philanthropist (born 1852) 10 May Donald Fuller, cricketer (born 1869) Isaac Richards, Anglican bishop (born 1859) 11 May – Dick Mason, cricketer (born 1881) 19 May – Thomas William Kirk, biologist, scientific administrator (born 1856) 21 May – John Spencer, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1880) 26 May – James Bradney, politician, shipping proprietor (born 1853) 3 June – Cedric Carr, botanist (born 1892) 16 June – Alexander Cairns, cricketer (born 1850) 24 June – Sir Frederick Chapman, judge (born 1849)
July–September 8 July – Ernest Sutherland, field athlete (born 1894) 9 July – Frances Haselden, headmistress (born ) 30 July – Sir James Mills, businessman, politician (born 1847) 9 August – George Butler, artist (born 1872) 12 August – Oscar Michelsen, missionary (born 1844) 17 August – Francis Henry Smith, politician (born 1868) 12 September – Richard Moore, politician (born 1849) 17 September – Ettie Rout, campaigner for safe sex (born 1877)