1917 in New Zealand

← 1916 1915 1914 1917 in New Zealand → 1918 1919 1920
Decades:	1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1917 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George V
• Governor – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, until 28 June ^[1]
• Governor-General – Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, from 28 June ^[2]

• 
  George V
• 
  Lord Liverpool

Government

The 19th New Zealand Parliament continues as a grand coalition led by the Reform Party. The general election due this year is deferred because of World War I.

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

• 
  Frederic Lang
• 
  William Massey
• 
  Joseph Ward

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Joseph Ward (Liberal Party). Ward retains the title even though he is part of the coalition government. ^[3]

• 
  Joseph Ward

Judiciary

• Chief Justice – Sir Robert Stout

• 
  Robert Stout

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – James Gunson
• Mayor of Wellington – John Luke
• Mayor of Christchurch – Henry Holland
• Mayor of Dunedin – James Clark

• 
  James Gunson
• 
  John Luke
• 
  Henry Holland
• 
  James Clark

Events

• April – The first Caudron ^[4] biplane purchased by Henry Wigram for the Canterbury Aviation Company arrives. ^[5]
• 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. ^[5]
• June – Pilot training by the Canterbury Aviation Company commences at Sockburn. ^[6]
• 24 September – Ten New Zealand soldiers are killed in England in the Bere Ferrers rail accident.
• 20 October – 850 New Zealand soldiers are killed in the Second Battle of Passchendaele, the greatest loss of life in a single day in the military history of New Zealand.
• 1 December – Six o’clock closing of hotel bars is introduced as a wartime measure. ^[7]

Undated

• "Extraordinary and continuous rainfall" throughout the year causes "enormous damage to roads and bridges", and "the country became waterlogged", according to the Public Works Statement. ^[8]
• The West Coast Times, established in 1865, is merged into the Hokitika Guardian and Star. ^[9]

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

Sport

Golf

• The New Zealand Open championship and National Amateur Championships are not held due to the war. ^[10]

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Adelaide Direct ^[11]
• Auckland Trotting Cup – Steel Bell (2nd win) ^[12]

Thoroughbred racing

• New Zealand Cup – Meelaus ^[13]
• Auckland Cup – Fiery Cross ^[13]
• Wellington Cup – Bunting ^[13]
• New Zealand Derby – Estland ^[13]

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Wellington. ^[14]

• Men's singles champion – C.R. Ingram (Wellington Bowling Club)
• Men's pair champions – A. Sawyer, J.J. Martin (skip) (Turanganui Bowling Club)
• Men's fours champions – J.S. Ryrie, A.R. Coltman, W. Coltman, G.S. Osmond (skip) (Auckland Bowling Club)

Rugby union

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

Soccer

• Provincial league champions: ^[15]
  • Auckland – Brotherhood
  • Canterbury – Linwood
  • Hawke's Bay – Waipukurau
  • Otago – Northern
  • Southland – No competition
  • Wanganui – No competition
  • Wellington – No competition

Births

January

• 13 January – Doris Strachan, athlete
• 19 January – Agnes Ell, cricketer
• 20 January – Emily Carpenter, home science academic, adult educationalist, consumer advocate
• 25 January – Rosalie Gascoigne, sculptor
• 27 January – John Pattison, World War II pilot
• 28 January – Jack Hatchard, association footballer
• 31 January
  • Erich Geiringer, writer, doctor, anti-nuclear weapons activist
  • Frank Gill, air force officer, politician

February

• 19 February
  • Morrie McHugh, boxer, rugby union player
  • Peg Taylor, cricketer
• 26 February – Clyde Jeffery, politician, mayor of Napier (1974–83)

March

• 1 March – Bill Sutton, artist
• 9 March – Clarrie Gordon, boxer
• 10 March – Tom Pritchard, cricketer
• 20 March – Haddon Donald, soldier, politician, sports shooter
• 22 March – Phil Holloway, politician
• 26 March – Ruth Gilbert, poet

April

• 13 April – Bruce Ferguson, soldier
• 18 April – Brian Mason, geochemistry, mineralogist, meteoriticist

May

• 6 May – Roy Scott, cricketer
• 21 May – Margaret Milne, potter
• 22 May – Charlie Munro, jazz musician

June

• 10 June – Jack Henry, industrialist
• 11 June – Tom Davis, Cook Islands politician
• 25 June – Nora Crawford, police officer

July

• 1 July – Maurice Carter, property developer, politician, philanthropist
• 6 July – Arthur Lydiard, runner, athletics coach
• 7 July – John Crichton, furniture and interior designer
• 13 July – Frank Carpay, ceramics, textile and graphic designer
• 14 July – Doug Zohrab, public servant, diplomat
• 19 July – Lewis Johnston, cricket umpire
• 21 July – Jock Newall, association footballer
• 23 July – Douglas Goodfellow, businessman, philanthropist
• 27 July – Ron Meek. economist and social scientist
• 31 July – Derek Ward, World War II pilot

August

• 1 August – Esme Tombleson, politician
• 3 August – Eddie Isbey, politician
• 7 August – Arthur Cresswell, cricketer
• 24 August – Ruth Park, writer

September

• 2 September – Jack Scholes, sailor
• 6 September – Cecil Hight, World War II pilot
• 7 September – Ewen Solon, actor
• 16 September – David Lewis, sailor, Polynesian scholar
• 23 September – Wiremu Te Tau Huata, Anglican priest, military chaplain
• 26 September – James Coe, artist, art teacher, industrial designer, ergonomist
• 30 September – Denis Rogers, politician, mayor of Hamilton (1959–68)

October

• 2 October – Rosaleen Norton, artist, occultist
• 17 October
  • Martin Donnelly, cricketer, rugby union player
  • John Oswald Sanders, missionary
• 18 October – Roy White, rugby union player
• 31 October – Evan Mackie, World War II pilot

November

• 6 November – Henry Walters, cricketer
• 17 November – Tom Larkin, public servant, diplomat
• 25 November – Paul Beadle, sculptor, medallist

December

• 2 December – Betty Batham, marine biologist
• 7 December – Bert Roth, librarian, historian
• 8 December – Alan Stewart, rugby union player, university administrator
• 11 December – Owen Snedden, Roman Catholic bishop
• 12 December – Alan Deere, military pilot, author
• 13 December – Keith Hay, construction company founder, politician, conservative activist
• 24 December – Ronald Triner, road cyclist

Deaths

January–February

• 3 February – Robert McNab, politician (born 1864)
• 17 February
  • Graham Gow, government trade representative (born 1850)
  • Sir George McLean, politician (born 1834)
• 22 February – Hugh Murray-Aynsley, politician (born 1828)

March–April

• 6 March
  • Tame Parata, politician (born c.1837)
  • William Salmond, Presbyterian minister, theologian (born 1835)
• 11 March – William Hosking, doctor (born 1841)
• 13 March – Percy Dix, vaudeville company manager (born 1866)
• 27 March – Joseph Braithwaite, bookseller, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1905–06) (born 1848)
• 30 March – Ferdinand Holm, mariner, ship owner (born 1844)
• 23 April – Robert Bruce, politician, conservationist (born 1843)

May–June

• 2 May – Alfred Lee Smith, politician (born 1838)
• 7 June
  • Bill Bussell, rugby league player (born 1887)
  • George Sellars, rugby union player (born 1886)
• 8 June
  • George Bollinger, soldier, diarist (born 1890)
  • Charles Henry Brown, military leader (born 1872)
  • Thomas Culling, World War I flying ace (born 1896)
• 20 June – Reg Taylor, rugby union player (born 1889)
• 22 June – John Lecky, rugby union player (born 1863)

July–August

• 8 July – Alexander McKay, geologist (born 1841)
• 14 July
  • Robert Batley, storekeeper, sheep farmer (born 1849)
  • Alexander Bruce, politician (born c.1839)
• 15 July – Bill Mackrell, rugby union and rugby league player (born 1881)
• 23 July – James Gore, politician, mayor of Dunedin (1881–82) (born 1834)
• 27 July – Arthur Brown, Mayor of Wellington
• 30 July – William Baldwin, politician (born 1836)
• 31 July – William Henry Dillon Bell, politician (born 1884)
• 4 August
  • Purakau Maika, newspaper editor and publisher (born c.1852)
  • Cecil Perry, cricketer (born 1846)
• 5 August – Don Buck, gum digger (born c.1869)
• 6 August – Charles James, rugby league player (born 1891)
• 7 August – Francis Earl Johnston, army officer (born 1871)
• 14 August – William Sanders, naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1883)
• 24 August – Alfred Kidd, politician, mayor of Auckland (1901–03) (born 1851)
• 26 August – William Lane, journalist, utopian (born 1861)

September–October

• 4 October – Dave Gallaher. rugby union player (born 1873)
• 6 October – John Davies Ormond, politician (born 1831)
• 12 October
  • Henry Du Vall, rugby league player (born 1886)
  • George Augustus King, military officer (born 1885)
• 20 October – Elise Kemp, nurse (born 1881)
• 22 October – Bob Fitzsimmons, boxer (born 1863)
• 27 October – William Beehan, politician (born 1853)

November–December

• 10 November – Charles King, cricketer (born 1847)
• 13 November – Cecil Fitzroy, politician, mayor of Hastings (1894–99) (born 1844)
• 15 November – Frank Twisleton, soldier, writer (born 1873)
• 29 November – Ellen Greenwood, schoolteacher, social worker (born 1837)
• 12 December – Sir Charles Bowen, politician (born 1830)
• 14 December – George Wilson, cricketer (born 1887)
• 23 December – Clive Franklyn Collett, World War I flying ace (born 1886)

See also

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

References

1. The office of Governor was renamed Governor-General by Letters Patent of 28 June 1917
2. Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
3. "Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
4. Most likely a Caudron G.2, predecessor of the G.3
5. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography – Henry Wigram
6. Rendel, David (1975) Civil Aviation in New Zealand: An Illustrated History. Wellington. A.H. & A.W.Reed. ISBN   0-589-00905-2
7. "Six o'clock closing of hotels". Hastings Standard. Vol. VII, no. 332. 1 December 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
8. Noonan, Rosslyn J. (1975). By Design: A brief history of the Public Works Department Ministry of Works 1870–1970. Wellington: Crown copyright. p. 87.
9. "West Coast Times". National Library of New Zealand.
10. "PGA European – Holden New Zealand Open". The Sports Network. 2005. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
11. "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
12. Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
13. Lambert, Max; Palenski, Ron, eds. (1982). The Air New Zealand Almanac. Moa Almanac Press. pp. 448–454. ISBN   0-908570-55-4.
14. McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
15. "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.