Today in History
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Kiwi of the Week
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Historic NZ events in April
Apr
1
1965 TEAL becomes Air New Zealand
On 1 April 1965 Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), New Zealand's international air operator, was renamed Air New Zealand Limited. more...
1987 State-Owned Enterprises are born
The State-Owned Enterprises Act heralded a major overhaul of the public sector and was a key part of what was known as 'Rogernomics'. more...
Apr
2
1916 Arrest of Rua Kenana
On the morning of Sunday 2 April 1916, 57 armed police invaded the remote Tuhoe settlement of Maungapohatu in Urewera. They had come to arrest the prophet Rua Kenana. more...
Apr
3
1943 'Battle of Manners Street'
The most famous of several wartime skirmishes between New Zealanders and American servicemen, the Battle of Manners Street saw hundreds of soldiers and civilians slugging it out in Wellington. more...
Apr
4
2001 Silvia Cartwright becomes Governor General
The swearing in of Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor General saw five of the country's most powerful political and legal positions held by women. more...
Apr
5
1932 Death of Phar Lap
Two weeks after winning one of America's richest races, the Agua Caliente Handicap, the Australasian champ died of a mystery illness in California. more...
Apr
6
1864 Pai Marire ambush in Taranaki
A British patrol was ambushed by Pai Marire warriors near Oakura. Those killed were decapitated and their heads paraded by Pai Marire disciples to enlist recruits. more...
Apr
7
1856 First state secondary school opens in Nelson
The first state secondary school in New Zealand, Nelson College opened in temporary premises in Trafalgar Street with a roll of eight boys. more...
Apr
8
1873 Julius Vogel becomes Premier
Vogel was the dominant political figure of the 1870s, serving as Colonial Treasurer and Premier on several occasions, and borrowing heavily to invest in a massive public works and immigration programme. more...
Apr
9
1932 Unemployed disturbances in Dunedin
During the 'angry autumn' of 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, unemployed workers in Dunedin reacted angrily to the refusal of the Hospital Board to offer assistance. more...
Apr
10
1968 Sinking of the Wahine
The ferry Wahine, en route from Lyttelton and carrying 734 passengers and crew, struck Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour during a ferocious storm. Fifty-two lives were lost. more...
Links
- New Zealand disasters timeline
- The Wahine disaster
- Rough crossings - Cook Strait ferries
- End of the line - Lyttelton-Wellington ferries
- 1968 - key events
- The sinking of the Wahine (Wtgn city libraries)
- Wahine (NZ Maritime Museum)
- The day the Wahine went down (Wairarapa Times Age)
- 20th century shipwrecks (Te Ara)
Apr
11
1919 Soldiers' votes derail prohibition campaign
A referendum held the day before gave prohibition a 13,000 majority, but the result was overturned by the votes of 32,000 troops still overseas or in camp. more...
Apr
12
1913 HMS New Zealand begins tour of NZ
During its 10-week New Zealand tour, more than half a million people visited the battleship, which this country had gifted to the Royal Navy.
more...Apr
13
1896 NCW formed in Christchurch
The National Council of Women of New Zealand was established in Christchurch by women who had been active in the suffrage campaign. Their aim was to secure reforms to improve the status and conditions of women. more...
Apr
14
1932 Unemployed riots rock Queen Street
Hundreds of unemployed people rioted in Auckland's Queen Street for more than two hours. Trouble began after several hundred public servants marched to the Town Hall to protest against proposed wage cuts. more...
Apr
15
1885 First sod dug for North Island main trunk
Politicians and Maori leaders ceremonially turned the ‘first sod’ of the central section of the main trunk line – a project that would take 23 years to complete. more...
1868 First two Maori MPs elected to Parliament
Four Maori seats were established in 1867 and elections for Maori members were held the following year. Meant to be a temporary arrangement lasting five years, the seats became permanent in 1876. more...
Apr
16
1892 Rugby Union founded
As the popularity of rugby spread, it was considered necessary to standardise the running of the game in this country. Despite some opposition, the NZ Rugby Football Union was created at a meeting held in Wellington. more...
Apr
17
1880 First inter-city brass band contest
An audience of 2500 people was on hand for the first inter-city brass band competition held at the Drill Hall in Christchurch. The inaugural winners were the Invercargill Garrison Band. more...
Apr
18
1847 Gilfillan killings near Wanganui
A Maori raid on the Gilfillan farm at Matarawa, near Wanganui, left four family members dead. The artist John Gilfillan and one of his daughters were severely wounded. more...
Apr
19
1893 Liberals 'burst up' Cheviot Estate
In the 1890s the Liberal government was determined to break up big estates for closer settlement by small farmers. The first major purchase under this policy was the Cheviot Estate in North Canterbury. more...
Apr
20
1958 Mormon temple opens in Hamilton
This was the first temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to open in the Southern Hemisphere. more...
Apr
21
1961 First Golden Shears competition
First held at the Masterton War Memorial Stadium in 1961, the Golden Shears competition has become an icon of the shearing and wool-handling industry in New Zealand. more...
Apr
22
1936 Ratana and Labour seal alliance
The alliance between the Ratana Church and the Labour Party was cemented at an historic meeting between T.W. Ratana and Prime Minister M.J. Savage on 22 April 1936. more...
Apr
23
1979 Blair Peach killed in London
New Zealander Blair Peach was killed during a clash between police and protesters at an anti-fascism rally in Southall, London. more...
1983 Prince William meets 'buzzy bee'
The Prince and Princess of Wales played with their infant son Prince William and New Zealand's iconic children’s toy, the buzzy bee, on the lawn at Government House, Auckland. more...
Apr
24
1922 New Zealand's first poppy day
A total of 245,059 small poppies and 15,157 larger versions were sold, earning £13,166. Of that amount, £3,695 was sent to help war-ravaged areas of northern France; the remainder assisted unemployed returned soldiers and their families. more...
Apr
25
1915 NZ troops land at Gallipoli
New Zealand troops were part of the Allied invasion force that landed at what became known as Anzac Cove. Nearly 60% of the 8500 New Zealanders who served at Gallipoli would be killed, die from illness or be wounded. more...
Apr
26
1943 NZ ship torpedoed in Tasman
The Union Steam Ship Company freighter Limerick was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the New South Wales coast. Two of its crew were lost. more...
2005 Civil unions come into effect
Couples − heterosexual or homosexual − were now able to register their relationship as a civil union. All couples in New Zealand, whether married, in a civil union, or in a de facto partnership now had equal rights and obligations. more...
Apr
27
1893 Death of Premier John Ballance
Ballance was the first Liberal Premier. He laid the foundation for a government that supposedly made New Zealand ‘the social laboratory of the world’. more...
Apr
28
1864 Assault of Gate Pa begins
With artillery and 1700 men available, the British began their disastrous assault on the Ngai Te Rangi stronghold of Pukehinahina (Gate Pa), which was defended by 230 warriors. more...
Apr
29
1952 ANZUS comes into force
Representing Australia, New Zealand and the US, this treaty recognised that an armed attack in the Pacific area on one member endangered the peace and safety of the others. more...
Links
- New Zealand and the Cold War
- Political and constitutional timeline
- Nuclear-free New Zealand
- New treaties and alliances - New Zealand Forces in Asia 1948-72
- Sidney Holland
- Full text of ANZUS (Australianpolitics)
- ANZUS (Wikipedia)
- ANZUS (BBC)
- Image of ANZUS meeting (Australian War Memorial)
- New Zealand in the world (Te Ara)
- Frederick Doidge biography (DNZB)
Apr
30
1865 Ex-Governor FitzRoy commits suicide
Robert FitzRoy, the second Governor of New Zealand (1843-45), took his own life at his home in Surrey. Opinion on his governorship has always been divided. more...
1864 Pai Marire defeated at Sentry Hill Taranaki
In what was one of their first military efforts, up to 300 Pai Marire warriors attacked the British redoubt at Sentry Hill in Taranaki. Scores were killed and wounded in the resulting defeat. more...
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