2014 in New Zealand

Population

• New Zealand total – 4,509,900
• North Island – 3,450,800
• South Island – 1,058,500

• Auckland – 1,413,500
• Blenheim – 30,200
• Christchurch – 375,200
• Dunedin – 116,200
• Gisborne – 35,400
• Hamilton – 218,800
• Invercargill – 49,800
• Kapiti – 41,000
• Napier-Hastings – 128,800
• Nelson – 64,100
• New Plymouth – 55,600
• Palmerston North – 82,400
• Rotorua – 56,200
• Tauranga – 127,700
• Wellington – 393,600
• Whanganui – 39,200
• Whangarei – 54,400

  Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Jerry Mateparae

  Government

• Speaker of the House – David Carter
• Prime Minister – John Key
• Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English
• Leader of the House – Gerry Brownlee
• Minister of Finance – Bill English
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully

  Other party leaders

• Labour – David Cunliffe until 27 September, then from 18 November Andrew Little
• Green – Russel Norman and Metiria Turei
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Māori Party – Tariana Turia until 1 November then Marama Fox, and Te Ururoa Flavell

  Judiciary

• Chief Justice — Sian Elias

  Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Len Brown
• Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby
• Mayor of Hamilton – Julie Hardaker
• Mayor of Wellington – Celia Wade-Brown
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull

  Arts and literature

Performing arts

Events

January

• 20 January – A 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurs near Eketahuna in the Manawatu-Wanganui region, causing moderate damage in Masterton and Palmerston North.

  February

March

April

• 7–16 April – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge visit New Zealand on an official tour. It is Catherine and George's first visit to New Zealand.

  May

June

July

• 11–21 July – Severe flooding damages thousands of properties in the Northland and Auckland regions.

  August

• 13 August – Nicky Hager's book Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment is published.

  September

• 1 September – A gunman shoots dead two people and injures a third at the Work and Income office in Ashburton. The town is locked down for seven hours while police search for and apprehend the suspected gunman.
• 20 September – the 2014 general election is held.

  October

• 16 October – New Zealand is elected to the United Nations Security Council for two years on the first ballot

  November

• 18 November – Andrew Little replaces David Cunliffe as leader of the Labour Party in the 2014 leadership election.

  December

Holidays and observances

• 6 February – Waitangi Day
• 25 April – Anzac Day
• 2 June – Queen's Birthday Monday
• 27 October – Labour Day

  Sport

Basketball

• New Zealand's men's basketball team finished 15th at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup

  Commonwealth Games

Olympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of 15 competitors in five sports.

Paralympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of three competitors in one sport.

Rowing

• New Zealand Secondary School Championships
• * Maadi Cup – Hamilton Boys' High School
• * Levin 75th Jubilee Cup – Waikato Diocesan School
• * Star Trophy – Hamilton Boys' High School

  Rugby

• Ranfurly Shield – Hawke's Bay defeat Counties Manukau 27–21 to become the new holders of the shield.

  Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Diane Collings

  Births

• 13 September – Vin De Dance, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 12 November – Grunt, Thoroughbred racehorse

  Deaths

January

• 2 January – Terry Magaoa Chapman, Niuean public servant
• 15 January – Joyce Fenton, fencer
• 16 January – John G. Cleary, computer science academic, promoter of Transcendental Meditation
• 20 January
• * Graeme Dallow, police officer
• * John Mackey, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland
• 29 January – George Griffiths, historian
• 30 January
• * John Branthwaite, Anglican priest
• * Mr Tiz, Thoroughbred racehorse

  February

• 3 February – Alister Leat, judoka
• 5 February – Gary Giles, cricketer
• 11 February – Olga Jekyll, fencer
• 19 February – Graeme Lowans, cricketer
• 20 February
• * Ian McKay, Judge of the Court of Appeal
• * Anthony Whitaker, herpetologist
• 22 February – Charlotte Dawson, television personality
• 24 February – Alexis Hunter, artist
• 25 February – David McKinney, author and journalist
• 28 February – Donald Murdoch, cricketer

  March

• 5 March – Little Bridge, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 10 March – John Pring, rugby union referee
• 13 March – Vince McGlone, seaman and television personality
• 16 March – Frank Oliver, rugby union player and coach, All Blacks captain
• 19 March – Gordon Patrick, cyclist
• 20 March – Bill Toomath, architect
• 21 March – David Beaglehole, physicist
• 23 March – David Henshaw, cartoonist
• 24 March – Margaret di Menna, microbiologist
• 31 March – David Hannay, film producer

  April

• 1 April – Merimeri Penfold, Māori language academic
• 3 April – Dame Dorothy Winstone, educationalist and academic
• 6 April – Charles Farthing, doctor specialising in the treatment of HIV/AIDS
• 8 April – Ivan Mercep, architect
• 15 April
• * Jim Sprott, analytical chemist, forensic scientist
• * Sir Owen Woodhouse, naval officer, jurist, President of the Court of Appeal
• 21 April – Maria Olsen, painter and sculptor
• 26 April
• * David Brokenshire, architect, potter
• * Patrick Hanan, Sinology academic

