1920 in New Zealand

← 1919 1918 1917 1920 in New Zealand → 1921 1922 1923
Decades:	1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
See also:	Other events of 1920 Timeline of New Zealand history

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State - George V
• Governor-General - The Earl of Liverpool, succeeded the same year by The Viscount Jellicoe GCB OM GCVO

Government

The 20th New Zealand Parliament commenced, with the Reform Party in Government

• Speaker of the House - Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
• Prime Minister - William Massey
• Minister of Finance - James Allen
• Minister of External Affairs - James Allen until 20 April, then Ernest Page Lee until 17 May, then Francis Bell

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - William MacDonald (Liberal Party) until his death on 31 August, then Thomas Wilford.

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - James Gunson
• Mayor of Hamilton - John Robert Fow
• Mayor of Wellington - John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch - Henry Thacker
• Mayor of Dunedin - William Begg

Events

• 1 May: The Colonist publishes its final issue, and is incorporated into The Nelson Evening Mail. The newspaper began in 1857.

Arts and literature

See 1920 in art, 1920 in literature, Category:1920 books

Music

See: 1920 in music

Film

See: Category:1920 film awards, 1920 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1920 films

Sport

Chess

The 29th National Chess Championship was held in Wellington, and was won by W.E. Mason of Wellington, his fifth title.

Cricket

• Plunket Shield

Golf

• The 10th New Zealand Open championship was won by J.H. Kirkwood.
• The 24th National Amateur Championships were held in Hamilton
  • Men: Sloan Morpeth (Hamilton)
  • Women: Miss N.E. Wright (2nd title)

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Reta Peter
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Man O'War

Olympic games

• New Zealand at the 1920 Summer Olympics
• New Zealand also competed at the Inter-Allied Games held in Paris.

Rugby league

• 1920 Great Britain Lions tour of New Zealand, won test series 3-0
  • 1st test, 23-10 Wellington
  • 2nd test, 19 - 3, Christchurch
  • 3rd test, 31 - 7, Auckland

Rugby

• 1920 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales
• Wellington defended the Ranfurly Shield 10 times before losing it to Southland:
  • vs Canterbury 15-3
  • vs Bay of Plenty 22-3
  • vs Taranaki 20-9 (played in Hawera)
  • vs Hawkes Bay 20-5
  • vs Auckland 23-20 (played in Auckland)
  • vs Taranaki 16-5
  • vs Wanganui 20-14
  • vs Auckland 20-3
  • vs South Canterbury 32-16 (played in Timaru)
  • vs Otago 16-5 (played in Dunedin)
  • vs Southland 6-17 (played in Invercargill)

Soccer

Provincial league champions:

• Auckland: YMCA
• Canterbury: Nomads
• Hawke's Bay: Waipukurau
• Otago: Kaitangata FC
• Southland: No competition
• Wanganui: Eastbrooke
• Wellington: Wellington Thistle

Births

January–March

• 1 January – Ruth Ross, historian
• 14 January – Don Beard, cricketer
• 24 January – Gerard Wall, surgeon and politician
• 26 January – Tapihana Paraire Paikea, politician
• 29 January – Bob Yule, fighter pilot
• 9 February – Fred Allen, rugby union player and coach
• 17 February – Dorothea Anne Franchi, pianist, harpist, music educator and composer
• 9 March – Diggeress Te Kanawa, tohunga raranga
• 23 March – Peter Quilliam, jurist

April–June

• 2 April – David Gay, soldier, cricketer and educator
• 4 April – Jim Kearney, rugby union player
• 5 April – Pat Ralph, marine biology academic
• 14 April – John Chewings, politician
• 23 April – Colin Horsley, classical pianist and music teacher
• 26 April – Joyce McDougall, psychoanalyst
• 17 May – Frank Corner, diplomat
• 18 May – Molly Macalister, sculptor
• 26 May
  • Frank Bethwaite, pilot, boat designer
  • Merimeri Penfold, Māori language academic
• 8 June – Manahi Nitama Paewai, doctor, rugby union player, politician and community leader
• 20 June – John O'Shea, filmmaker

July–September

• 10 July – Warwick Snedden, cricketer
• 11 July – Richard Dell, malacologist
• 9 August – Albert Jones, amateur astronomer
• 29 August
  • Eric Batchelor, soldier
  • Jack Laird, potter
• 3 September – Peter de la Mare, physical organic chemist
• 10 September – Russell Pettigrew, businessman and philanthropist
• 30 September
  • Margaret Alington, librarian and historian
  • Trevor Horne, politician

October–December

• 7 October – James Brodie, geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist
• 24 October – Ron Westerby, rugby league player
• 28 October – Bob Stuart, rugby player and administrator
• 1 November – Harry Dansey, journalist, cartoonist, broadcaster, politician and race relations conciliator
• 9 November – John Macdonald, forensic psychiatrist
• 16 November – Ronald Davison, jurist
• 11 December – Gus Fisher, fashion industry leader and philanthropist
• 27 December – Warren Freer, politician
• 28 December – Marty McDonnell, Australian rules footballer

Deaths

January–March

• 5 January – Walter Gudgeon, farmer, soldier, historian, land court judge, colonial administrator (born 1841)
• 15 January – Richard Cockburn Maclaurin, mathematical physics academic (born 1870)
• 24 January – William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket, Governor of New Zealand (1904–1910) (born 1864)
• 27 January – William Fitzgerald, teacher, educationalist (born 1838)
• 29 January – Constance Frost, doctor, bacteriologist, pathologist (born c.1863)
• 3 March – George Vesey Stewart, politician (born 1832)

April–June

• 10 April – Courtney Nedwill, doctor, public health officer (born 1837)
• 21 April – Jesse Piper, politician (born 1836)
• 26 April
  • George Robertson, rugby union player (born 1859)
  • George Hogben, educationalist, seismologist (born 1853)
• 2 May – A. L. Beattie, locomotive designer/engineer (born 1852)
• 6 May – James Black, cricketer (born 1873)
• 13 May – Fred Hobbs, politician (born 1841)
• 20 May – Henare Kaihau, politician
• 20 June – John Grigg, astronomer (born 1838)

July–September

• 23 July – Robin Dods, architect (born 1868)
• 28 July – Edward Shillington, librarian (born 1835)
• 17 August – Amey Daldy, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1829)
• 23 August – David Cossgrove, teacher, soldier, scout leader (born 1852)
• 25 August – Donald Reid, politician (born 1855)
• 31 August – William MacDonald, politician (born 1862)
• 26 September – Appo Hocton, servant, landlord, carter, farmer (born c.1823)

October–December

• 1 October – Henare Wepiha Te Wainohu, Māori leader, Anglican clergyman, army chaplain (born 1882)
• 7 October – Chew Chong, merchant, fungus exporter, butter manufacturer (born c.1844)
• 10 October – Meri Te Tai Mangakahia, women's suffrage campaigner (born 1868)
• 14 October – Samuel Carnell, politician (born 1832)
• 21 October – Mary Gibbs, community leader (born 1836)
• 12 November – Thomas Porter, soldier, land purchase officer (born 1843)
• 14 November – Edward Ker Mulgan, newspaper editor, teacher, school inspector (born c.1858)
• 17 November – Alexander Hogg, politician (born 1841)
• 23 November – Cyril Mountfort, architect (born 1853)
• 28 November – Peter Webb, rugby union player (born 1854)
• 13 December – Joseph Tole, politician (born 1846)
• 16 December – George Jones, politician (born 1844)
• 27 December – Charles Button, politician, solicitor, judge (born 1838)

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

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons