1931 in New Zealand

Population

* Estimated Population as of 31 December: 1,522,800 [http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/24107FC8-E7B5-4CF2-B17C-15E31CCA7D05/0/HistoricalPop.xls]
* Increase since previous 31/12/1930: 16,000 (1.06%)
* Males per 100 Females: 103.8

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

*Head of State - George V
*Governor-General - The Lord Bledisloe GCMG KBE PC [Statistics New Zealand: "New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990". ISSN 0078-0170 page 52]

Government

The 23rd New Zealand Parliament continued with the coalition of the United Party and the Labour Party with the Reform Party in opposition. During the year the agreement between United and Labour collapsed due to differing opinions on how to counter the Great Depression. The Reform Party, fearing that the Depression would give Labour a substantial boost, reluctantly agreed to form a coalition with United to avert elections. By forming a coalition, United and Reform were able to blunt Labour's advantage, ending the possibility of the anti-Labour vote being split and the general election in December saw the United/Reform coalition winning a majority.

*Speaker of the House - Charles Statham (Independent)
*Prime Minister - George William Forbes
*Minister of Finance - George William Forbes (United) until 22nd September, then William Downie Stewart (Reform)
*Minister of Foreign Affairs - George William Forbes
*Attor - Thomas Sidey until 22nd September, then William Downie Stewart

Parliamentary opposition

* Leader of the Opposition - Gordon Coates (Reform) until September 22nd, then Harry Holland (Labour). [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 - George Baildon, succeeded by George Hutchison
*Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand - John Robert Fow, succeeded by Frances Dewsbury Pinford
*Mayor of Wellington - George Troup, succeeded by Thomas Hislop
*Mayor of Christchurch - J. K. Archer, succeeded by Daniel Giles Sullivan
*Mayor of Dunedin - Robert Sheriff Black

Events

* 7 January: Australian aviator Guy Menzies makes the first solo flight across the Tasman sea, starting from Sydney and ending 11 hours 45 minutes later with a crash landing in a swamp near Harihari on the West Coast [ [http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=07/01 Today in History | NZHistory ] ]
* 3 February: The Hawkes Bay earthquake, New Zealand's worst, kills 256 people, mainly in Napier and Hastings
* 8 February: A Desoutter aircraft of Dominion Airline crashed near Wairoa, killing all three people aboard. This is the first fatality on a scheduled air service in New Zealand. [ [http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=08/02 nzhistory.net.nz] ]

Arts and literature

See 1931 in art, 1931 in literature,

Music

See: 1931 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: , 1931 in film , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand,

Appointments and awards

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

port

* See: 1931 in sports ,

Cricket

Horse racing

See

Rugby

,
* Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

occer

* Chatham Cup won by Tramurewa (Auckland)

Births

*2 July, Robin Gray, politician and Speaker of the House of Representitives
* 23 July, Princess Piki Mahuta, later Dame Te Atairangikaahu, 6th Māori monarch
* 22 August: Maurice Gee, novellist and screenwriter
* 5 September: William Bell, cricketer
* September 15: Lincoln Hurring, swimmer
* 18 December: Noel McGregor, cricketer

* Bryce Harland, diplomat
* Mike Hinge, artist and illustrator
* Ralph Hotere, artist
* Thomas de Vere (Pat) Hunt, politician.

Deaths

* 9 September: Elsdon Best, ethnographer
* 28 October: Edward Robert Tregear, surveyor, public servant, linguist

* Peter Cheal, surveyor.
* Sir John Luke, politician, Mayor of Wellington.
* Owen Merton, painter.

References

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 1931 not specifically related to New Zealand see": 1931