  May

• 8 May – Allan Potts, athlete, athletics coach and administrator
• 10 May – Lane Penn, rugby union player, coach and administrator
• 11 May – Yvonne Cartier, ballet dancer and instructor, mime
• 14 May
• * Morvin Simon, composer, kapa haka leader, academic, historian
• * Warren Sinclair, radiation physicist
• 20 May – Ross Brown, rugby union player
• 21 May
• * Duncan Cole, association football player
• * Mack Herewini, rugby union player
• 22 May – Pani Stirling, educationalist
• 23 May – Sam Harvey, cartoonist
• 30 May – Peter Hall, cricketer

  June

• 9 June – William Bradfield, amateur astronomer
• 12 June – Pat Rosier, writer, editor, feminist activist
• 18 June – Ces Renwick, cricketer
• 21 June – John Heslop, surgeon, cricket administrator
• 30 June – Rik Tau, Ngāi Tahu kaumātua

  July

• 2 July – Dave Feickert, mining safety expert
• 3 July
• * Peter Dawkins, musician and record producer
• * Ramai Hayward, actor and filmmaker
• 5 July – Gugi Waaka, entertainer
• 10 July – Douglas Goodfellow, businessman and philanthropist
• 13 July
• * Con Devitt, trade union leader
• * Josh Liava'a, rugby league player
• 17 July – Ross Burden, model and celebrity chef
• 20 July – Lynda Patterson, Anglican priest
• 21 July – Kevin Skinner, rugby union player
• 22 July – Glenn Jowitt, photographer
• 25 July – Kenneth Ferries, cricketer
• 27 July
• * Eric Anderson, rugby union player and coach
• * Sir Richard Bolt, air force officer
• * Warren Dibble, poet and playwright
• 29 July – Ron Johnston, speedway rider

  August

• 5 August
• * Dave Hereora, politician and trade unionist
• * Joe McManemin, athletics coach, sports administrator, Freemason
• 10 August – Graham Gedye, cricketer
• 13 August – Jack Shallcrass, author, educator, humanist
• 16 August – Kevin Barry, rugby union player
• 19 August – Bob Glading, golfer
• 20 August – Margaret Marks, cricketer
• 22 August – Helen Mason, potter
• 27 August – Frank Corner, diplomat and public servant

  September

• 3 September
• * Dorothy Braxton, journalist
• * Mark Otway, tennis player
• 5 September – Eoin Young, motoring journalist
• 8 September – Errol Clince, hunter, engineer
• 14 September –
• * Peter Gutteridge, musician
• * Charles Littlejohn, parliamentary official
• 22 September – Ben Webb, artist
• 29 September – John Ritchie, composer, music academic

  October

• 3 October – Ewen Gilmour, comedian
• 6 October – Peg Griffin, supercentenarian, oldest person in New Zealand
• 9 October – Connell Thode, naval officer, yachtsman
• 10 October
• * Ivan Armstrong, field hockey player and coach, tennis umpire, educator
• * Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, art historian, academic and curator
• * Ernie Wiggs, rugby league player and coach
• 13 October – Yvette Bromley, stage actor and theatre director
• 14 October – Bob Neilson, rugby league player
• 18 October – Veandercross, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 21 October – Tuna Scanlan, boxer
• 26 October – Sir Tay Wilson, sports administrator
• 27 October – Ian Monro, naval officer

  November

• 2 November – Robert Tripe, actor
• 5 November – Don McLaren, animal healthcare businessman, Thoroughbred racehorse breeder, horse racing administrator
• 6 November – Len Jordan, rugby league player
• 7 November – Rough Habit, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 9 November – Jeanne Macaskill, painter
• 14 November – Dave Dephoff, athlete
• 15 November – John Sparnon, rugby league player
• 16 November – Binney Lock, journalist and newspaper editor
• 17 November – Warren Murdock, cricketer
• 20 November
• * Allan Baker, ornithologist
• * Murray Gittos, fencer
• 24 November – Peter Henderson, rugby union and rugby league player, athlete
• 30 November – Norm Holland, jockey

  December

• 1 December – Rocky Wood, writer
• 3 December – Pat O'Connor, Roman Catholic priest, Ecclesiastical Superior of Tokelau
• 12 December
• * Graham Turbott, ornithologist and zoologist
• * Alan Ward, historian
• 13 December – John Hickman, meteorologist
• 14 December – John McCraw, soil scientist and local historian
• 16 December – Jack Hazlett, rugby union player, tannery company founder
• 17 December – Leonard Kent, cricketer
• 18 December – John Beedell, canoeist
• 23 December – Nigel Priestley, earthquake engineer
• 25 December
• * Dave Comer, photographer, film location scout
• * Tom O'Donnell, medical doctor, researcher and academic
• 26 December – Judith, Lady Hay, community leader, mayoress of Christchurch
• 29 December – Sir Ivor Richardson, jurist