2016 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 2016 in New Zealand.

← 2015 2014 2013 2016 in New Zealand → 2017 2018 2019
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

Population

National

Estimated populations as at 30 June.

• New Zealand total – 4,693,000
• North Island – 3,596,200
• South Island – 1,096,200

Main urban areas

Estimated populations as at 30 June.

• Auckland – 1,495,000
• Blenheim – 30,700
• Christchurch – 389,700
• Dunedin – 118,500
• Gisborne – 36,100
• Hamilton – 229,900
• Invercargill – 50,700
• Kapiti – 41,800
• Napier-Hastings – 131,000
• Nelson – 65,700
• New Plymouth – 56,800
• Palmerston North – 84,300
• Rotorua – 57,800
• Tauranga – 134,500
• Wellington – 405,000
• Whanganui – 39,600
• Whangārei – 56,400

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Jerry Mateparae until 31 August, then Patsy Reddy from 28 September.

• 
  Elizabeth II
• 
  Jerry Mateparae
• 
  Patsy Reddy

Government

2016 is the second full year of the 51st Parliament, which first sat on 21 October 2014.

The Fifth National Government, first elected in 2008, continues.

• Speaker of the House – David Carter
• Prime Minister – John Key (until 12 December), then Bill English
• Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English (until 12 December), then Paula Bennett
• Leader of the House – Gerry Brownlee
• Minister of Finance – Bill English, then (from 20 December) Steven Joyce
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully

• 
  David Carter
• 
  John Key
• 
  Bill English
• 
  Paula Bennett
• 
  Gerry Brownlee
• 
  Steven Joyce
• 
  Murray McCully

Other party leaders

• Labour – Andrew Little
• Green – James Shaw and Metiria Turei
• New Zealand First – Winston Peters
• Māori Party – Te Ururoa Flavell and Marama Fox
• ACT New Zealand – David Seymour
• United Future – Peter Dunne

• 
  Andrew Little
• 
  James Shaw
• 
  Metiria Turei
• 
  Winston Peters
• 
  Te Ururoa Flavell
• 
  Marama Fox
• 
  David Seymour
• 
  Peter Dunne

Judiciary

• Chief Justice — Sian Elias

• 
  Sian Elias

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Len Brown, then from 1 November Phil Goff
• Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby, then from 31 October Greg Brownless
• Mayor of Hamilton – Julie Hardaker, then from 9 November Andrew King
• Mayor of Wellington – Celia Wade-Brown, then from 26 October Justin Lester
• Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
• Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull

• 
  Len Brown
• 
  Phil Goff
• 
  Stuart Crosby
• 
  Greg Brownless
• 
  Julie Hardaker
• 
  Andrew King
• 
  Celia Wade-Brown
• 
  Justin Lester
• 
  Lianne Dalziell
• 
  Dave Cull

Events

February

• 8 February – Operation Neptune (New Zealand) begins.
• 14 February – A significant aftershock in Christchurch causes some cliffs to collapse.

March

• 3–24 March – Second referendum on changing the country's flag – existing flag retained.
• 11 March – Parliament passes legislation to outlaw zero-hour contracts

April

• 18 April – The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is disestablished.

June

• 6 June – The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.

August

• 5–21 August – 132 athletes from New Zealand will compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

September

• A 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes north-east of Te Araroa.

October

• 8 October – New Zealand local elections.

November

• 14 November – A 7.8 M_W earthquake strikes Kaikōura at midnight, killing two people.
• 22 November – Operation Neptune ends.

December

• 5 December – John Key announces that he will step down as New Zealand Prime Minister and leader of the National Party on 12 December.
• 12 December – Bill English is sworn in as New Zealand's 39th Prime Minister, following the resignation of John Key.
• 15 December – Amazon Prime Video launches in New Zealand.
• 31 December – The 2017 New Year Honours are announced.

Arts and literature

Performing arts

Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Suzanne Prentice OBE.

Sport

Awards

• 54th Halberg Awards (awarded 9 February 2017 for the 2016 calendar year)
  • Supreme Award – Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
  • Sportsman – Mahé Drysdale (rowing)
  • Sportswoman – Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
  • Team – Men's 49er class: Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (sailing)
  • Disabled Sportsperson – Liam Malone (athletics)
  • Coach – Gordon Walker (canoeing)
  • Emerging Talent – Campbell Stewart (cycling)

Olympics

Main article: New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 199 competitors across 20 sports.
• Sprint canoeist Lisa Carrington becomes the first New Zealand women to win two medals in the same Olympic Games.

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
4	9	5	18

Paralympics

Main article: New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
9	5	7	21

• Swimmer Sophie Pascoe overtook Eve Rimmer to become New Zealand's most successful Paralympian in terms of medals won.

Athletics

• Summer Olympics
  • Valerie Adams won the silver medal in the women's shot put (20.42 m)
  • Eliza McCartney won the bronze medal in the women's pole vault (4.80 m)
  • Tom Walsh won the bronze medal in the men's shot put (21.36 m)
  • Nick Willis won the bronze medal in the men's 1500 metres (3:50.24)
• Summer Paralympics
  • Liam Malone won gold medals in the men's 200 metres T44 and men's 400 metres T44, and the silver medal in the men's 100 metres T44
  • Anna Grimaldi won the gold medal in the women's long jump T47
  • Holly Robinson won the silver medal in the women's javelin throw F46
  • William Stedman won bronze medals in the men's 400 metres T36 and the men's 800 metres T36.
  • Jess Hamill won the bronze medal in the women's shot put F34
  • Rory McSweeney won the bronze medal in the men's javelin throw F44

Rowing

• Summer Olympics
  • Hamish Bond and Eric Murray won the gold medal in the men's coxless pair
  • Mahé Drysdale won the gold medal in the men's single sculls
  • Genevieve Behrent and Rebecca Scown won the silver medal in the women's coxless pair
• New Zealand Secondary School Championships (Maadi Cup)
  • Maadi Cup (boys U18 eight) – Christ's College
  • Levin 75th Jubilee Cup (girls U18 eight) – Diocesan School for Girls
  • Star Trophy (overall points) – St Peter's School (Cambridge)

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Malcolm Dodson (Kaituna/Blenheim)
• Summer Olympics – Natalie Rooney won the silver medal in the women's trap shooting

Youth Olympics

Main article: New Zealand at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics

• New Zealand sends a team of 11 competitors in five sports.

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
0	1	1	2

Births

• 6 November – Probabeel, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 15 November – Copy That, Standardbred racehorse

Deaths

January

• 2 January – Tim Francis, diplomat (born 1928)
• 5 January – Keith Thiele, World War II pilot (born 1921)
• 7 January – David Shale, mathematician (born 1932)
• 8 January – Ida Gaskin, schoolteacher, quiz show contestant, politician (born 1919)
• 17 January
  • Melvin Day, artist (born 1923)
  • Jules Le Lievre, rugby union player (born 1933)
• 22 January – Alec Wishart, musician (born 1939)
• 23 January – Barry Brickell, potter (born 1935)
• 24 January – Neville Black, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1925)
• 26 January – Bob Thomas, long jumper (born 1939)
• 27 January – Shirley Tonkin, sudden infant death syndrome researcher (born 1921)
• 28 January
  • Rob Courtney, Paralympic athlete (born 1959)
  • Peter Robinson, musician (born 1958)
  • Bob Tizard, politician, deputy prime minister (1974–75) (born 1924)
• 31 January
  • Mere Broughton, Māori language activist, unionist (born 1938)
  • Rona McCarthy, athlete (born 1916)

February

• 1 February – Kelly McGarry, mountain biker (born 1982)
• 2 February
  • Chris Kenny, boxing trainer (born 1937)
  • Marcus Turner, singer-songwriter, folk musician, television presenter (born 1956)
• 7 February – Andrew Hintz, cricketer (born 1963)
• 10 February – John Spencer, businessman (born c.1934)
• 13 February – Barry Jones, Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (born 1941)
• 17 February – Sophia Hawthorne, actress (born 1976)
• 23 February – George Newton, weightlifter (born 1936)
• 24 February – Ken English, rugby league player (born 1927)
• 26 February – Jack Forrest, rugby league player (born 1924)
• 28 February – Bob Morrison, association footballer (born 1926)
• 29 February – Ranginui Walker, Māori academic (born 1932)

March

• 3 March – Martin Crowe, cricketer (born 1962)
• 4 March – Harry Turbott, architect, landscape architect, environmentalist (born 1930)
• 5 March – David Abbott, cricket umpire (born 1934)
• 10 March – Judy Pickard, abstract painter, librarian and advocate for women's rights (born 1921)
• 11 March – Sel Belsham, rugby league player, cricketer (born 1930)
• 16 March – George Menzies, rugby league player and coach (born 1930)
• 18 March – Paul Swadel, film director and producer (born 1969)
• 19 March – Graham Fortune, diplomat and public servant (born 1941)
• 25 March – Ross Jennings, television producer and director (born 1944)
• 27 March – Frank Torley, television reporter, director and producer (born 1941)
• 31 March – Mark Vryenhoek, alpine skier (born 1960)

April

• 3 April
  • Rowley Habib, poet, playwright, short-story writer (born 1933)
  • Whai Ngata, broadcaster, journalist, lexicographer (born c.1942)
• 4 April – Maida Bryant, politician, community leader (born 1926)
• 7 April – Matiu Dickson, politician, kapa haka exponent (born 1952)
• 11 April – Ruth Gilbert, poet (born 1917)
• 12 April – Alan Loveday, violinist (born 1928)
• 13 April – Kurtis Haiu, rugby union player (born 1984)
• 14 April – Colin Knight, educationalist (born 1934)
• 22 April
  • Rex Fell, Thoroughbred racehorse breeder (born c.1945)
  • Peter Sellers, sports broadcaster (born 1921)
• 23 April – Bill Sevesi, musician (born 1923)
• 24 April – Paul Annear, jeweller (born 1947)
• 27 April – Chris Parkinson, broadcaster (born 1941)

May

• 3 May – Ian Quigley, politician (born 1931)
• 13 May – David Garner, physical oceanographer (born 1928)
• 18 May – Ian Watkin, actor (born 1940)
• 21 May – Tony Kriletich, rugby league player (born 1944)
• 25 May – Bob Sorenson, rugby union player and coach, cricketer (born 1923)

June

• 1 June – Leonard Boyle, bishop (born 1930)
• 2 June
  • Keith Lawrence, World War II fighter pilot (born 1919)
  • Brian Reidy, rugby league player (born 1939)
• 4 June – Bill Snowden, rugby league player (born 1935)
• 6 June – Keith Smith, cricketer (born 1929)
• 7 June – Sir Graham Latimer, Māori leader (born 1926)
• 9 June – Joyce Carpenter, diver (born 1923)
• 10 June – Derek Wilson, architect and environmentalist (born 1922)
• 15 June – David Hall, chemistry academic (born 1928)
• 16 June – Pat Suggate, geologist (born 1922)
• 21 June – Susanna Ounei, Kanak independence activist, feminist (born 1945)
• 23 June – Roy Crawford, mechanical engineering academic, university administrator (born c.1949)
• 25 June – Jack Cropp, yachtsman (born 1927)
• 27 June – Dame Grace Hollander, community leader (born 1922)
• 29 June – Maurie Gordon, sport shooter (born 1926)

July

• 5 July
  • Johnny Borland, high jumper, athletics administrator (born 1925)
  • Max Carr, field athlete and coach, athletics official, air force officer (born 1922)
  • Rex Pickering, rugby union player (born 1936)
• 14 July
  • Ivan Bootham, writer, composer (born 1939)
  • Hallard "Snow" White, rugby union player, coach and administrator (born 1929)
• 19 July – Ray Bell, rugby union player (born 1925)
• 20 July
  • Dick Corballis, English literature academic (born 1946)
  • Ray Moreton, rugby union player (born 1942)
• 21 July – Sid Hurst, farmer (born 1918)
• 22 July – Lee Grant, actor, singer, choreographer (born 1931)
• 26 July – Henry Connor, botanist (born 1922)
• 30 July – Peter Gossage, author and illustrator (born 1946)

August

• 2 August – Terence Bayler, actor (born 1930)
• 3 August – Chris Amon, motor racing driver (born 1943)
• 5 August – Don Donnithorne, architect (born 1926)
• 7 August – Sir Ron Scott, sports administrator (born 1928)
• 11 August – Sir Ian Turbott, diplomat, university administrator (born 1922)
• 19 August – Bob Skelton, jockey (born 1934)
• 22 August – Don McIver, military leader, public servant (born 1936)
• 24 August – Glen Evans, politician, mayor of Lower Hutt (1986–95) (born 1936)
• 29 August – Edward Latter, military officer, politician, diplomat (born 1928)
• 30 August – Brian Robinson, inorganic chemist (born 1940)

September

• 1 September – Sir Graeme Douglas, businessman, pharmacist, philanthropist (born 1929)
• 4 September – Ross McPherson, field hockey player, cricketer (born 1938)
• 7 September – Don "D. J." Cameron, sports journalist (born 1933)
• 11 September – Let's Elope, Thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 1987)
• 16 September – Reese Griffiths, rugby league player (born 1937)
• 19 September – Margaret Baird, immunologist (born 1945)
• 23 September

• Arnold Green, rugby league player (born c.1933)
• Bill Johnson, actor (born 1924)

October

• 1 October
  • Brian Bell, ornithologist (born 1930)
  • Toni Williams, singer (born 1939)
• 3 October – David Donald, cricketer (born 1933)
• 4 October – Peggy Hay, designer (born 1924)
• 14 October
  • Avis Higgs, textile designer, painter (born 1918)
  • Helen Kelly, trade unionist (born 1964)
• 15 October
  • Doug Anderson, rugby league player (born 1926)
  • Octagonal, Thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 1992)
• 21 October – Wally Argus, rugby union player (born 1921)
• 24 October – Roger Slack, plant biologist and biochemist (born 1937)
• 29 October – Tom Weal, politician (born 1929)
• 30 October – Reg Boorman, politician (born 1935)

November

• 11 November – Sir James McNeish, writer (born 1931)
• 13 November – Leslie Kenton, journalist, entrepreneur (born 1941)
• 14 November – Marti Friedlander, photographer (born 1928)
• 15 November – Rod Bieleski, plant physiologist (born 1931)
• 16 November – Jean Wishart, magazine editor (born 1920)
• 20 November
  • Mita Mohi, rugby league player, mau rākau and kapa haka exponent, youth worker (born 1939)
  • Tim Raphael, Anglican priest (born 1929)
• 21 November – Helen Ryburn, school principal, local-body politician (born 1925)
• 22 November
  • Mike Burgoyne, rugby union player (born 1951)
  • Bev Malcolm, netball player (born 1920)
• 25 November – Bill Skelton, jockey (born 1931)
• 28 November – Ray Columbus, entertainer (born 1942)
• 29 November – Margaret Belcher, literary scholar (born 1936)

December

• 3 December – Sir David Hay, cardiologist, anti-smoking campaigner (born 1927)
• 6 December – Elva Bett, artist, art historian, art gallery director (born 1918)
• 12 December – Lord Gyllene, Thoroughbred racehorse (foaled 1988)
• 13 December – Christopher Vance, Standardbred racehorse (foaled 1986)
• 14 December – Bunny Walters, singer (born 1953)
• 15 December – Richard Dowden, astrophysicist (born 1932)
• 18 December – Frank Crotty, rower, industrial chemist (born 1938)
• 19 December – Arthur Berry, cricketer (born 1928)
• 23 December – Doug Coombs, cricketer, geologist (born 1924)
• 24 December – Ron Broom, cricketer (born 1925)
• 25 December – John Gregson, George Cross recipient (born 1924)
• 30 December – Con Linton, sailor (born 1938)