1860 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State — Queen Victoria
• Governor — Colonel Thomas Gore Browne leaves office on 3 October to take up the post of Governor of Tasmania. His successor is Sir George Grey who takes up the position in December.

  Government and law

• Speaker of the House — The sitting Speaker, Sir Charles Clifford, does not stand for re-election. He will be replaced in 1861 by Sir David Monro.
• Premier — Edward Stafford.
• Minister of Finance — William Richmond.
• Chief Justice — Hon George Arney

  Events

• 2 January: The Auckland Independent ceases publishing. It began in 1859.
• 6 January: The Marlborough Press publishes its first issue. The paper continues until 1948.
• 8 January: Julius von Haast begins his journey of exploration of the West Coast.
• 17 March: The assault on Te Kohia pā marks the beginning of the First Taranaki War.
• 28 March: Battle of Waireka.
• 27 June: The battle of Puketakauere is a major setback for Imperial forces.
• 28 December: Imperial forces capture Matarikoriko Pā, near Waitara.

• The Nelson Advertiser is a short-lived newspaper in the Nelson, New Zealand area.

  Arts and literature

Music

• A choral society is formed in Wellington.
• The Canterbury Vocal Union is formed by nine men in Christchurch. It shortly afterwards merges with the St. Cecilia Society and will eventually become the Royal Christchurch Music Society.

  Sport

Cricket">History of New Zealand cricket to 1863">Cricket

Horse racing

Major race winner

• New Zealand Derby – Ada

  Lawn bowls

Rowing

Shooting

Births

• 11 September: James Allan, rugby union player

  Deaths

• 8 January: Louis Catherin Servant, Catholic priest and missionary
• 30 May: Karetai, tribal leader
• 25 June: Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, first Māori King
• 6 August: William Cargill, British soldier, Otago founder and politician
• 7 August: Charles Southwell, English-born journalist, freethinker and newspaper publisher
• 4 November : Arthur Saunders Thomson, military surgeon, medical scientist, writer and historian
• 26 December: Barnet Burns, English sailor and trader

  Unknown date

• Te Rei Hanataua, tribal leader