1984 in New Zealand explained

The following lists events that happened during 1984 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,293,000.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1983: 28,200 (0.86%).
• Males per 100 Females: 98.3.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – The Hon Sir David Beattie GCMG GCVO QSO QC.^[2]

Government

The 40th New Zealand Parliament, led by the National Party, concluded, and in the general election the Labour Party was elected in the 41st New Zealand Parliament.

• Speaker of the House – Richard Harrison then Basil Arthur
• Prime Minister – Robert Muldoon then David Lange
• Deputy Prime Minister – Duncan MacIntyre then Jim McLay then Geoffrey Palmer
• Minister of Finance – Robert Muldoon then Roger Douglas
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Warren Cooper then David Lange
• Chief Justice – Sir Ronald Davison

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – David Lange (Labour) until 26 July, then Robert Muldoon (National) until 29 November, then Jim McLay.^[3]
• Social Credit Party – Bruce Beetham until 26 July, then not represented in Parliament.

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Catherine Tizard
• Mayor of Hamilton – Ross Jansen
• Mayor of Wellington – Ian Lawrence
• Mayor of Christchurch – Hamish Hay
• Mayor of Dunedin – Cliff Skeggs

Events

• 27 January – A state of emergency is declared in Southland as record rainfall causes flooding which forces the evacuation of 4000 people and leaves damage totalling $55 million.^[4]
• 3–6 February – The fifth Sweetwaters Music Festival is held in Pukekawa, with the satellite Sweetwaters South held in Christchurch on 6 February.
• 6 February – Te Hikoi ki Waitangi march disrupts Waitangi Day celebrations.
• 27 March – A suitcase bomb explodes at the Wellington Trades Hall, killing the caretaker, Ernie Abbott. No arrest has been made, see Terrorism in New Zealand.
• 24 June – New Zealand's first IVF-conceived baby, Amelia Bell, is born at Auckland's National Women's Hospital.^[5]
• 14 July – 1984 general election: The Labour Party, led by David Lange, wins 56 of the 95 seats in the House of Representatives. The Fourth Labour Government is formed, ending 9 years of National rule.
• 18 July – Government devalues New Zealand dollar by 20 percent. See New Zealand constitutional crisis, 1984.^[6]
• 20 August – New Zealand reestablishes diplomatic relations with Argentina at a consular level.^[7]

Unknown dates

• New Zealand signs the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
• Auckland's population exceeds that of the South Island.

Arts and literature

• Brian Turner wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

See 1984 in art, 1984 in literature,

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

Winners are shown first with nominees underneath.^[8]

• ALBUM OF THE YEAR Dance Exponents – Prayers be Answered
  • The Mockers – Swear It's True
  • Patsy Riggir – You'll Never Take The Country Out of Me
• SINGLE OF THE YEAR The Narcs – You Took Me Heart and Soul
  • Pātea Māori Club and Dalvanius Prime – "Aku Raukura"
  • Dance Exponents – I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue)
• TOP MALE VOCALIST Jordan Luck (Dance Exponents)
  • Andy Dickson (The Narcs)
  • Andrew Fagan (The Mockers)
• TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Patsy Riggir
  • Jodi Vaughan
  • Suzanne Prentice
• TOP GROUP Dance Exponents
  • The Mockers
  • Pātea Māori Club and Dalvanius Prime
• MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Martin Phillips (The Chills)
  • Ross McKenzie (The Idles)
  • Wayne Gillespie
• MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Meryl Yvonne
  • Janice Lampen
  • Sharon Dubont
• MOST PROMISING GROUP The Chills
  • Jive Bombers
  • You're A Movie
• BEST JAZZ ALBUM Brian Smith Quartet – Southern Excursio
  • Ken Avery/ Darktown Strutters – Jazz The Way It Used to Be
  • Rodger Fox – Something Juicy
• BEST COUNTRY ALBUM Patsy Riggir – You'll Never Take the Country Out of Me
  • Suzanne Prentice – So Precious To Me
  • Jodi Vaughn – Rodeo Eyes
• BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM NZSO & Others – Music By Larry Pruden
  • Michael Houston – Michael Houston
  • Schola Musica – NZ Music For Strings
• BEST POLYNESIAN ALBUM Pātea Māori Club & Dalvanius Prime – "Aku Raukura"
  • The Five Stars – Musika Malie (Good Music)
  • Rosalio – Samoan Serenade
• BEST FOLK ALBUM Phil Garland – Springtime in the Mountains
  • Michael Warmuth – Hammered Duclimer
  • Wayne Gillespie – Wayward Son
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Dave MCartney – You Took Me Heart & Soul
  • Glyn Tucker Jnr / Trevor Reekie – Swear It's True
  • Glyn Tucker Jnr / Trevor Reekie – You Fascinate
• ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Graham Myhre – You Took Me Heart & Soul
  • Graham Myhre/ Gyn Tucker Jnr – Caught in the Act
  • Glyn Tucker Jnr – You Fascinate
• BEST COVER DESIGN Joe Wylie – Aku Raukura (Pātea Māori Club)
  • Murray Vincent – Music By Larry Purden
  • Mike Hutton – Vocal at the Local
• BEST MUSIC VIDEO Bruce Morrison – I'm in Heaven
  • William Keddell – Elephunk in My Soup
  • Tom Parkinson – I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue) (Dance Exponents)
• BEST FILM SOUNDTRACK Jenny Mcleod – The Silent One
  • Mike Nock – Strata
  • John Charles/ Dave Fraser – Constance
• INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT Tim Finn
  • Dragon
  • Split Enz
• OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Eldred Stebbing – (For his Lifelong Contribution to the Recording Arts in New Zealand)
  • Jacqui Fitzgerald
  • Peter Blake & TVNZ
• MOST POPULAR SONG The Narcs – You Took Me Heart and Soul

