1949 in New Zealand

Decades:	1920s; 1930s; 1940s; 1950s; 1960s;
See also:	History of New Zealand; List of years in New Zealand; Timeline of New Zealand history;

The following lists events that happened during 1949 in New Zealand.

Most New Zealanders became New Zealand citizens in addition to being British subjects, as the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 came into effect.

The National government of Sydney Holland was elected in the 1949 New Zealand general election.

Population

Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,892,100.^[1]
Increase since 31 December 1948: 38,200 (2.06%).^[1]
Males per 100 females: 100.7.^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Head of State – George VI
Governor-General – Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO^[2]

Government

The 28th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was the Labour until after the November general election, which saw it replaced by National Party.

Iriaka Rātana (Labour) is the first Māori woman elected to Parliament.^[3]

Speaker of the House – Robert McKeen
Prime Minister – Peter Fraser then Sidney Holland
Deputy Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake (from 13 December)
Minister of Finance – Walter Nash then Sidney Holland
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Peter Fraser then Frederick Doidge
Attorney-General – Rex Mason then Clifton Webb
Chief Justice – Sir Humphrey O'Leary

Parliamentary opposition

Leader of the Opposition – Sidney Holland (National Party) until 13 December, then Peter Fraser (Labour).^[4]

Main centre leaders

Events

1 January: the status of New Zealand Citizen comes into existence.^[5]
9 March: Referendums on gambling (passed) and extending hotel hours (failed).
3 August: Referendum on military training (passed)
29 November: Elections to the four Māori electorates
30 November: General election won by National Party under Sidney Holland

Arts and literature

See 1949 in art, 1949 in literature, Category:1949 books

Sport

Archery

National Champions

Open Men – W. Burton (Gisborne)
Open Women – D. Johnstone (Dunedin)

Athletics

George Bromley wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:40:05.6 in Christchurch.

Basketball

Interpovincial Champions: Men – Wellington
Interpovincial Champions: Women – Palmerston North

Chess

The 56th National Chess Championship was held in Wanganui, and was won by A.E. Nield of Auckland.^[6]

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

New Zealand Trotting Cup – Loyal Nurse^[7]
Auckland Trotting Cup – Captain Sandy (2nd win)^[8]

Thoroughbred racing

The New Zealand horse Foxzami, ridden by W. Fellows, wins the 1949 Melbourne Cup

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.^[9]

Men's singles champion – S. Gooch (Kahutia Bowling Club)
Men's pair champions – Frank Livingstone, J.H. Mingins (skip) (Onehunga Bowling Club)
Men's fours champions – A.J. Murdoch, H.L. Rule, A. Rivers, Pete Skoglund (skip) (Otahuhu Bowling Club)

Rugby

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Category:All Blacks

3 September: The All Blacks lose two tests on the same day
Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

The Chatham Cup is won by Petone who beat Northern 1–0 in the final.^[10]
Provincial league champions:^[11]
- Auckland: Eden
- Canterbury: Technical OB
- Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB
- Nelson:
- Otago: Northern
- South Canterbury: Northern Hearts
- Southland: Brigadiers
- Taranaki: City
- Waikato: Rotowaro
- Wanganui: Wanganui Athletic
- Wellington: Seatoun

Births

22 January: Cilla McQueen, poet
24 January: Bill Bush, rugby player
28 January: Mike Moore, Prime Minister and Director-General of the World Trade Organization (d. 2020)
15 February: Ashraf Choudhary, politician
19 February: Brenda Matthews, sprinter
28 April: Steve Gilpin, musician (d. 1992)
8 June: Sherryl Jordan, writer (d. 2023)
6 July: Grant McAuley, rower
20 September: Alan McIntyre, field hockey player
10 October: Lance Cairns, cricketer
2 November: Bruce Biddle, road cyclist
29 November (in England): Dave Bright, soccer player
Laurence Aberhart, photographer
Laurence Clark, cartoonist
John Hanlon, musician
Donna Awatere Huata, politician
Nigel Brown, painter
Ian Ewen-Street, politician

Deaths

25 May: George William von Zedlitz, professor of languages
20 August: Annie Lee Rees, writer.
7 October: Matiu Ratana, politician and Ratana church leader
29 October: Patrick Harvey, rugby union player
20 December: Jane Mander, novelist
28 December: Jack Lovelock, athlete

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Historical population estimates tables". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017.
^ Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
^ "New Zealand Parliament – Parliament timeline". Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
^ "Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
^ Te Ara
^ List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
^ Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
^ Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.

[:02-1] "Historical population estimates tables". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017.

[2] Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52

[3] "New Zealand Parliament – Parliament timeline". Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.

[4] "Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.

[5] Te Ara

[6] List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[7] "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2009.

[8] Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[9] McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 June 2018.

[10] Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[11] "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.

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