1956 in New Zealand explained

The following lists events that happened during 1956 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,209,200.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1955: 44,400 (2.05%).
• Males per 100 females: 101.2.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Lieutenant-General The Lord Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC.^[2]

Government

The 31st New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the National government under Sidney Holland.

• Speaker of the House – Mathew Oram^[3]
• Prime Minister – Sidney Holland.
• Deputy Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake.
• Minister of Finance – Jack Watts.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Tom Macdonald.
• Attorney-General – Jack Marshall.
• Chief Justice — Sir Harold Barrowclough

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Walter Nash (Labour).^[4]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – John Luxford, followed by Thomas Ashby
• Mayor of Hamilton – Roderick Braithwaite
• Mayor of Wellington – Robert Macalister, followed by Frank Kitts
• Mayor of Christchurch – Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin – Leonard Morton Wright

Events

• 8 March: Opo the friendly Dolphin dies in the Hokianga.
• 13 March – After 26 years playing international cricket the New Zealand wins its first ever test victory against the West Indies at Eden Park.
• New Zealand troops are sent to Malaya.
• Roxburgh Dam is opened.
• Temperzone manufacturing is founded.

Arts and literature

See 1956 in art, 1956 in literature

Music

See: 1956 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See:, 1956 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand,

Sport

Athletics

• Albert Richards wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:31:46 in Christchurch.

Chess

• The 63rd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.A. Foulds of Auckland.^[5]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Thunder^[6]
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Unite^[7]

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.^[8]

• Men's singles champion – G.G. Littlejohn (Hutt Bowling Club)
• Men's pair champions – L.J. Hughes, E.H. Ravenwood (skip) (North-East Valley Bowling Club)
• Men's fours champions – P.C.F. Barrat, C.E. Tomlinson, L.J. Buckingham, Robbie Robson (skip) (Mangakino Bowling Club)

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics

See main article: New Zealand at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Winter Olympics

• New Zealand did not participate in the 1956 Winter Olympics.

Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Stop Out (Lower Hutt) who beat Shamrock (soccer) of Christchurch 4–1 in the final.^[9]
• Provincial league champions:^[10]
  • Auckland: Onehunga
  • Bay of Plenty: Rangers
  • Buller: Millerton Thistle
  • Canterbury: Western
  • Hawke's Bay: Napier Athletic
  • Manawatu: Kiwi United
  • Marlborough: Blenheim B
  • Nelson: Settlers
  • Northland: Kamo Swifts
  • Otago: Northern AFC
  • Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
  • South Canterbury: West End
  • Southland: Brigadiers
  • Taranaki: Moturoa
  • Waikato: Huntly Thistle
  • Wairarapa: No competition
  • Wanganui: Technical College Old Boys
  • Wellington: Stop Out

Births

• 3 January: Judith Tizard, politician
• 6 January: Stephen Cox, cyclist
• 16 January: Mark Burton, politician
• 4 February: Gerry Brownlee, politician
• 16 February: Vincent Ward, film director
• 1 March: Mark Todd, equestrian eventer
• 3 March: John F. Reid, cricketer
• 13 April: Peter 'Possum' Bourne, rally driver
• 17 April: Jaynie Parkhouse, freestyle swimmer
• 26 April: Tinks Pottinger, equestrian eventer
• 8 May: Richard Wilson, soccer player
• 10 May: Chris Kuggeleijn, cricket player and coach
• 23 May: Mark Shaw, rugby union footballer and selector
• 18 August: Andrew Bennie, equestrian eventer
• 29 September: Jenny Morris, singer
• 8 November: Richard Curtis, screenwriter
• 23 November: Bruce Edgar, cricketer
• 12 December: Barry Pickering, soccer player
• 16 December: Rodney Hide, politician
• Chris Finlayson, politician
• James Belich, historian
• (in Paris, France) Christopher Marshall, composer
• Douglas Wright, dancer and choreographer

Deaths

• 17 April: Sir Alexander Young, politician.
• 22 May: John Christopher Rolleston, politician.
• 29 May: Charlie Seeling, rugby footballer.
• 17 June: Charles Boswell, politician.
• 19 June: Bernard Martin, politician.
• 12 September: George Gillett, rugby player.
• 21 November: Jim Thorn, labour leader and politician.^[11]

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Historical population estimates tables . https://web.archive.org/web/20171231000952/http://archive.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/historical-population-tables.aspx . 31 December 2017 . Statistics New Zealand.
2. Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
3. Lambert & Palenski: The New Zealand Almanac, 1982.
4. Web site: Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition. 6 April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081017200326/http://www1.elections.org.nz/democracy/leaders-opposition.html. 17 October 2008. dead. dmy-all.
5. http://www.poisonpawn.co.nz/nzcftitles.htm List of New Zealand Chess Champions
6. Web site: List of NZ Trotting cup winners . 5 May 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120222233106/http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/nz_trotting_cup.htm . 22 February 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
7. http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/major_race2.htm Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
8. Book: McLintock . A.H. . Alexander Hare McLintock . Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners . An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . 6 June 2018 . 1966 . Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
9. http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/chatham_cup_records.html Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com
10. Web site: New Zealand: List of champions. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.
11. http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/T/ThornJames/ThornJames/en Te Ara