1918 in New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George V
• Governor-General – The Earl of Liverpool'''

  Government

• Speaker of the House – Frederic Lang
• Prime Minister – William Massey
• Minister of Finance – Joseph Ward
• Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

  Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward. Ward retained that title even though he was part of the coalition government.

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
• Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Holland
• Mayor of Dunedin – James John Clark

  Events

• 19–20 March: Raetihi Forest Fire kills 3 and destroys over 150 homes.
• Early October: The first cases of Spanish flu are recorded in Auckland.
• 12 October: Troop ship RMS Niagara returns, carrying a number of people ill with influenza. It is not quarantined. William Massey and Joseph Ward are aboard. Although later cited as the cause of the Spanish flu epidemic, 6 persons had already died in the 3 days preceding its arrival.
• 18 November: Influenza is "hastily" gazetted as a notifiable disease.
• December: The flu epidemic eases. Over 8600 have died including at least 1260 Māori.
• 2 December: Aviation Act 1918, to control aviation in New Zealand, is passed by Parliament.

  Undated

• Parliament moves into Parliament House although it is not yet completed.

  Arts and literature

Music

Film

Sport

Golf

• The New Zealand Open championship was not held due to the war.

  Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Author Dillon
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Harold Junior

  Lawn bowls

• Men's singles champion – W. Foster
• Men's pair champions – W.M. Hogg, E. Harraway
• Men's fours champions – W. Robson, J. Spinks, E. Falconer, C.R. Smith

  Rugby union

• The Ranfurly Shield is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

  Soccer

• Auckland: North Shore
• Canterbury: Excelsior
• Hawke's Bay: Waipukurau
• Otago: Southern Dunedin
• Southland: No competition
• Wanganui: No competition
• Wellington: Porirua

  Births

January–March

• 4 January – Anne Elder, ballet dancer, poet
• 5 January
• * Roy Cowan, potter, illustrator, printmaker
• * Margaret Marks, cricketer
• 7 January – Colin Snedden, cricket player and commentator
• 11 January – John Mackey, Roman Catholic bishop
• 15 January – Arthur Kinsella, politician
• 28 January – Trevor Skeet, lawyer, politician
• 5 February – Joe Ongley, cricket player and administrator, lawyer, jurist
• 24 February − Daniel Watkins, agrochemical distributor and manufacturer
• 26 February – Lloyd Geering, theologian
• 27 February – Brian Carbury, World War II fighter pilot
• 14 March – Ivan Lichter, thoracic surgeon, palliative care pioneer
• 17 March – Patrick Eisdell Moore, otolaryngologist
• 21 March – Lloyd White, diplomat
• 25 March – Nazmi Mehmeti, Muslim community leader
• 30 March – Elva Bett, artist, art historian, art gallery director

  April–June

• 6 April – Jimmy Kemp, cricketer
• 7 April – Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, soldier, Victoria Cross recipient
• 16 April – Roger Mirams, film producer and director
• 18 April – Patrick O'Dea, public servant
• 27 April – Douglas Dumbleton, cricket player and umpire
• 11 May – John O'Sullivan, cricketer
• 18 May – Walter Metcalf, physical chemist
• 19 May – Nevile Lodge, cartoonist
• 26 May – Freda Bream, author
• 8 June – George Edward Hughes, philosopher and logician
• 22 June – Mana Strickland, Cook Islands educator and politician
• 27 June – Edgar Kain, World War II fighter pilot

  July–September

• 31 July – Frank Renouf, businessman, philanthropist
• 8 August – Logan Sloane, politician
• 9 August – Frank Rennie, soldier
• 12 August – Sid Hurst, farmer
• 30 August – Laurie Francis, diplomat and lawyer
• 11 September – Desmond Scott, World War II fighter pilot
• 15 September – Phil Lamason, World War II bomber pilot and prisoner-of-war leader
• 21 September – Avis Higgs, textile designer, painter
• 23 September – Douglas Bagnall, air force officer

  October–December

• 1 October – Gloria Rawlinson, writer and editor
• 4 October – Gordon Burgess, cricket player and administrator
• 8 October – Olga Jekyll, fencer
• 22 October – Marcel Stanley, philatelist
• 24 October – Frank O'Flynn, lawyer, politician
• 2 November – Robbie Robson, lawn bowls player
• 4 November – Sidney Koreneff, World War II French resistance worker, newspaper managing director, Anglican priest
• 12 November – Denis Miller, World War II bomber pilot, airline pilot
• 15 November – Neil Williams, water polo player
• 16 November – Frank Newhook, plant pathologist
• 23 November – Gordon Bisson, jurist
• 29 November – Mick Holland, speedway rider, stock car racing pioneer
• 9 December – Harold Cassie, cricket umpire
• 12 December – Neville Thornton, rugby union player, school principal

  Exact date unknown

• The Hawk, Thoroughbred racehorse
• Night Raid, Thoroughbred racehorse

  Deaths

January–March

• 8 January – Taare Parata, politician
• 2 February – Arthur Hume, public servant
• 3 February – Ernest Hoben, rugby union administrator
• 6 February – Sir Henry Miller, politician
• 17 February – Harry Bedford, politician, university lecturer
• 18 February – William Morgan, politician
• 20 February – Gerhard Mueller, surveyor, engineer, land commissioner
• 24 February
• * Luke Adams, potter
• * Victor Spencer, soldier
• 12 March – Andrew Maginnity, politician
• 29 March – Harry Fulton, army officer

  April–June

• 9 April – Hubert Turtill, rugby union and rugby league player
• 30 April – Eric Harper, rugby union player, athlete
• 9 May – Richard Hutton Davies, soldier
• 11 May – Felix Hunger, farmer, coloniser
• 4 June – Hāmiora Mangakāhia, Ngāti Whanaunga leader, politician
• 9 June – Charles Fell, barrister, artist, politician, mayor of Nelson
• 11 June – Charles Gray, politician, mayor of Christchurch
• 13 June – Charles Johnston, politician, mayor of Wellington
• 28 June – Alexander Turnbull, bibliophile

  July–September

• 10 July – Charles Rawlins, politician
• 14 July – Samuel Farr, architect
• 22 July – Thomas Tanner, politician
• 23 July
• * William Barnes, blacksmith, labour reformer
• * Albert Rowland, race walker
• 25 July – Richard Travis, soldier, Victoria Cross recipient
• 30 July – Alexander Hatrick, merchant, shipowner, tourist entrepreneur, politician, mayor of Wanganui
• 31 July – Henry Suter, zoologist
• 20 August
• * William Campbell, Presbyterian minister
• * Richard Meredith, politician
• 24 August – Samuel Forsyth, soldier, VIctoria Cross recipient
• 25 August – Jack Arnst, racing cyclist
• 4 September – Robert Fletcher, politician
• 6 September – Elizabeth Yates, first female mayor in the British Empire
• 8 September – Tony Foster, school principal and inspector, university lecturer
• 11 September – Ernie Dodd, rugby union player
• 13 September – Henry Okey, politician
• 14 September – Charles Macintosh, rugby union player, politician, mayor of Timaru
• 22 September – Joseph Joel Hammond, aviator
• 29 September
• * George McMurtry, chemical engineer, mining manager, orchardist
• * Lawrence Weathers, soldier, Victoria Cross recipient

  October–December

• 23 October – Henry James Nicholas, soldier, Victoria Cross recipient
• 29 October – Charles Adams, surveyor, astronomer, public servant
• 1 November – Albert Gourlay, Australian rules footballer
• 5 November – Jimmy Ridland, rugby union player
• 6 November – George Stephenson, auctioneer, rugby player, impresario
• 11 November – Andrew Rutherford, politician
• 13 November – Alfred Hindmarsh, politician
• 15 November – Iraia Te Whaiti, farmer, Ngāti Kahungunu leader and historian
• 16 November – Ned Sale, cricketer
• 17 November – Helen Smith, clothing manufacturer and retailer
• 18 November – David Buick, politician
• 21 November – William Gibbes, cricketer
• 23 November – Michael Verdon, Roman Catholic bishop
• 28 November – Margaret Cruickshank, doctor
• 29 November – Heremia Te Wake, Te Rarawa leader, catechist
• 8 December – Margaret Burn, school teacher and principal
• 10 December – Francis Petre, architect
• 12 December – Louis Steele, artist and engraver
• 18 December – Jim Gilmour, rugby league player