Today in History
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Historic NZ events in March
Mar
1
1901 Skippers Bridge opened
At 96 metres long and 90 metres high, the suspension bridge over the
1886 Maungatautari Whare Uta (Maori bank) created
The bank was opened in response to Maori concerns that they were being cheated by Pakeha bankers, but it did not prove a success. more...
Mar
2
1865 Missionary Carl Volkner killed at Opotiki
Völkner's killers maintained that he had been acting as a government agent. In the aftermath land was confiscated and allocated to military settlers. more...
Mar
3
1960 Barry Crump's novel A good keen man published
Barry Crump established himself as the iconic 'Kiwi bloke'. Before his death in 1996, he published 25 books that captured the humour and personalities of rural New Zealand. more...
Mar
4
1855 Legendary sheep rustler James Mackenzie caught
Mackenzie managed to escape but was re-captured at Lyttelton on 15 March. Sentenced to five years' imprisonment, he was unconditionally pardoned in January 1856. more...
Mar
5
1830 Outbreak of the Girl's War at Kororareka
Ururoa, the brother-in-law of Hongi Hika, responds to a rival who has cursed him and his Ngai Tawake people after a fight between girls on the beach at Kororareka. Many are killed in the conflict that follows. more...
Mar
6
1947 Debut performance of NZ Symphony Orchestra
The success of the Centennial Festival Orchestra in 1940 encouraged the government to form a permanent National Orchestra, but the war delayed its establishment until 1946. more...
Mar
7
1842 First official execution in NZ
17-year-old Maketu was hanged at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets in Auckland for the 1841 murder of Elizabeth Roberton, her two children, and two other adults.
more...Mar
8
1929 First 'talkie' draws huge crowds in Wellington
Moviegoers flocked to see Street Angel, a silent picture with a recorded musical soundtrack, at Wellington's Paramount Theatre. There were also five 'talkie shorts', including an interview with the King of Spain. more...
Mar
9
1956 Death of Opo the friendly dolphin
Opononi George or Opo was a bottlenosed dolphin who warmed the hearts of thousands of people at Opononi in the Hokianga Harbour in 1955-56. more...
Mar
10
1869 New Zealand Cross created
This medal was created because New Zealand's local military were not eligible for the Victoria Cross. Only 23 were awarded, making it one of the rarest military honours in the world. more...
Mar
11
1845 The fall of Kororareka
As 600 warriors led by Kawiti and Hone Heke descended on Kororareka, citizens were evacuated to the ships Victoria and Active. For the fourth and last time, the flagstaff on Maiki Hill was cut down. more...
Links
Mar
12
1864 Arthur's Pass 'discovered'
Arthur, George and Edward Dobson were searching for the route between Christchurch and the West Coast that chief Tarapuhi had told them about. more...
Mar
13
1956 NZ's first test cricket victory
After 22 losses and 22 draws in 26 years of test cricket, New Zealand defeated the West Indies by 190 runs in the fourth test at Eden Park.
more...
Mar
14
1980 Split Enz hit No.1 with 'I got you'
The band's first No. 1 hit, from the album True Colours, also reached No. 1 in Australia and Canada, and charted well in the UK and US. more...
Mar
15
1944 NZ forces capture Castle Hill at Cassino
The 6th NZ Brigade attacked the Italian town of Cassino as part of the Allies’ advance on Rome. By the time the NZ Division was withdrawn in early April, 343 New Zealanders had lost their lives. more...
1844 New Zealand Company ends colonising efforts
Having struggled financially for some years, the Company was in great difficult by early 1844 in the wake of the Wairau Affair of June 1843. more...
Mar
16
1999 NZHistory.net.nz launched
NZHistory.net.nz was launched by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Jack Elder, at a function at National Archives (now Archives New Zealand) in Wellington on 16 March 1999. more...
1940 Jockey Y-fronts hit NZ shops
'If old-fashioned underwear makes you squirm, switch to Jockey' - so claimed the adverts that also promised 'real masculine comfort' and 'no bunching discomfort'. more...
Mar
17
1860 First Taranaki war erupts at Waitara
The opening shots of the first Taranaki War were fired when Imperial troops attacked a pa built by the Te Ati Awa chief Te Rangitake at Te Kohia, Waitara. more...
Mar
18
1941 NZ troops arrive in Greece
When the Germans attacked Greece on 6 April, they quickly outflanked the Allied defenders, who were forced into a hurried retreat down the peninsula. more...
Mar
19
1839 Honey bees brought to NZ
When Mary Bumby landed at the Wesleyan Mission Station at Mangungu, Hokianga, in March 1839 she brought two hives of honey bees from Sydney. more...
1946 Jayforce lands in Japan
4000 New Zealand troops arrived as part of a 40,000-strong Commonwealth Occupation Force, working alongside the United States military forces, which had occupied most of Japan. more...
Mar
20
1834 NZ's first flag chosen
Chiefs from the Far North met with James Busby at Waitangi to choose the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which was recognised by the British admiralty. more...
Mar
21
2003 Race Relations Day celebrated for first time
Race Relations Day was first formally celebrated in 2003 with the theme 'Hands Up for Kiwis of Every Race and Place'. more...
Mar
22
1994 Kiwis win Oscars for 'The piano'
Anna Paquin was the first New Zealander to win an Oscar for acting and the second youngest recipient in Oscar history. Jane Campion's award was for best original screenplay. more...
Mar
23
1848 The John Wickliffe anchors at Port Chalmers
The first of the Otago Association's immigrant ships brought Scottish settlers escaping an economic depression as well as a split between the Church of Scotland and the Free Church Presbyterians. more...
Mar
24
1770 Ngati Kahu kidnap victim dies at sea on French ship
The Ngati Kahu leader Ranginui died at sea having been taken from Doubtless Bay by the French explorer de Surville more...
Mar
25
1847 Wakefield and Featherston duel
Featherston, editor of the Wellington Independent, had indirectly accused Wakefield, the New Zealand Company's principal agent, of being a thief. Neither man was hurt in the duel. more...
1940 John A. Lee expelled from Labour Party
Lee's criticisms of the dying Prime Minister M.J. Savage's leadership and his dissatisfaction with economic policy led to his expulsion from the Labour Party. Savage died two days later. more...
Mar
26
1896 Brunner mine disaster kills 65
Killed by blast and gas, the victims made up almost half of Brunner's underground workforce. It remains the worst industrial accident in New Zealand history. more...
Mar
27
1984 Trades Hall bombing
A suitcase bomb exploded in Wellington's Trades Hall, killing the caretaker Ernie Abbott. No one has ever been arrested for the crime. more...
1883 The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand
Two English Salvation Army officers landed at Port Chalmers to set up a New Zealand branch of the Christian evangelical movement.
more...Mar
28
1955 NZ cricketers skittled for 26
Bert Sutcliffe top-scored with 11 runs as New Zealand was skittled for the lowest total in test cricket history – a mere 26 runs. more...
1983 Signing of CER strengthens Tasman trade ties
New Zealand and Australia formally signed the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement, strengthening trade ties between the Tasman neighbours.
more...Mar
29
1942 Nazi sabotage hoax
Career criminal Sydney Ross convinced the New Zealand government that a Nazi sabotage cell was operating in New Zealand.
more...
Mar
30
1967 Fred Ladd flies plane under Auckland Harbour Bridge
Well-known Auckland aviator Fred Ladd illegally flew his Widgeon amphibian aircraft under the Auckland Harbour Bridge. more...
Mar
31
1940 Funeral of Labour PM Savage
The train carrying Savage's body north to Auckland made 20 stops allowing thousands of people to pay their last respects. Huge crowds lined the route to his burial site at Bastion Point. more...
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