1978 in New Zealand

← 1977 1976 1975 1978 in New Zealand → 1979 1980 1981
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	Other events of 1978 Timeline of New Zealand history

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,165,200^[1]
• Decrease since 31 December 1977: 1,200 (0.04%)
• Males per 100 females: 99.2
• This was the first year in which New Zealand's population declined (due to emigration, largely to Australia).

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State - Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.^[2]

Government

• Speaker of the House - Richard Harrison.^[3]
• Prime Minister - Robert Muldoon
• Deputy Prime Minister - Brian Talboys.^[3]
• Minister of Finance - Robert Muldoon.^[3]
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Brian Talboys.^[3]
• Attorney-General - Peter Wilkinson until 13 December, then Jim McLay.^[3]

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Bill Rowling (Labour).^[4]
• Social Credit Party - Bruce Beetham

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Dove-Myer Robinson
• Mayor of Hamilton - Ross Jansen
• Mayor of Wellington - Michael Fowler
• Mayor of Christchurch - Hamish Hay
• Mayor of Dunedin - Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

Events

• The Pureora Forest Park was established after a series of protests and tree sittings.
• 18 February: The Rangitikei by-election was won by Bruce Beetham for Social Credit.
• 1 April: Flag carriers Air New Zealand and the National Airways Corporation merge to form a single airline under the Air New Zealand name.
• 12 September: Kaimai Rail Tunnel on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, at 8896 m the longest tunnel in New Zealand, opened.
• December: Holy Name Seminary, Christchurch (Catholic) closed.

Arts and literature

• Roger Hall and Peter Olds win the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1978 in art, 1978 in literature, Category:1978 books

January

• Nambassa, three-day music, crafts and alternative lifestyles festival on Phil and Pat Hulses' 400-acre (1.6 km²) farm in Golden Valley, north of Waihi. Attendance 25,000.

October

• Nambassa winter road show, toured the North Island of NZ, promoting the 1979 festival.

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

Winners were as follows:^[5]

• ALBUM OF THE YEAR Hello Sailor – Hello Sailor
• SINGLE OF THE YEAR Golden Harvest – I Need Your Love
• TOP MALE VOCALIST John Rowles
• TOP GROUP Hello Sailor
• TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O’Neill
• ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Ian Morris – Hello Sailor
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Rob Aicken – Hello Sailor
• MOST PROMISING GROUP Citizen Band
• MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Kim Hart
• MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Dennis O’Brien

See: 1978 in music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to George Tumahai.

Radio and television

• The AM broadcast band moves from 10 kHz spacing to 9 kHz spacing.
• Feltex Television Awards:
  • Best Current Affairs: Dateline Monday
  • Best Information: Fair Go
  • Best Documentary: Birth with R.D. Laing
  • Best Light Entertainment: A Week of It
  • Best Drama: The Governor
  • Best Speciality: Sport on One
  • Best Actor: David McPhail on A Week of It
  • Best Personality: Roger Gascoigne
  • Best Script: He Iwi Ko Tahi Tatou: episode four of The Governor

See: 1978 in New Zealand television, 1978 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• Angel Mine
• Skin Deep

See: Category:1978 film awards, 1978 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1978 films

Sport

Athletics

• Paul Ballinger wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:33 on 11 March in Hastings.

Chess

• The 85th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in Wellington, and is won by Craig Laird of Tauranga.^[6]

Commonwealth Games

• New Zealand at the 1978 Commonwealth Games

Cricket

• 15 February: After 48 years of trying, New Zealand beats England in a Test match for the first time, winning the Test at the Basin Reserve.^[7]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Trusty Scot^[8]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Sole Command. From 1978-86 the race was over 2700m and there was no handicapping.^[9]

Soccer

• New Zealand National Soccer League won by Christchurch United
• The Chatham Cup is won by Manurewa who beat Nelson United 1—0 in the final.^[10]

Births

• 2 January: Dan Ward-Smith, rugby union player
• 5 January: Adi Dick, musician.
• 21 January (in the United States): Mike Chappell, basketballer.
• 3 February: Keith Cameron, rugby union player.^[11]
• 26 February: Rico Gear, rugby union player.
• 8 April: Nathan Mauger, rugby union player.
• 29 April: Donna Loffhagen, netball and basketball player.
• 19 May: Willie Walker, rugby union player.
• 28 May: John Dennison, poet.
• 1 June: Ben Lummis, singer and winner of New Zealand Idol (season 1).
• 11 June: Daryl Tuffey, cricketer.
• 4 July: Bianca Russell, field hockey player.
• 6 July: Kevin Senio, rugby union player.
• 12 July: Claire Chitham, actor.
• 26 July: David Kosoof, field hockey player.
• 28 July: Jacob Oram, cricketer.
• 14 August (in South Africa): Greg Rawlinson, rugby union player.
• 5 September: Chris Jack, rugby union player.
• 10 September: Nish Selvadurai, comedian.
• 13 September: Andrew Hore, rugby union player.
• 18 September: Iain Lees-Galloway, politician.
• 21 September: Doug Howlett, rugby union player.
• 10 October: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (twins), rowers, Olympic gold medallists (2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing)
• 26 October: Ricky Cockerill, figure skater.
• 6 November: Dean Kent, swimmer.
• 11 November: Lou Vincent, cricketer.
• 19 November (in Australia): Mahé Drysdale, rower, Olympic gold medallist (2012 London)
• 21 November: Paul Urlovic, soccer player.
• William Dwane Bell, convicted murderer.
• Mok TzeMing, writer.

Category:1978 births

Deaths

• 6 January: Burt Munro, record-setting motorcyclist
• 30 March: Sir Charles William Hamilton (Bill Hamilton), inventor of the jetboat.
• 13 May: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
• 22 May: Sir Richard Wild, 9th Chief Justice of New Zealand.
• 23 July: Sir Ronald Algie, politician and former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• 18 August: Ronald L. Meek, economist.
• John Hutton, glass engraver

Category:1978 deaths

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of the New Zealand environment
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

References

1. Statistics New Zealand:Historical Population Estimates
2. Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
3. Lambert & Palenski: The New Zealand Almanac, 1982. ISBN 0-908570-55-4
4. "Elections NZ - Leaders of the Opposition". Retrieved 6 April 2008.
5. "1978 Winners". NZ Music Awards. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
6. List of New Zealand Chess Champions
7. nzhistory.net.nz
8. List of NZ Trotting cup winners
9. Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
10. Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com
11. Keith Cameron profile

External links

Media related to 1978 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons