1908 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

*Head of State - Edward VII
*Governor - The Lord Plunket GCMG KCVO [Statistics New Zealand: "New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990". ISSN 0078-0170 page 52]

Government

The 16th New Zealand Parliament, Liberal concluded but the Liberal Party retained in power following the 1908 General Election in November/December
*Speaker of the House - Sir Arthur Guinness
*Prime Minister - Joseph Ward
*Minister of Finance - Joseph Ward
* Attorney-General - John Findlay

Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition - William Massey, (Independent). [Cite web|url=http://www.elections.org.nz/democracy/leaders-opposition.html|title=Elections NZ - Leaders of the Opposition|accessdate=2008-04-06]

Main centre leaders

*Mayor of Auckland - Arthur Myers
*Mayor of Hamilton - James Shiner Bond
*Mayor of Wellington - Thomas Hislop
*Mayor of Christchurch - George Payling then C. Allison
*Mayor of Dunedin - John Loudon then John McDonald

Events

January

* 2 January: description

February

March

April

June

July

August

* 7 August: First through passenger train on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, over temporary track north of Taonui, the 11-car Parliamentary Special carrying the Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward and other parliamentarians north to see the American Great White Fleet at Auckland.

eptember

October

November

* 6 November: The North Island Main Trunk Railway linking Wellington and Auckland is completed, with the last spike driven in by Prime Minister Joseph Ward at Manganui-o-te-Ao.
* 9 November: A two-day NIMT rail passenger service service starts, with an overnight stop at Ohakune.

December

* 2 December: Dunedin Public Library opens, aided by a grant from Andrew Carnegie.

*See also Current events in Australia and New Zealand

Arts and literature

See 1908 in art, 1908 in literature,

Music

See: 1908 in music

Film

See: , 1908 in film , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand,

Appointments and awards

See:
*Archbishop of New Zealand
*Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia , see appointments to Diocese

port

* See: 1908 in sports ,

=Olympic Games=

*New Zealand competed in the Australasian team, and Harry Kerr became the first New Zealander to win an Olympic medal.

Horse racing

* Auckland Cup - All Red
* AJC Derby -
* CJC New Zealand Cup -
* New Zealand Trotting Cup - Durbar
* Wellington Cup -

Rugby league

* New Zealand national rugby league team tour of Great Britain:
** lost to Wales, 9 - 8
** 1st test: lost to Great Britain 8 - 5 at Cheltenham
** 2nd test: beat Great Britain 18 - 6 at Chelsea
** 3rd test: beat Great Britain 14 - 6 at leeds

Rugby Union

* Auckland defended the Ranfurly Shield against Marlborough (32-0), Wellington (24-3), Taranaki (9-0) and Otago (11-5)

Tennis

*Anthony Wilding of New Zealand paired with Australian Norman Brookes as the Australasian team to win the Davis Cup, beating the United States 3-2. The final was held in Melbourne.
*Anthony Wilding partnered with Norman Brookes won the men's doubles at the Wimbledon Championship

Births

* 12 March: Rita Angus, painter.
* 2 June: Lindsay Weir, cricketer.
* 5 June: Les George, rugby player.
* 18 August: Bill Merritt, cricketer.
* 21 September: Charles Upham, double Victoria Cross winner.
* 25 September: Herbert Dudley Purves, medical researcher.
* 17 December: Sylvia Ashton-Warner, writer and educator.

* Fred Baker, soldier.

Deaths

* 20 May: Albert Henry Baskerville, rugby league pioneer

* Edward Connolly, politician.
* Henry Feldwick, politician.

ee also

*List of years in New Zealand
*Timeline of New Zealand history
*History of New Zealand
*Military history of New Zealand
*Timeline of environmental history of New Zealand
*Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

"For world events and topics in 1908 not specifically related to New Zealand see": 1908

References