1996 in New Zealand

← 1995 1994 1993 1996 in New Zealand → 1997 1998 1999
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 1996 Timeline of New Zealand history

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,762,300^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1995: 55,600 (1.50%)
• Males per 100 Females: 97.3

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State - Elizabeth II
• Governor-General - The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys GNZM, GCMG, QSO^[2]

Government

The 44th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was The National Party, led by Jim Bolger. In the New Zealand general election, 1996 National was returned to power, but had to form a coalition with the New Zealand First.

• Speaker of the House - Peter Tapsell then Doug Kidd
• Prime Minister - Jim Bolger
• Deputy Prime Minister - Don McKinnon then Winston Peters
• Minister of Finance - Bill Birch
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Don McKinnon

Opposition leaders

See: Category:Parliament of New Zealand, New Zealand elections

• Greens - Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald
• Act - TBD
• New Zealand First - TBD
• United Future - TBD
• Māori Party - TBD
• Labour - TBD (Leader of the Opposition)
• Progressives - TBD
• United Future - TBD

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Les Mills
• Mayor of Hamilton - Margaret Evans
• Mayor of Wellington - Mark Blumsky
• Mayor of Christchurch - Vicki Buck
• Mayor of Dunedin - Sukhi Turner

Events

• April: The New Zealand Tablet winds up. The weekly Catholic newspaper started publication in 1873.^[3]

Arts and literature

• Bernadette Hall wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
• Montana New Zealand Book Awards:
  • Book of the Year/Cultural Heritage: Judith Binney, Redemption Songs - A Life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki
  • First Book Awards
    • Fiction: Emily Perkins, Not Her Real Name
    • Poetry: James Brown, Go Round Power Please
    • Non-Fiction: Alex Frame, Salmond: Southern Jurist
• f*INK, Dunedin's weekly entertainment magazine is founded

See 1996 in art, 1996 in literature, Category:1996 books

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

Winners are shown first with nominees underneath.^[4][5]

• Album of the Year: Shihad - Killjoy
  • Finn Brothers - Finn
  • Howard Morrison - Songs Of New Zealand
  • Max Lines - Beautiful Panflute I
  • Starlight String Quartet - Romantic Strings
  • Suzanne Prentice - 25th Anniversary
• Single of the Year: OMC – How Bizarre
  • D-Faction - Down in the Boondocks
  • Herbs - French Letter '95
  • Jan Hellriegel - Manic
  • The Exponents - La La Lulu
  • Strawpeople - Sweet Disorder
• Best Male Vocalist: Jon Toogood – Shihad
  • Greg Johnson
  • Dave Dobbyn
• Best Female Vocalist: Teremoana Rapley
  • Sulata
  • Jan Hellriegel
• Best Group: Shihad
  • The Exponents
  • The Mutton Birds
  • Finn Brothers
• Rising Star Award: Kylie Harris
  • Bic Runga
  • Glen Moffat
• Most Promising Male Vocalist: Paul Fuemana (OMC)
  • Jeremy Eade (Garageland)
  • Otis Frizzell (Joint Force)
• Most Promising Female Vocalist: Bic Runga
  • Celia Mancini (King Loser)
  • Jordan Reyne
• Most Promising Group: OMC
  • Garageland
  • Joint Force
• International Achievement: Shihad
  • Finn Brothers
  • Dave Dobbyn
  • Supergroove
• Best Video: Sigi Spath / Jo Fisher – You Gotta Know (Supergroove)
  • Greg Page - Honeyblonde (Throw)
  • M Noonan and J Frizzell - Static PTI (Joint Force)
• Best Producer: Eddie Rayner - World Stand Still
  • Alan Jansson, Nathan Haines and James Pinker - Shift Left (Nathan Haines)
  • Malcolm Welsford - La La Lulu (The Exponents)
• Best Engineer: Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (Omc)
  • Chris Sinclair - Black Sand Shore (Grace)
  • Malcolm Welsford - La La Lulu (The Exponents)
• Best Jazz Album: Nathan Haines – Shift Left
  • Hattie St John - Flying High at Iguacu
  • Christchurch Polytechnic Sextet - Collaboration
• Best Classical Album: Michael Houston - Beethoven Piano Sonatas from the Middle Period
  • Alexander Ivashkin and Tamas Vesmas - Alfred Schnittke
  • L Subramaniam - Pacific Rendezvous
• Best Country Album: Kylie Harris – Let It Be Love
  • Glen Moffat - Somewhere in New Zealand Tonight
  • Kevin Greaves - Over the Storm
• Best Folk Album: Rua – Harbour Lights
  • Chris Thompson - Song for Laura
  • Peter Skandera and Dave Maybee - Acoustic Spirit
• Best Gospel Album: Brent Chambers – Living Sacrifices
  • Alastair Brown - Narrow
  • Paul Stephens - Apocalypse
• Best Mana Maori Album: Southside of Bombay with Mina Ripia – Kia Mau
  • Maree Sheehan - Past to Present
  • Moana and The Moahunters - Give it Up Now
  • Ruia - Ka Tangi te Tiitii Ka Tangi to Kaakaa
• Best Mana Reo Album: Southside of Bombay with Mina Ripia – Kia Mau
  • Ruia - Ka Tangi te Tiitii Ka Tangi te Kaakaa
  • Moana and the Moa Hunters - Akona Te Reo '95
• Best Children's Album: Nga Pihi - 1 & 2
  • Radha and the Kiwis - Sing the World Around
  • Kids TV - You and Me Songbook (Suzy Cato)
• Best Polynesian Album: Southside of Bombay - Umbadada
  • D-Faction - Down in the Boondocks
  • John Akaata - Ura Mai Koe
  • Purest Form - If I Fell/U Can Do It
• Best Songwriter: Mark Tierney / Paul Casserly / Anthony Ioasa - Sweet Disorder (Strawpeople)
  • Glen Moffat - Somewhere in New Zealand Tonight
  • Greg Johnson - Don't Wait Another Day
• Best Cover: Alec Bathgate – Abbasalutely
  • Chris Knox - Songs of You and Me
  • Neil Finn and Wayne Conway - Finn

See: 1996 in music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Keith Leggett.

Radio and television

See: 1996 in New Zealand television, 1996 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, TV3 (New Zealand), Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

• The New Zealand Government sells the Radio New Zealand commercial arm to Clear Channel creating The Radio Network

Film

• Broken English
• Chicken
• Jack Brown Genius
• Flight of the Albatross
• Someone Else's Country
• The Frighteners
• The Whole of the Moon

See: Category:1996 film awards, 1996 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1996 films

Internet

See: NZ Internet History

Sport

Athletics

• Phil Costley wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:32 on 27 October in Auckland, while Tracey Clissold claims her first in the women's championship (2:39:03).

Basketball

• The NBL was won by Auckland.

Cricket

Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team, Chappell–Hadlee Trophy, Cricket World Cup

Golf

• New Zealand Open
• Check Category:New Zealand golfers in overseas tournaments.

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Il Vicolo - 2nd win^[6]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Sharp And Telford^[7]

Netball

• Silver Ferns
• National Bank Cup

Olympic Games

• New Zealand at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Rugby league

• The Lion Red Cup was won by the Counties Manukau Heroes who beat the Waitakere City Raiders 34-22 in the grand final. Waitakere were the minor premiers.
• In their second season the Auckland Warriors placed 11th of 20 teams in the Australian National Rugby League competition. They had been in finals contention until losing their last six games.
• 5 October, New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 62-8
• 11 October, New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 64-0

The 1996 Great Britain Lions tour saw the three Tet matches played in New Zealand:

• 18 October, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 17-12
• 25 October, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 18-15
• 1 November, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 32-12

Rugby union

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Super 14, Rugby Union World Cup, National Provincial Championship, Category:All Blacks, Bledisloe Cup, Tri Nations Series, Ranfurly Shield

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Graeme Ballinger (Levin)^[8]

Soccer

• The National Summer Soccer League was inaugurated to replace the New Zealand National Soccer League, so there was no 1996 league champion.
• The New Zealand national soccer team placed third in the OFC Nations Cup, which this year was played as a league rather than a tournament.
• The Chatham Cup is won by Waitakere City F.C. who beat Mt Wellington 3—1 in the final.^[9]

Births

• 10 January – Jamie-Lee Price, netballer
• 7 February – Piera Hudson, alpine skier
• 29 February
  • Claudia Williams, tennis player
  • Nelson Asofa-Solomona, rugby league player
• 11 March – Matthew Ridenton, association footballer
• 20 March – Deklan Wynne, association footballer
• 10 May – Taniela Tupou, rugby league player
• 4 June – Meikayla Moore, association footballer
• 12 June – Alex Rufer, association footballer
• 18 June – Sam Nock, rugby union player
• 12 September – Aaron Booth, decathlete
• 6 October – Regan Gough, racing cyclist
• 7 November
  • Hades, Thoroughbred racehorse
  • Ella Yelich-O'Connor (aka Lorde), singer-songwriter
• 11 December – Eliza McCartney, pole vaulter

Deaths

January–March

• 4 January – Jim Robertson, historian (born 1896)
• 6 January – Beeban McKnight, entertainer, cinema operator, community leader (born 1897)
• 9 January – Herbert Money, evangelical missionary (born 1899)
• 17 January – Arnold Anderson, athlete (born 1912)
• 30 January – Guy Doleman, actor (born 1923)
• 31 January – Sir Peter Tait, politician (born 1915)
• 26 February – Don Oliver, weightlifter, fitness entrepreneur (born 1937)
• 4 March − John Spencer, yacht designer (born 1931)
• 9 March – Harold Baigent, actor (born 1916)

April–June

• 16 April – Archie Dunningham, librarian (born 1907)
• 21 April – Paraone Reweti, politician (born 1916)
• 26 April – Terence Vaughan, musician, performing arts administrator (born 1915)
• 1 May – Bruce McLeod, rugby union player (born 1940)
• 10 May – Ronald Bush, rugby union player and coach, cricketer (born 1909)
• 11 May – Rob Hall, mountaineer (born 1961)
• 16 May – Robert Hurst, nuclear scientist (born 1915)
• 22 May – John George, politician (born 1901)
• 26 May – Vince Bevan, rugby union player (born 1921)
• 30 May – Balmerino, thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 1972)
• 31 May – Robert Holden, motorcycle racer (born 1958)
• 1 June – Jack Hemi, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1914)
• 2 June – Freda Bream, writer (born 1918)
• 3 June – Ben Couch, rugby union player, politician (born 1925)
• 5 June – Ian Grey, historian (born 1918)
• 7 June – Tom Puna, cricketer (born 1929)
• 9 June – Leo Schultz, politician (born 1914)
• 16 June – Richard Sylvan, philosopher (born 1935)
• 17 June – Doug Harris, athlete (born 1919)
• 19 June – Eric Fisher, cricketer (born 1924)
• 20 June – Colin Gillies, rugby union player (born 1912)

July–September

• 3 July – Barry Crump, author (born 1935)
• 11 July – Robert Whaitiri, community leader (born 1916)
• 17 July – Nell Rose, nurse (born 1996)
• 25 July – Andy Keyworth, master mariner (born 1923)
• 10 August – Les George, rugby union player and administrator (born 1908)
• 16 August – Lena Manuel, community leader (born 1915)
• 10 September – Patrick Rhind, rugby union player (born 1915)
• 13 September – Dot Simons, sports journalist and writer (born 1912)
• 23 September – Sir Jack Newman, cricketer, businessman (born 1902)
• 26 September – Athol Rafter, nuclear chemist (born 1913)

October–December

• 1 October
  • James Beal, boxer (born 1929)
  • Patrick Jameson, World War II flying ace (born 1912)
• 10 October – Harold Cleghorn, weightlifter (born 1912)
• 12 October – Fred Miller, journalist, historian (born 1904)
• 24 October – Robert Anderson, politician (born 1936)
• 27 October – Piet van Asch, aviator, aerial photographer and surveyor (born 1911)
• 28 October – Jimmy Haig, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1924)
• 5 November – Hugh Sew Hoy, businessman, community leader (born 1901)
• 15 November – Les Watt, cricketer (born 1924)
• 23 November – Eve Rimmer, athlete (born 1937)
• 26 November
  • Dame Joan Hammond, opera singer (born 1912)
  • Te Waari Whaitiri, master mariner, community leader (born 1912)
• 12 December – Elaine Gurr, doctor and medical administrator (born 1896)
• 17 December
  • Lawrie Miller, cricketer (born 1923)
  • Violet Walrond, swimmer (born 1905)
• 22 December – William Lunn, rugby union player (born 1926)
• 25 December – Harry Watson, cyclist (born 1904)

References

1. Statistics New Zealand:Historical Population Estimates
2. The Rt Hon Sir Michael Hardie Boys, GNZM, GCMG, QSO gg.govt.nz. Retrieved 10 April 2012
3. "New Zealand Tablet". National Library of New Zealand.
4. "Awards 1988". Listing. NZ Music Awards. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
5. "1996 New Zealand Music Awards". Web page. RIANZ. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
6. List of NZ Trotting cup winners
7. Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
8. "New Zealand champion shot / Ballinger Belt winners". National Rifle Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
9. Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com

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