1917 in New Zealand

1917 in New Zealand

Other years in New Zealand

1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 (1917) • 1918 • 1919 • 1920

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - George V
• Governor - The Earl of Liverpool Until 28 June ^[1]
• Governor-General - The Earl of Liverpool from 28 June^[2]

Government

The 19th New Zealand Parliament continued as a grand coalition led by the Reform Party. The General Election which was due this year was deferred due to the war.

• Speaker of the House - Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
• Prime Minister - William Massey (Reform Party)
• Minister of Finance - Joseph Ward

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Joseph Ward (Liberal Party) Ward retained that title even though he was part of the coalition government.^[3]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - TBD
• Mayor of Hamilton - John Robert Fow then John William Ellis
• Mayor of Wellington - TBD
• Mayor of Christchurch - Henry Holland
• Mayor of Dunedin - TBD

Events

• The West Coast Times is merged into the Hokitika Guardian and Star. The newspaper started in 1865.^[4]
• April: The first Caudron^[5] biplane purchased by Henry Wigram for the Canterbury Aviation Company arrives.^[6]
• 1 May: The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) is formed as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
• 7 May: Cecil McKenzie Hill makes the first flight for the Canterbury Aviation Company.^[6]
• June: Pilot training by the Canterbury Aviation Company commences at Sockburn.^[7]
• 20 October: 850 New Zealand soldiers killed in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the greatest loss of life in a single day in the Military history of New Zealand.
• Six o’clock closing of hotel bars introduced as a wartime measure, see Six o'clock swill.

Arts and literature

See 1917 in art, 1917 in literature, Category:1917 books

Music

See: 1917 in music

Film

See: Category:1917 film awards, 1917 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1917 films

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

Sport

Golf

• The New Zealand Open championship and National Amateur Championships were not held due to the war.^[8]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Adelaide Direct ^[9]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Steel Bell (2nd win) ^[10]

Rugby union

• The Ranfurly Shield (held by Wellington) is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

Soccer

Provincial league champions:^[11]

• Auckland: Brotherhood
• Canterbury: Linwood
• Hawke's Bay: Waipukurau
• Otago: Northern
• Southland: No competition
• Wanganui: No competition
• Wellington: No competition

Births

• 6 May: Roy Scott, cricketer
• 6 July: Arthur Lydiard, runner and athletics coach
• 17 October: Martin Donnelly, cricketer.
• 13 December: Keith Hay, construction company founder, mayor of Mt Roskill, conservative activist.

• (in Vienna, Austria): Erich Geiringer, physician, writer, scholar.
• Frank Gill, Air Commodore and politician.
• Eddie Isbey, politician.
• (in England): David Henry Lewis, sailor and Polynesian scholar

Category:1917 births

Deaths

• 3 February: Robert McNab, politician.
• 4 October: Dave Gallaher, rugby player (first captain of the All Blacks).
• 22 October: Bob Fitzsimmons, boxer.
• 12 December: Sir Charles Bowen, politician.

• Alfred Kidd, politician.
• John Davies Ormond, politician.

Category:1917 deaths

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of the New Zealand environment
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

References