1953 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956

Contents 1 Population 2 Incumbents 2.1 Regal and Vice Regal 2.2 Government 2.3 Parliamentary opposition 2.4 Main centre leaders 3 Events 4 Arts and literature 4.1 Music 4.2 Radio 4.3 Film 5 Appointments and awards 6 Sport 6.1 Athletics 7 Births 8 Deaths 9 References 10 See also

Population

• Estimated Population as of 31 December: 2,074,700 ^[1]
• Increase since 31/12/1952: 50,100 (2.47%)
• Males per 100 Females: 101.1

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, from 6 February 1952
• Governor-General - Lieutenant-General The Lord Norrie GCMG GCVO CB DSO MC, from 1952-1957 ^[2]

Government

The 30th New Zealand Parliament continued. The National Party was in its second term in office under Sidney Holland.

• Speaker of the House - Mathew Oram from 1950 to 1957
• Prime Minister - Sidney Holland from December 13, 1949 to September 20, 1957.
• Deputy Prime Minister - Keith Holyoake from December 13, 1949 to September 20, 1957.
• Minister of Finance - Sidney Holland
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Thomas Clifton Webb from September 19, 1951 to November 26, 1954

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Walter Nash (Labour). ^[3]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Luxford from 1953-1956
• Mayor of Hamilton - Harold David Caro (from 1938 until his defeat in November) then Roderick Alastair MacDonald Braithwaite (until 1959)
• Mayor of Wellington - Robert Macalister from 1950-1956
• Mayor of Christchurch - Robert M. Macfarlane from 1938-1941 and again from 1950-1958
• Mayor of Dunedin - Leonard Morton Wright from 1950-1959

Events

• 6 January: Godfrey Bowen sets a world sheep shearing record, shearing 456 sheep in nine hours.^[4]
• 10 January: The Social Credit Political League is formed from the earlier Social Credit Association.^[5]
• May 29 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest, the first known time this has been done. Hillary is knighted the following day.
• June 2 - Queen Elizabeth II crowned at Westminster Abbey in London
• December 23 - The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth arrives in New Zealand for a royal tour scheduled to last until January 30, 1954. It is estimated that three in four New Zealanders would make an effort to see her during the tour. ^[6]
• December 24 - a major rail disaster occurs at Tangiwai in the central North Island when a steam locomotive plunges into the Whangaehu River, killing 151 passengers on board.

Arts and literature

See 1953 in art, 1953 in literature, Category:1953 books

Music

See: 1953 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1953 film awards , 1953 in film , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1953 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

• Arthur Lydiard wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:41:29.8 in Dunedin.

• See: 1953 in sports , Category:1953 in sports , Summer Olympic Games (See Category:New Zealand at the Olympics and Winter Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games (Check name).
• Rugby: Category:Rugby union in New Zealand , Super 14, Rugby Union World Cup, National Provincial Championship , Category:All Blacks , Bledisloe Cup , Tri Nations Series , Ranfurly Shield
• Cricket: Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team , Chappell-Hadlee Trophy , Cricket World Cup
• Gold: New Zealand Open , Check Category:New Zealand golfers in overseas tourniments.
• Horse racing: See Category:New Zealand horse races, list winners.
• Rugby league New Zealand Warriors , Bartercard Cup , New Zealand national rugby league team , Rugby League World Cup
• Netball: Silver Ferns , National Bank Cup , Netball World Championships
• Soccer: New Zealand champions (soccer) , New Zealand Football Championship , New Zealand National Soccer League , New Zealand national soccer team , Chatham Cup ,
• Basketball: Tall Blacks , New Zealand Breakers
• Other Sports

Births

• 3 February: Steve Maharey, politician.
• 5 February: Deborah Coddington, journalist and politician.
• 17 February: Steve Millen, motor racing driver.
• 23 March: Denis Aberhart, cricket player and coach.
• March 25: Paul Ballinger, long-distance runner
• 25 May: John Z. Robinson, artist, printmaker and jewelmaker.
• 14 June: Janet Mackey, politician.
• 22 June: Phil Goff, politician.
• 5 September: Murray Mexted, rugby player and commentator.
• 7 September: Marc Hunter, musician.
• 9 September: Edmond ("Sonny") Schmidt, bodybuilder.
• 12 September: Ramesh Patel, field hockey player.
• 6 November: Brian McKechnie, rugby player and cricketer.
• 19 December: Paul McEwan, cricketer.

• Jonathan Dennis, film historian.

Deaths

• 29 July: Richard Pearse airplane pioneer (b. 1877).
• 16 October: Humphrey O'Leary, 7th Chief Justice of New Zealand.

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 1953 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 1953