See: 1984 in music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to John Maybury Senior.

Radio and television

See: 1984 in New Zealand television, 1984 in television, List of TVNZ television programming,,, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• Came a Hot Friday
• Constance
• Other Halves
• The Silent One
• Vigil
• The Bounty

See:, 1984 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand,

Sport

Athletics

• Barry Thompson wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:19:03 on 25 March in Wanganui, while Mary Belsey does the same in the women's championship (2:41:39).

Basketball

• NBL won by Wellington.

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Camelot^[9]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Enterprise^[10]

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics

See main article: New Zealand at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

• New Zealand sends a team of 130 competitors across 18 sports.

Winter Olympics

See main article: New Zealand at the 1984 Winter Olympics.

• New Zealand sends a team of six alpine skiers.

Paralympic Games

Summer Paralympics

See main article: New Zealand at the 1984 Summer Paralympics.

Winter Paralympics

See main article: New Zealand at the 1984 Winter Paralympics.

• New Zealand sends a team of eight competitors in one sport.

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Peter Cromwell (Cheltenham)^[11]

Soccer

• New Zealand National Soccer League won by Gisborne City
• The Chatham Cup is won by Manurewa who beat Gisborne City 2–1 in the final.^[12]

Births

• 27 January: Vince Mellars, rugby league player.
• 14 February: Jared Wrennall, musician.
• 17 February: Timothy Gudsell, cyclist.
• 21 February: Andy Ellis, rugby union player.
• 25 February: Paul Vodanovich, soccer player.
• 8 March: Ross Taylor, cricketer.
• 16 March: Hosea Gear, rugby union player.
• 25 March: Liam Messam, rugby union and rugby sevens player.
• 2 April: Meryl Cassie, actor.
• 6 April: Stacey Carr, field hockey player.
• 20 April: Fraser Anderson, rugby league player.
• 28 May: Beth Allen, actor.
• 2 June: Jack Afamasaga, rugby league player.
• 6 June: Antonia Prebble, actor.
• 7 June: Jennyfer Jewell, actor.
• 20 June: Jarrod Smith, soccer player.
• 27 June: Emma Lahana, actor.
• 28 June: Evarn Tuimavave, rugby league player.
• 13 July: Gareth Williams, actor
• 14 July: Fleur Saville, actor.
• 6 August: Jesse Ryder, cricketer.
• 12 September: Ben Townley, motocrosser.
• 6 October: Valerie Adams, athlete, Olympic gold medallist (2008 Beijing and 2012 London)
• 23 November: Jerome Ropati, rugby league player.
• 14 December: Keshia Paulse, singer.
• Vicki Lin, television presenter.

Deaths

• 23 January: Dean Goffin, composer
• 6 March: Ian Cromb, cricketer
• 20 March: Robin Tait, discus thrower
• 28 April: Sylvia Ashton-Warner, writer and educator
• 13 June: Ken Armstrong, soccer player
• 15 June: Tom Heeney, boxer
• 21 July: Adam Adamson, former mayor of Invercargill
• 13 September: Lois White, painter
• 26 November: Eliot V. Elliott, trade unionist
• 9 December: Guthrie Wilson, novelist and teacher (in Sydney)

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. 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.
4. http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=26/01 NZhistory.net
5. Exclusive interview: NZ's first test tube baby turns 25 . Donna . Chisholm . . June 2009 . 36–47 . 27 July 2014 . 13 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113061623/http://www.fertilityassociates.co.nz/Downloads/North-and-South_IVF-children-research_RF-and-FG_11.aspx . dead .
6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r18rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9dgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5909,1337552&dq=zealand+dollar+devalued+20&hl=en Daily Reporter, Iowa, 18 July 1984, pg 3
7. http://www.keesings.com/search?kssp_selected_tab=article&kssp_a_id=34039n01flk (subscription required)
8. Web site: Awards 1984 . Listing . NZ Music Awards . 28 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121030144036/http://www.nzmusicawards.co.nz/2009/10/29/1984-winners/ . 30 October 2012 .
9. Web site: List of NZ Trotting cup winners . 6 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 .
10. http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/major_race2.htm Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
11. Web site: New Zealand champion shot / Ballinger Belt winners . National Rifle Association of New Zealand . 11 October 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150125012900/http://www.nranz.com/competitions/ballinger_belt . 25 January 2015 .
12. http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/chatham_cup_records.html Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com