Today in History
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Kiwi of the Week
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Historic NZ events in June
Jun
1
1960 NZ's first official TV broadcast
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Jun
2
1917 NZ steamer captured by the Wolf
The steamer Wairuna, en route from Auckland to San Francisco, was captured by the German raider Wolf and then sunk near the Kermadec Islands. The crew of 42 was taken prisoner. more...
Jun
3
1936 Colin 'Pinetree' Meads born
The legendary All Black lock was a physically tough, uncompromising player. Rugby writer Lindsay Knight described Colin Meads as New Zealand's equivalent of Australia's Sir Donald Bradman or America's Babe Ruth in terms of sporting legends. more...
Jun
4
1943 Rail tragedy at Hyde
The Cromwell-Dunedin express, travelling at speed, derailed at Hyde, killing 21 people and injuring 47. The driver was later found guilty of manslaughter. more...
Jun
5
1866 Te Kooti deported to Chathams
The East Coast military leader and prophet was deported with Pai Marire prisoners to the Chatham Islands. He had been accused of spying for the enemy while fighting with government troops more...
Jun
6
1823 Wesleyan mission established
Samuel Leigh and William White established Wesleydale, a Wesleyan (Methodist) mission station at Kaeo. Leigh was friendly with Samuel Marsden of the Church Missionary Society and the two missions worked closely together. more...
Jun
7
1917 The Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele. New Zealanders played a prominent role in this successful action but paid a heavy price: 3700 casualties, including 700 dead. more...
1976 McDonald's arrives in NZ
The Golden Arches appeared for the first time in New Zealand at Cobham Court, Porirua. Within 20 years the American fast-food giant would have 100 outlets around the country. more...
Jun
8
1987 New Zealand becomes nuclear free
The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act was passed into law, establishing this country as a nuclear and biological weapon-free zone more...
Jun
9
1868 Titokowaru's war begins
Three settlers were killed near Ketemarae, Hawera, by Nga Ruahine warriors acting on the spiritual leader's orders. The deaths marked a change in strategy in response to protests over the confiscation of Maori land. more...
Jun
10
1886 Eruption of Mt Tarawera
The eruption lasted six hours and caused massive destruction. Several villages were destroyed, along with the famous silica hot springs known as the Pink and White Terraces. Around 120 people, mainly Maori, lost their lives more...
Links
- Scenery preservation in New Zealand
- New Zealand disasters timeline
- Mt Tarawera (Chch City Libraries)
- The story of Tarawera (Anheizen)
- Painting of the eruption (Timeframes)
- The Tarawera eruption (Te Ara)
- Historic volcanic activity (Te Ara)
- Disasters and mishaps (1966 encyclopaedia)
- Tarawera phantom canoe (1966 encyclopaedia)
- Memorial to Edwin Bainbridge (Flickr)
1906 Death of Richard Seddon
Known as 'King Dick', Seddon had dominated the New Zealand political scene since the early 1890s. His Liberal party government is widely credited with establishing the tradition of state welfare in this country more...
Jun
11
1901 Cornwall Park gifted to Auckland
At a civic reception for the visiting Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, Mayor John Logan Campbell handed over the deed to land below One Tree Hill. The park was named in honour of the royals. more...
Jun
12
1942 First US troops land in Auckland
Between 1942 and 1944 about 100,000 American servicemen were stationed in New Zealand, in support of the Allies' counter offensive against Japan. This ‘American invasion’ brought a considerable clash of cultures. more...
Jun
13
1866 Murder on the Maungatapu track
Having killed George Dobson a fortnight earlier, and a prospector the day before, the Burgess Gang continued their killing spree on the road between Canvastown and Nelson. Four men were ambushed and murdered in a crime that stunned the colony more...
Links
- The Maungatapu murders
- Maungatapu Murders (Crime NZ)
- Letter from George Dobson (Archives NZ Christchurch)
- Former Provincial Buildings Fire Engine House (Historic Places Trust)
- Richard Burgess biography (DNZB)
- Maungatapu mountain killings (1966 encyclopaedia)
- Philip Levy biography (1966 encyclopaedia)
- Joseph Sullivan biography (1966 encyclopaedia)
Jun
14
1984 Muldoon calls snap election
Prime Minister Robert Muldoon surprisingly announced a snap election for 14 July. He hoped to catch the opposition Labour Party underprepared, but the gamble backfired and National suffered a heavy defeat. more...
Jun
15
1935 Lovelock wins ‘Mile of the century’
In June 1935 Lovelock returned to Princeton – the scene of his 1933 world record – to compete against the world's top milers in what the media later dubbed the ‘Mile of the Century’ more...
1959 Chinese gooseberry becomes kiwifruit
The prominent produce company Turners and Growers announced they would now export the Chinese gooseberry under the name 'kiwifruit'. First introduced here in 1904, kiwifruit are now grown worldwide, with New Zealand-grown fruit marketed as 'Zespri' more...
Jun
16
1923 Baby-farmer Daniel Cooper hanged
Following in the footsteps of the infamous Minnie Dean, the murder trial of Daniel and Martha Cooper revealed that 'baby farming' was still considered a solution to the problem of unwanted children in 1920s New Zealand. more...
Jun
17
1843 The Wairau incident
Sometimes known as the ‘Wairau Affray’ or ‘Wairau Massacre’, this was the first serious clash of arms between Maori and the British settlers after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Four Maori and 22 Europeans were killed. more...
Jun
18
1895 Minnie Dean goes on trial
Minnie Dean's trial for murdering a baby placed in her care began at the Invercargill Supreme Court. The 'Winton baby-farmer' was found guilty three days later and hanged on 12 August more...
Jun
19
1940 Niagara sunk by German mines off Northland
The Second World War arrived in New Zealand with a bang when the trans-Pacific liner Niagara was sunk by a German mine off the Northland coast. All 349 on board were rescued. more...
Jun
20
1987 All Blacks win the first World Cup
With tries to Michael Jones, John Kirwan and captain David Kirk, the All Blacks defeated France 29-9 at Eden Park. Kirk became the first (and so far only) All Black captain to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy more...
Jun
21
1964 The Beatles land in NZ
Beatlemania hit New Zealand when 7000 hysterical fans greeted the Fab Four in Wellington during their 'Far East' tour more...
Jun
22
1954 Parker-Hulme murder in Christchurch
Armed with a brick in a stocking, 16-year-old Pauline Parker and her best friend Juliet Hulme, 15, became two of New Zealand's most notorious murderesses when they killed Pauline's mother, Honora, in Victoria Park, Christchurch more...
Jun
23
1973 World court condemns French nuclear tests
The International Court of Justice's ruling was part of New Zealand's long campaign to end French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The French ignored the court's injunction to cease testing more...
Jun
24
1905 New Zealand Truth hits the newstands
Truth prided itself on being 'the champion of the little person and the scourge of corruption and scandal in high places'. At its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, one in two New Zealand households bought the paper. more...
Jun
25
1860 Death of the first Maori King
The Maori King movement was formed in the late 1850s in an attempt to unite the tribes, prevent land sales and make laws for Maori to follow. Potatau Te Wherowhero became the first Maori King in 1858, but died two years later. more...
Links
- Potatau Te Wherowhero - Maori King movement
- Turangawaewae House - Maori Parliament Building (Historic Places Trust)
- Potatau Te Wherowhero biography (DNZB)
- Tamihana Te Rauparaha biography (DNZB)
- Matene Te Whiwhi biography (DNZB)
- Wiremu Tamihana biography (DNZB)
- The King Movement (Te Ara)
- Waikato (Te Ara)
Jun
26
1918 Wimmera sunk by German mine
The steamer Wimmera, bound from Auckland to Sydney, struck a mine laid the year before by the German raider Wolf north of Cape Maria van Diemen. Twenty-six of its 151 passengers and crew were lost. more...
Jun
27
1975 Mark Williams hits No. 1
'Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life' topped the New Zealand music charts for three weeks. Williams successfully combined soul and pop with an image that merged glam rock with disco. more...
Jun
28
1973 HMNZS Otago sails for Mururoa test zone
Prime Minister Kirk told the crew of the Otago that by sailing to France's nuclear testing area they would act as a 'silent witness with the power to bring alive the conscience of the world' more...
Jun
29
1990 World's first female Anglican bishop appointed
Dr Penny Jamieson, who was first ordained as a priest in 1985, became the Anglican bishop of Dunedin − the first woman in the world to hold such a position. She retired in 2004 more...
Jun
30
1939 First issue of NZ Listener published
Free to all 380,000 radio licence holders, the New Zealand Listener soon expanded its original brief, which was to publicise radio programmes. Today it is the country's only national weekly current affairs and entertainment magazine. more...
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