1979 in New Zealand

1979 in New Zealand

Other years in New Zealand

1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 (1979) • 1980 • 1981 • 1982

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 3,163,900^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1978: -1,300 (-0.04%)
• Males per 100 Females: 99.0

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - The Rt Hon. Sir Keith Holyoake KG GCMG CH QSO.^[2]

Government

• Speaker of the House - Richard Harrison.^[3]
• Prime Minister - Robert Muldoon
• Deputy Prime Minister - Brian Talboys.^[3]
• Minister of Finance - Robert Muldoon.^[3]
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Brian Talboys.^[3]
• Attorney-General - Jim McLay.^[3]

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Bill Rowling (Labour).^[4]
• Social Credit Party - Bruce Beetham

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Dove-Myer Robinson
• Mayor of Hamilton - Ross Jansen
• Mayor of Wellington - Michael Fowler
• Mayor of Christchurch - Hamish Hay
• Mayor of Dunedin - Clifford George (Cliff) Skeggs

Events

• 30 July: The Carless days scheme is introduced.
• 3 November The Evening Star ceases publication. The Dunedin newspaper was founded in 1863.^[5]
• 28 November: Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashes in Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crewmembers aboard.
• The Government occupies the new executive wing of Parliament House, known as the Beehive.^[6]

Arts and literature

• Michael A Noonan wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.

• Nambassa beach festival, touring family roadshow. Whangamata Waihi Beach Mount Maunganui and Coromandel.
• Nambassa three day music, crafts and alternative lifestyle festival on Phil and Pat Hulses' 400-acre (1.6 km²) farm in Golden Valley, north of Waihi. Attendance 75,000 plus.
• Summer '79, outdoor arts festival in the parks of Wellington - including the Botanical Gardens, the Newtown Zoo, the Town Belt and several suburban parks.

See 1979 in art, 1979 in literature, Category:1979 books

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

• ALBUM OF THE YEAR Street Talk – Street Talk
• SINGLE OF THE YEAR Th' Dudes – Be Mine Tonight
• TOP MALE VOCALIST Rob Guest
• TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O'Neill
• TOP GROUP Th' Dudes
• MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Jon Stevens
• MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Tina Cross
• MOST PROMISING GROUP Street Talk
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Steve Robinson - This Heart This Song
• ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Gerry Smith – This Heart This Song
• BEST COVER DESIGN Geoff Chunn, Peter Burt & Dale Wrightson – Just Drove Through Town

See: 1979 in music

Radio and Television

• Feltex Television Awards:
  • Best Current Affairs: Dateline Monday
  • Best Documentary: Okarito
  • Best Drama: The Mad Dog Gang meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts
  • Best Speciality: Spot On
  • Best Information: Fair Go
  • Best Actor: David McPhail in A Week of It
  • Best Actress: Barbara Ewing
  • Entertainer of the Year: David McPhail
  • Special Committee Award: Selwyn Toogood for pioneering work in Radio and Television

See: 1979 in New Zealand television, 1979 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• Middle Age Spread
• Sons for the Return Home

See: Category:1979 film awards, 1979 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1979 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

Athletics

• Tony Good wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:18:47.3.

Chess

• The 86th New Zealand Chess Championship is held in North Shore, and is won by Ortvin Sarapu of Auckland (his 16th title).^[7]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Lord Module^[8]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Sapling^[9]

Thoroughbred racing

Motorsport

• A New Zealand team consisting of Larry Ross, Mitch Shirra, Ivan Mauger and Bruce Cribb win the motorcycle Speedway World Team Cup held at White City Stadium in London.

Netball

• 5th Netball World Championships held in Trinidad and Tobago. Australia, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago all tied for first place.

Soccer

• New Zealand National Soccer League won by Mt. Wellington AFC
• The Chatham Cup is won by North Shore United who beat Mount Wellington 2—1 in the final.^[10]

Births

• 27 January: Daniel Vettori, cricketer
• 1 February: Peter Fulton, cricketer
• 15 February: Hamish and James Marshall, cricketers
• 15 March: Kyle Mills, cricketer
• 20 March: Keven Mealamu, rugby union player
• 26 March: Ben Blair, rugby union player
• 12 May (In Nadi, Fiji): Amasio Valence, rugby sevens player
• 15 May (in Samoa): Chris Masoe, rugby union player.
• 8 June: Adine Wilson, netball player.
• 2 July: Michael Papps, cricketer.
• 30 July: Louise Corcoran, skeleton racer.
• 3 October: Rodney So'oialo, rugby union player
• 14 November: Carl Hayman, rugby union player
• 20 November: Maree Bowden, netball player
• 3 December: Daniel Bedingfield, pop singer

• Pete Wheeler, artist.

Category:1979 births

Deaths

• October: Marty Johnstone, drug trafficker ('Mr Asia')
• 28 November: Peter Mulgrew, Mountaineer (died in Mt Erebus disaster)

Category:1979 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

External links

Media related to 1979 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons