The following lists events that happened during 2024 in New Zealand.
Incumbents
Regal and vice-regal Head of state – Charles III Governor-General – Cindy Kiro
Government Legislature term: 54th New Zealand Parliament.
The Sixth National Government, elected in 2023, continues.
Speaker of the House – Gerry Brownlee Prime Minister – Christopher Luxon Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters Leader of the House – Chris Bishop Minister of Finance – Nicola Willis Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters
Other party leaders in parliament Labour – Chris Hipkins (Leader of the Opposition) Green – James Shaw until 10 March then Chlöe Swarbrick, and Marama Davidson ACT – David Seymour NZ First – Winston Peters Te Pāti Māori – Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Judiciary Chief Justice – Helen Winkelmann President of the Court of Appeal – Mark Cooper, then Christine French from 21 November Chief High Court judge – Sally Fitzgerald Chief District Court judge – Heemi Taumaunu
Main centre leaders Mayor of Auckland – Wayne Brown Mayor of Tauranga – Anne Tolley (as chair of commissioners), then Mahé Drysdale from 2 August Mayor of Hamilton – Paula Southgate Mayor of Wellington – Tory Whanau Mayor of Christchurch – Phil Mauger Mayor of Dunedin – Jules Radich
Events
January 3 January – The Waitangi Treaty Grounds and its museums are evacuated following a bomb threat received in an email. 6 January – Learner licence driver tests are changed in order to drop high wait times. Testees must wait 10 days until attempting another test if they fail twice in a day. 9 January – A seven-year legal battle concludes, marking three and a half hectares of Titirangi bush to be removed for a water treatment plant. 10 January – Train lines in Wellington lose power at around 3pm. Power is restored about six hours later. 11 January – 10 hectares of scrub in Tītahi Bay, Porirua is lit on fire, starting at around 11pm. It is contained the following day. 14 January – The Auckland Light Rail project is cancelled by the government. The project oversaw building light rail system in Auckland. 15 January Train stations on Auckland's Eastern Line between Ōrākei and Sylvia Park reopen after being closed for 10 months to allow tracks to be rebuilt. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets with the Māori King, Kīngi Tūheitia. Their discussions include the government's plans to remove Māori names from public organisations. 16 January – Golriz Ghahraman announces her resignation as a Green Party Member of Parliament following three accusations of shoplifting in Auckland and Wellington. 17 January Wellington enters level two water restrictions due to its ageing infrastructure during summer demand spikes. Almost half of Wellington's water is lost to over 3,000 pipe leaks. The restrictions enact a ban of residential sprinklers and irrigation sprinklers in Wellington City, Porirua City, Hutt City and Upper Hutt City. 2023 NCEA results are revealed, showing a drop in secondary school pass rates for the third year in a row. This is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. MetService issues a heat alert in Auckland due to night temperatures forecasted at 20–21 degrees. 19 January Four separate wildfires break out in Amberley and Loburn, Canterbury, reaching an estimated area of 10 hectares. The fires are contained in the evening by over 100 firefighters. Three homes and a church are lost in the fires. Celia Wade-Brown is declared elected a list MP for the Green Party following the resignation of Golriz Ghahraman. Westland declares a state of emergency due to heavy rain. 20 January A national hui is held at Tūrangawaewae Marae, called by the Māori King Tūheitia Paki, which has several thousand attendees. A second wildfire on the north side of the Waimakariri River, by Swannanoa breaks out, reaching an estimated area of 12 hectares. Forty firefighters and four helicopters are used to fight the fire. 21 January – A pod of 40 false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins were euthanised after becoming stranded on a reef near Māhia Peninsula in the Hawke's Bay region. 22 January – The Commerce Commission launches investigations into pricing and promotional practices of the two supermarket chains Woolworths and Foodstuffs. 23 January – The New Zealand Defence Force deploys six personnel to assist the United States-led coalition in countering the Houthi movement's attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea following the Gaza war. 24 January Albert Park in Auckland is evacuated along with surrounding streets after a man made "concerning comments". Waipukurau water supply drops to 26% due to a leak. Level four water restrictions are put in place, banning outdoor water use, and residents are asked not to use dishwashers or washing machines. 26 January Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says that the government does not want to decrease the voting age to 16, after a similar comment was made on 16 January. This ends the previous government's intention to decrease the age. Members of the Ngāti Kahu iwi (tribe) block access to Taipa ahead of the Doubtless Bay Fishing Competition to protest the Government's proposed Treaty of Waitangi Principles legislation and overfishing. Protesters vowed to continue their blockade over the weekend (27–28 January). 30 January James Shaw, co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand announces his resignation, effective March. New Zealand suspends its aid contribution to UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East) following allegations that at least 12 UNRWA workers had participated in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. 31 January The government announces that the ending of providing free COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits will be extended to 30 June. A heat alert is issued for Auckland, and outdoor fires are banned in Canterbury.
February
4 February – A wildfire along the banks of the Waimakariri River near Kirwee reaches 80 hectares in size, leading to evacuations and the closure of Old West Coast Road. 5 February – Rangiora High School closes for one day due to a high COVID-19 infection rate among its staff. 6 February – Large crowds gather outside Treaty House in Waitangi, Northland, to protest against the Government's Māori language policies and proposed Treaty Principles legislation. 7 February – Supreme Court rules that iwi leader and climate activist Mike Smith can sue seven companies for pollution including Fonterra, Z Energy and Genesis Energy Limited. 8 February – Local state of emergency declared in the Southland township of Bluecliffs due to erosion caused by heavy rain and sea swell. 10 February Westpac experiences an outage in which customers are unable to withdraw funds and use eftpos cards for more than 12 hours. A South Dunedin Countdown supermarket closes for at least a week, after suffering a rodent infestation. 11 February – The government announces a $63 million funding increase for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery, to remove sediment and debris. 12 February – The Ministry of Primary Industries starts an investigation at a Christchurch Countdown supermarket, after a mouse is spotted running across an uncovered deli-made salad. 13 February – A memorial service is held at Muriwai to remember the death of two firefighters during Cyclone Gabrielle. A plaque was also unveiled. 14 February 2024 Port Hills fire: A state of emergency is declared in Christchurch and Selwyn, as firefighters battle to control a bushfire in the city's Port Hills region. Six residents of a rest home in Whitianga have died after a third of residents and staff were infected with Influenza A over a 12-day period. Parliament repeals under urgency the Three Waters programme. 20 February: Labour Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Grant Robertson announces his resignation from politics to take up the position of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago commencing July 2024. Thousands of shortfin eels are found dead in the Low Burn Stream near Mataura, Southland. 21 February – Green MP Efeso Collins collapses and dies during a charity event. 24 February – The new Kaeo Bridge in Northland opens after starting in 2021 and being unveiled in 2015. 25 February – Food labels now must contain potentially life-threatening allergens bolded in the ingredients list. 26 February – State Highway 1 over Brynderwyn Hills closes for repairs until 27 March. 28 February Parliament passes legislation under urgency repealing the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022 and disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health Authority). The official cash rate is kept at 5.5%. Warner Bros. Discovery releases a proposal to shut down television news broadcaster Newshub by 30 June 2024. 29 February Petrol stations Z, Allied Petroleum, Gull, Waitomo, etc. experience nationwide self-service pump outages due to a software problem caused by the leap year. New Zealand Blood Service lifts the mad cow disease blood and plasma donation restriction. The entirety of Hamas is designated as a terrorist entity by the government, which follows a 2010 designation of its military as terrorist.
March 1 March – Judge Evangelos Thomas imposes a total of NZ$10.21 million in reparations and NZ$2 million in fines on five companies and GNS Science over their involvement in the 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption. 5 March: Parliament votes to end taxpayer funding for cultural reports. New Zealand Media and Entertainment acquires Tauranga-based media company SunMedia. 6 March – Lawrence Xu-Nan is elected as a list MP for the Green Party following the death of Efeso Collins. 8 March – State-owned television news broadcaster TVNZ proposes eliminating 68 jobs and axing several current affairs programs including Fair Go, Sunday, 1News' midday and late night news segments due to financial difficulties. 9 March – The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival takes place. 10 March Chlöe Swarbrick is elected co-leader of the Green Party, following the resignation of James Shaw. Firefighters respond to multiple wildfires in the Waitaki District. 11 March – 50 passengers and crew are injured after LATAM Airlines Flight 800 experiences an inflight upset while landing at Auckland Airport. 12 March Scientists on an expedition to the Bounty Trough discover more than a hundred species previously unknown in New Zealand waters. New Zealand Media and Entertainment acquires the family-owned Gisborne Herald and its website. 13 March Golriz Ghahraman pleads guilty to shoplifting. The government gives Ruapehu Alpine Lifts a $7 million bailout. 14 March The Wellington City Council approves a plan to increase housing density in Wellington. The Dunedin City Council votes to consult ratepayers on a proposal to sell energy company Aurora Energy in order to pay off the company's forecast debt of NZ$750 million. 15 March – World of Music, Arts and Dance takes place in New Plymouth. 17 March – Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters controversially likens Co-governance to Nazi race-based theory during a state of the nation address. His remarks were described as offensive and inflammatory by Holocaust Centre of NZ spokesperson Ben Kepes and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins. 19 March – The Rotorua Lakes Council cancels a scheduled Coco and Erika Flash Drag Queen Story Hour event due to safety concerns. 20 March – The government announces that it will ban disposable vapes, and increase the maximum fine from selling to under-18s from $10,000 to $100,000. 21 March It is announced that the country has entered a recession, with a GDP drop of 0.1% following a 0.3% drop in the September 2023 quarter.