| Dates | 3 September 1978 |
|---|---|
| Championship venue | Trafalgar Park, Nelson |
| Champions | Manurewa (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Nelson United |
| Championship match score | 1 – 0 |
← 1977 1979 → | |
The 1978 Chatham Cup was the 51st annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
Early stages of the competition were run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 144 teams took part in the competition. Note: Different sources give different numberings for the rounds of the competition: some start round one with the beginning of the regional qualifications; others start numbering from the first national knock-out stage. The former numbering scheme is used in this article.
| East Coast Bays | 5 – 5* | Metro College (Auckland) |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwi United (Palmerston North) | 2 – 1 | Napier City Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Lynndale (Auckland) | 1 – 0 | Mount Roskill |
|---|---|---|
| Manurewa | 1 – 0 | Takapuna City |
|---|---|---|
| Masterton | 1 – 0 | Viard Old Boys (Porirua) |
|---|---|---|
| Moturoa | 0 – 3 | Taranaki United (New Plymouth) |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Suburbs | 0 – 0* | Miramar Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Hearts (Timaru) | 0 – 1 | Christchurch Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Petone | 2 – 1 | Christian Youth |
|---|---|---|
| Rotorua City | 4 – 1 | Rotorua Suburbs |
|---|---|---|
| Stokes Valley | 1 – 0 | Seatoun |
|---|---|---|
| Tawa | 1 – 1* | Porirua United |
|---|---|---|
| Wanganui East Athletic | 1 – 0 | Manawatu United (Palmerston N.) |
|---|---|---|
| Hertz Whangarei City | 3 – 1 | Eden (Auckland) |
|---|---|---|
* Won on penalties by Metro (3-2), Nelson Suburbs (3-2), and Porirua United (4-2)
| Kiwi United | 1 – 5 | Masterton |
|---|---|---|
| Metro College | 0 – 5 | Manurewa |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Wellington | 1 – 0† | Courier Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Papakura City | 2 – 8 | Eastern Suburbs (Auckland) |
|---|---|---|
| Porirua United | 2 – 1 | Stokes Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Taranaki United | 0 – 0* | Nelson Suburbs |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington Diamond United | 5 – 0 | Waterside (Wellington) |
|---|---|---|
* Won on penalties by Nelson Suburbs (4-3). † Replayed match after Courier Rangers fielded ineligible player
| Dunedin City | 2 – 1 | Caversham |
|---|---|---|
| Lynndale | 1 – 5 | Blockhouse Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Manurewa | 7 – 0 | Hertz Whangarei City |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Suburbs | 0 – 6 | Nelson United |
|---|---|---|
| Blockhouse Bay | 2 – 4 | Manurewa |
|---|---|---|
| Christchurch United | 2 – 1 | Stop Out |
|---|---|---|
| Dunedin City | 2 – 5 | Nelson United |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Wellington | 1 – 2 | Manurewa |
|---|---|---|
The final was held outside one of the main centres for the first time, being played in Nelson. Manurewa won the competition for the first time since 1931, when they had played under the name "Tramurewa" (after a recent merger with Tramways FC). The gap of 47 years between trophies in this competition is still a record.
Manurewa's side was coached by John Adshead who four years later would steer New Zealand's national side to their first FIFA World Cup. The team included several top players, notably Dave Bright and goalkeeper Frank van Hattum; they were opposed by the previous year's champions, Nelson United, a team which boasted the presence of Kenny Cresswell, Peter Simonsen and Keith Mackay, among others.
The game's only goal came after 12 minutes. Nelson keeper Owen Nuttridge failed to completely clear a Dave Bright cross, only for the ball to be headed into the net by Bruce Foster. [1]
| Manurewa | 1 – 0 | Nelson United |
|---|---|---|
| Foster |
The Chatham Cup is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's association football. It is held annually, with the final contested in September. The current champions of the Chatham Cup are 2022 winners Auckland City, who defeated Eastern Suburbs 1–0 in the final.
The 1970 Chatham Cup was the 43rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1971 Chatham Cup was the 44th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1973 Chatham Cup was the 46th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1974 Chatham Cup was the 47th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1975 Chatham Cup was the 48th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1976 Chatham Cup was the 49th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1977 Chatham Cup was the 50th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1981 Chatham Cup was the 54th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1982 Chatham Cup was the 55th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1983 Chatham Cup was the 56th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1984 Chatham Cup was the 57th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1985 Chatham Cup was the 58th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1986 Chatham Cup was the 59th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1987 Chatham Cup was the 60th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1992 Chatham Cup was the 65th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 2007 Chatham Cup was the 80th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1996 Chatham Cup was the 69th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 2009 Chatham Cup is New Zealand's 82nd knockout football competition.
The 2013 ASB Chatham Cup was New Zealand's 86th knockout football competition.