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Nov
1
A world first, the act gave a small means-tested pension to destitute older people 'deemed to be of good character'; Chinese were specifically excluded. It is considered one of the major achievements of Richard Seddon's Liberal government. more...
Nov
2
The 2nd New Zealand Division opened the way for British armour, allowing the Allies to make a breakthrough at El Alamein in Egypt, forcing the Axis forces to retreat. more...
Nov
3
Henry Reynolds' new factory at Pukekura, Waikato, produced its first butter. The brand name was allegedly inspired by a tattoo worn by one of Reynolds' workers. more...
The trial proved popular with most New Zealanders and daylight saving of one hour (from October to March) was made permanent in 1975. more...
Nov
4
Ridden by Jimmy Pike, the New Zealand-bred (but Australian-owned) wonder-horse beat Second Wind by two lengths to claim one of his greatest victories. more...
Nov
5
Parihaka had come to symbolise opposition and protest to the confiscation of Maori land. Its leaders, Te Whiti and Tohu Kakahi, were arrested and exiled until March 1883. more...
Nov
6
The last spike was driven home by Prime Minister Ward at Manganuioteao, between National Park and Ohakune. A regular express service between Auckland and Wellington began in February 1909. more...
Nov
7
Long-haired Christchurch mountaineers John Glasgow and Peter Gough became the first to successfully scale the 2000-metre Caroline Face of Aoraki/Mt Cook, declaring it a ‘triumph for the hippies’ more...
Captained by John Lort Stokes, the paddle steamer Acheron spent four years charting the New Zealand coastline. more...
Nov
8
Griff Maclaurin and Steve Yates were part of the International Column of anti-fascist volunteers who marched into Madrid, bolstering the city's defences against the assault of General Franco's rebel armies. They were killed in battle within two days of arriving more...
More than 2.6 million people visited the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition which ran from 8 November 1939 to 4 May 1940 at Rongotai, Wellington. more...
Nov
9
Captain Cook and the astronomer Charles Green observed the transit of Mercury at Te Whanganui-a-hei (Mercury Bay) on the Coromandel Peninsula. more...
The Immigration Restriction Amendment Act 1920 made it necessary for immigrants to apply for a permanent residence permit before they arrived in New Zealand. more...
Nov
10
Te Kooti and his supporters attacked Matawhero in Poverty Bay, killing approximately 60 people – roughly equal numbers of Maori and Pakeha. more...
Nov
11
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month marks the moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front in 1918, with the signing of the Armistice more...
New Zealand’s finest pre-war passenger liner, the Union SS Co’s Awatea, was sunk by German and Italian bombers after landing Allied troops on the North African coast.
more...Nov
12
Striking worker Fred Evans was savagely beaten by police and strikebreakers during the bitter dispute at the goldmining town of Waihi. He died the following day. more...
Nov
13
David Gray, an Aramoana resident, began a 34-hour shooting spree that left 13 people dead. more...
Nov
14
The passage of the Social Security Amendment Act introduced the Domestic Purposes Benefit. Paid out from 1 May 1974, the DPB was set at a level that enabled sole mothers to stay home to care for their children without engaging in paid employment. more...
Grey served two terms as Governor and later one as Premier. His most notable achievement was probably his management of Maori affairs from 1845 to 1853. more...
Nov
15
Dunedin became the first centre to get a daily newspaper when William Cutten and future Premier Julius Vogel published the first issue of the Otago Daily Times. more...
In raising the British Colours in the Coromandel Peninsula, Cook claimed the area in the name of King George III. more...
Nov
16
New Zealand became a separate colony of Britain. The North, South and Stewart islands were to be known as ‘New Ulster’, ‘New Munster’, and ‘New Leinster’ more...
Nov
17
By the time it closed in May 1926 the exhibition had attracted over 3.2 million visitors, more than double New Zealand's total population at the time. more...
Nov
18
En route to Auckland with immigrants, the Cospatrick caught fire off the Cape of Good Hope. The tragedy has been described as New Zealand's worst civil disaster. more...
Nov
19
The foundation was established in Australia by the Kiwi-born ophthalmologist (eye doctor) to treat eye problems in some of the world's poorer countries. Within six years 200,000 people had their sight restored via cataract surgery. more...
Nov
20
George Sellars narrowly escaped serious injury when he was able to sway his parachute just in time to avoid crashing through the glass roof of the Winter Gardens during the Farmers' Christmas parade. more...
Maketu Wharetotara, the 17-year-old son of the Nga Puhi chief Ruhe, killed five people at Motuarohia in the Bay of Islands. In March 1842 he became the first person to be officially executed in this country. more...
Nov
21
More British were killed at 'Bloody Rangiriri' than in any other battle of the New Zealand Wars. But the British success opened the Waikato basin to the Imperial forces. more...
Nov
22
The First World War hero was British-born but New Zealand raised. He proved to be a charismatic and popular military leader who would later serve a term as Governor-General. more...
Nov
23
On 18 November 1947 Ballantynes, a Christchurch department store that was a local institution, suffered the worst fire in New Zealand's history. The bodies of the 41 victims were buried at Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Bromley, after a civic funeral. more...
Nov
24
All hands were lost when the modern coastal freighter Holmglen foundered off the South Canterbury coast. The cause of the tragedy was never established. more...
Nov
25
By winning the world light-heavyweight championship, Timaru boxer Bob Fitzsimmons became the first man ever to be world champion in three different weight divisions. more...
Nov
26
The National Party, led by Keith Holyoake, swept into power, defeating Walter Nash's Labour Party, which had held office for the previous three years. more...
Nov
27
The 16,712-ton New Zealand Shipping Company liner Rangitane was intercepted and sunk 300 nautical miles off East Cape, with the loss of 15 lives. more...
The formidable Ngati Toa leader had ruled the lower end of the North Island from his base at Kapiti Island for the best part of 20 years. more...
Nov
28
Flight TE901, an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight over Antarctica, crashed into the lower slopes of Mt Erebus, near Scott Base, killing all 257 passengers and crew on board. more...
New Zealand women went to the polls for the first time, just ten weeks after the Governor signed the Electoral Act 1893, making this country the first in the world to enfranchise all adult women. more...
An Air NZ Airbus A320 crashed off the coast of France. All seven people on board, including five New Zealanders, were killed. It was 29 years to the day since Air NZ Flight TE901 crashed in Antarctica killing all 257 on board more...
Nov
29
In winning the Onehunga mayoralty, Elizabeth Yates struck another blow for the rights of women the day after the first general election in which women could vote. more...
Nov
30
After 14 years of Labour government, voters seem to have tired of wartime shortages and regulations. The National Party will be in power for 29 of the next 35 years. more...