| 1956–57 Plunket Shield | |
| Cricket Format: | First-class |
| Tournament Format: | Round-robin |
| Champions: | Wellington |
| Count: | 9 |
| Participants: | 6 |
| Matches: | 15 |
| Previous Year: | 1955–56 |
| Previous Tournament: | 1955–56 Plunket Shield season |
| Next Year: | 1957–58 |
| Next Tournament: | 1957–58 Plunket Shield season |
The 1956–57 Plunket Shield season was a tournament of the Plunket Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition of New Zealand. It was the first season featuring the Northern Districts team.
Wellington won the championship, finishing at the top of the points table at the end of the round-robin tournament between the six first-class sides, Auckland, Canterbury, Central Districts, Northern Districts, Otago and Wellington. Eight points were awarded for a win, four points for having a first innings lead in a draw and two points for a first innings deficit in a draw.[1]
Below are the Plunket Shield standings for the season:[1]
| width=175 | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | NetRpW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 13.871 | |
| Otago | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 2.766 | |
| Central Districts | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 4.686 | |
| Canterbury | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | -0.333 | |
| Auckland | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -6.603 | |
| Northern Districts | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -15.374 |