1951 in New Zealand

← 1950 1949 1948 1951 in New Zealand → 1952 1953 1954
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	Other events of 1951 Timeline of New Zealand history

The year was dominated by the 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute.

New Zealand entered a mutual defence pact with the United States and Australia - ANZUS.

Population

A census was held in 1951.

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,970,500^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1950: 42,800 (2.22%)
• Males per 100 females: 100.9

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State - George VI
• Governor-General - Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO^[2]

Government

The 29th New Zealand Parliament continued. In power was the National government under Sidney Holland. The general election saw the governing National Party re-elected with a twenty-seat margin, a substantial improvement on the twelve-seat margin it previously held.

The New Zealand Legislative Council voted itself out of existence, making New Zealand a unicameral democracy.^[3]

• Speaker of the House - Mathew Oram
• Prime Minister - Sidney Holland
• Deputy Prime Minister - Keith Holyoake
• Minister of Finance - Sidney Holland
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Frederick Doidge then Clifton Webb

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Vacant until 17 January, then Walter Nash (Labour).^[4]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Allum
• Mayor of Hamilton - Harold David Caro
• Mayor of Wellington - Robert Macalister
• Mayor of Christchurch - Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin - Leonard Morton Wright

Events

• The Official Secrets Act is passed.

• 15 February: The start of the "1951 Waterfront dispute" a massive labor strike lasting for 151 days.

• 1 September: Signing of the ANZUS treaty.

Arts and literature

See 1951 in art, 1951 in literature, Category:1951 books

Music

See: 1951 in music

Radio and television

• Experimental television broadcasts had been allowed from 1951 (as long as they included nothing that could be classed as 'entertainment').

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1951 film awards, 1951 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1951 films

Sport

Athletics

• George Bromley wins his fourth national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:48:16 on 3 March in Wellington.

Chess

• The 58th National Chess Championship was held in Christchurch, and was won by D.I. Lynch of Hastings.^[5]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Van Dieman^[6]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Soangetaha^[7]

Rugby league

• The 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand is conducted

Rugby union

• Bledisloe Cup: New Zealand beat Australia in all three tests, winning back the cup.
• Ranfurly Shield: North Auckland defended the shield against Bay of Plenty (16-12) and Thames Valley (19-6) before losing it to Waikato (3-6). Waikato then defended successfully against Auckland (14-6), Bay of Plenty (32-10), Taranaki (21-12) and Wanganui (14-0).

Soccer

• The New Zealand national soccer team played 9 matches, 6 of them internationals:^[8]
  • 11 August, Wellington: NZ 3 - 1 Victoria (Australia)
  • 10 September, Auckland: NZ 2 - 0 Auckland
  • 15 September, Suva: NZ 6 - 1 Suva
  • 19 September, Nouméa: NZ 0 - 2 New Caledonia
  • 22 September, Nouméa: NZ 6 - 4 New Caledonia
  • 24 September, Nouméa: NZ 0 - 2 New Caledonia
  • 30 September, Nouméa: NZ 3 - 1 New Caledonia
  • 4 October, Nouméa: NZ 9 - 0 New Hebrides
  • 7 October, Suva: NZ 6 - 4 Fiji
• The Chatham Cup is won by Eastern Suburbs of Auckland who beat Northern of Dunedin 5— 1in the final.^[9]
• Provincial league champions:^[10]
  • Auckland: Eastern Suburbs AFC
  • Buller: Millerton Thistle
  • Canterbury: Technical OB
  • Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB
  • Manawatu: St Andrews
  • Nelson: Thistle
  • Northland: Kamo Swifts
  • Otago: Northern AFC
  • Poverty Bay: Thistle
  • South Canterbury: Northern Hearts
  • Southland: Brigadiers
  • Taranaki: Old Boys
  • Waikato: Claudelands Rovers, Rotowaro (shared)
  • Wanganui: Technical College Old Boys
  • Wellington: Seatoun AFC
  • West Coast: Runanga

Births

• 8 January: Garry Moore, mayor of Christchurch.
• 24 January Dianne Macaskill, former Chief Archivist of Archives New Zealand
• 21 February: John Parker, cricketer.
• 6 March: Maurice Williamson, politician, cabinet minister
• 29 March: Geoff Howarth, cricketer.
• 22 June: Todd Hunter, musician.
• 3 July: Richard Hadlee, cricketer.
• 21 July: (in Fiji) Bernie Fraser, rugby player.
• 14 August: Vern Hanaray, road cyclist.
• 14 September: Karen Plummer, cricketer.
• 20 September: Stephen Boock, cricketer.
• 11 October: Randal Dobbs, marketing entrepreneur.
• 27 October: Rick Barker, politician.
• 16 November: Andy Dalton, rugby player.
• 21 November: Joe Karam, rugby union and rugby league player, lobbyist.
• 8 December: Paul Brydon, road and track cyclist.
• 9 December: Tuariki Delamere, politician.

• Christopher 'Marty' Johnstone, drug trafficker ('Mr Asia')
• Paul Swain, politician
• Stephen Tindall, business leader
• Maurice Williamson, politician

Deaths

• 9 January: William "Massa" Johnston, rugby and rugby league player.
• 4 November: Oscar Natzka, opera singer.
• 1 December: Te Rangi Hīroa, Māori leader (born 1877)

• Charles Tilleard Natusch, architect

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

References

External links

Media related to 1951 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons