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1939 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 1,641,600 ^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1938: 23,300 (1.44%)
• Males per 100 Females: 103.0

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - George VI
• Governor-General - The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PC ^[2]

Government

The 26th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government.

• Speaker of the House - Bill Barnard (Labour Party)
• Prime Minister - Michael Joseph Savage
• Minister of Finance - Walter Nash
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Michael Joseph Savage
• Attorney-General - Rex Mason

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Adam Hamilton (National Party). ^[3]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Ernest Davis
• Mayor of Hamilton - Harold David Caro
• Mayor of Wellington - Thomas Hislop
• Mayor of Christchurch - Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin - Andrew Henson Allen

Events

• 3 September New Zealand declares war on Germany

• 31 October: The Strongman coal mine in Nine Mile Valley near Greymouth is officially opened by Minister of Mines, Paddy Webb. [1]

• December 13: New Zealand warship HMS Achilles fought in the Battle of the River Plate against German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
• December 17: The Graf Spee is scuttled off Montevideo harbour.

• The Poverty Bay Herald changes its name to The Gisborne Herald,^[4] which continues to publish today^[update].

Arts and literature

See 1939 in art, 1939 in literature, Category:1939 books

Music

See: 1939 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1939 film awards , 1939 in film , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1939 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

• Clarrie Gibbons wins the national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:44:56.2 on March 11, 1939 in Napier.

Basketball

A second interprovincial championship is held even though there is still no national association.^[5] (see 1938 and 1946)

• Interpovincial Champions: Men - Wellington

Chess

• National champion: J.B. Dunlop, of Dunedin (his 5th title). ^[6]

Cricket

Horse racing

See Category:New Zealand horse races

Rugby

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Category:All Blacks

• Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

• Chatham Cup won by Waterside (Wellington)

Births

• 27 February: Don McKinnon, deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Commonwealth Secretary-General.
• 10 April (in England): Michael Cox, politician.
• 24 April: Fergie McCormick, rugby union player.
• 16 September: Tony Davies, rugby union player.
• 4 October: Ivan Mauger, motorcycle speedway champion.
• 29 October: Michael Smither, painter.

• Peter Brown, politician.
• Raymond Ching, painter.
• Ken Comber, politician.
• Syd Jackson, political activist.
• Bob Jones, businessman.
• Douglas Myers, businessman.
• (in England): Dylan Taite, music journalist.
• Philip Temple, writer.
• David Walter, mayor of Stratford.
• Hugh Williams, High court judge.

Category:1939 births

Deaths

• 16 March: George Mitchell, soldier and politician
• 26 April: Edwin John Howard, politician.
• 26 July: Thomas William "Torpedo Billy" Murphy, boxer. ^[7]
• 27 July: Malcolm Champion, swimmer.
• 23 August: Robin Hyde, writer.

• David McLaren, politician.
• T. W. Ratana, prophet.

Category:1939 deaths

References

See also

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

For world events and topics in 1939 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1939

Related links