The following lists events that happened during 1996 in New Zealand.
Population Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,762,300. Increase since 31 December 1995: 55,600 (1.50%). Males per 100 Females: 97.3.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal Head of State - Elizabeth II Governor-General - The Hon Dame Catherine Tizard, ONZ, GCMG, GCVO, DBE, QSO, DStJ followed by The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys GNZM, GCMG, QSO
Government The 44th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was The National Party, led by Jim Bolger. In the 1996 New Zealand general election National was returned to power, but had to form a coalition with the New Zealand First.
Speaker of the House - Peter Tapsell then Doug Kidd Prime Minister - Jim Bolger Deputy Prime Minister - Don McKinnon then Winston Peters Minister of Finance - Bill Birch Minister of Foreign Affairs - Don McKinnon Chief Justice — Sir Thomas Eichelbaum
Opposition leaders
See: :Category:Parliament of New Zealand, :New Zealand elections
Act - Roger Douglas then Richard Prebble New Zealand First - Winston Peters United Future - Peter Dunne Labour - Helen Clark (Leader of the Opposition) Alliance - Jim Anderton
Main centre leaders Mayor of Auckland - Les Mills Mayor of Hamilton - Margaret Evans Mayor of Wellington - Mark Blumsky Mayor of Christchurch - Vicki Buck Mayor of Dunedin - Sukhi Turner
Events April: The New Zealand Tablet winds up. The weekly Catholic newspaper started publication in 1873. 1 November: Cartoon Network debuts on New Zealand television. November: Michael Jackson, the king of pop, performed in Auckland both nights (November 9 and November 11), as a part of his world tour, HIStory World Tour. Leaded petrol is phased out.
Arts and literature Bernadette Hall wins the Robert Burns Fellowship. Montana New Zealand Book Awards: Book of the Year/Cultural Heritage: Judith Binney, Redemption Songs - A Life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki First Book Awards Fiction: Emily Perkins, Not Her Real Name Poetry: James Brown, Go Round Power Please Non-Fiction: Alex Frame, Salmond: Southern Jurist f*INK, Dunedin's weekly entertainment magazine is founded
See 1996 in art, 1996 in literature, :Category:1996 books
Music
New Zealand Music Awards Winners are shown first with nominees underneath.
Album of the Year: Shihad - Killjoy Finn Brothers - Finn Howard Morrison - Songs of New Zealand Max Lines - Beautiful Panflute I Starlight String Quartet - Romantic Strings Suzanne Prentice - 25th Anniversary Single of the Year: OMC – How Bizarre D-Faction - Down in the Boondocks Herbs - French Letter '95 Jan Hellriegel - Manic The Exponents - La La Lulu Strawpeople - Sweet Disorder Best Male Vocalist: Jon Toogood – Shihad Greg Johnson Dave Dobbyn Best Female Vocalist: Teremoana Rapley Sulata Jan Hellriegel Best Group: Shihad The Exponents The Mutton Birds Finn Brothers Rising Star Award: Kylie Harris Bic Runga Glen Moffatt Most Promising Male Vocalist: Paul Fuemana (OMC) Jeremy Eade (Garageland) Otis Frizzell (Joint Force) Most Promising Female Vocalist: Bic Runga Celia Mancini (King Loser) Jordan Reyne Most Promising Group: OMC Garageland Joint Force International Achievement: Shihad Finn Brothers Dave Dobbyn Supergroove Best Video: Sigi Spath / Jo Fisher – You Gotta Know (Supergroove) Greg Page - Honeyblonde (Throw) M Noonan and J Frizzell - Static PTI (Joint Force) Best Producer: Eddie Rayner - World Stand Still Alan Jansson, Nathan Haines and James Pinker - Shift Left (Nathan Haines) Malcolm Welsford - La La Lulu (The Exponents) Best Engineer: Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (Omc) Chris Sinclair - Black Sand Shore (Grace) Malcolm Welsford - La La Lulu (The Exponents) Best Jazz Album: Nathan Haines – Shift Left Hattie St John - Flying High at Iguacu Christchurch Polytechnic Sextet - Collaboration Best Classical Album: Michael Houston - Beethoven Piano Sonatas from the Middle Period Alexander Ivashkin and Tamas Vesmas - Alfred Schnittke L Subramaniam - Pacific Rendezvous Best Country Album: Kylie Harris – Let It Be Love Glen Moffatt - Somewhere in New Zealand Tonight Kevin Greaves - Over the Storm Best Folk Album: Rua – Harbour Lights Chris Thompson - Song for Laura Peter Skandera and Dave Maybee - Acoustic Spirit Best Gospel Album: Brent Chambers – Living Sacrifices Alastair Brown - Narrow Paul Stephens - Apocalypse Best Mana Maori Album: Southside of Bombay with Mina Ripia – Kia Mau Maree Sheehan - Past to Present Moana and The Moahunters - Give it Up Now Ruia - Ka Tangi te Tiitii Ka Tangi to Kaakaa Best Mana Reo Album: Southside of Bombay with Mina Ripia – Kia Mau Ruia - Ka Tangi te Tiitii Ka Tangi te Kaakaa Moana and the Moahunters - Akona Te Reo '95 Best Children's Album: Nga Pihi - 1 & 2 Radha and the Kiwis - Sing the World Around Kids TV - You and Me Songbook (Suzy Cato) Best Polynesian Album: Southside of Bombay - Umbadada D-Faction - Down in the Boondocks John Akaata - Ura Mai Koe Purest Form - If I Fell/U Can Do It Best Songwriter: Mark Tierney / Paul Casserly / Anthony Ioasa - Sweet Disorder (Strawpeople) Glen Moffatt - Somewhere in New Zealand Tonight Greg Johnson - Don't Wait Another Day Best Cover: Alec Bathgate – Abbasalutely Chris Knox - Songs of You and Me Neil Finn and Wayne Conway - Finn
See: 1996 in music
Performing arts
Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Keith Leggett.
Radio and television
See: 1996 in New Zealand television, 1996 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, TV3 (New Zealand), Public broadcasting in New Zealand
The New Zealand Government sells the Radio New Zealand commercial arm to Clear Channel creating The Radio Network
Film Broken English Chicken Jack Brown Genius Flight of the Albatross Someone Else's Country The Frighteners The Whole of the Moon
See: :Category:1996 film awards, 1996 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1996 films
Internet
See: NZ Internet History
Sport
Athletics Phil Costley wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:32 on 27 October in Auckland, while Tracey Clissold claims her first in the women's championship (2:39:03).
Basketball The NBL was won by Auckland.
Cricket Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team, Chappell–Hadlee Trophy, Cricket World Cup
Golf New Zealand Open Check :Category:New Zealand golfers in overseas tournaments.
Horse racing
Harness racing New Zealand Trotting Cup: Il Vicolo - 2nd win Auckland Trotting Cup: Sharp And TelfordAuckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
Thoroughbred racing
Netball Silver Ferns National Bank Cup
Olympic Games
New Zealand sends a team of 97 competitors. Total 3 2 1 6
Paralympics
New Zealand sends a team of 30 competitors across seven sports. Total 9 6 3 18
Rugby league
The Lion Red Cup was won by the Counties Manukau Heroes who beat the Waitakere City Raiders 34–22 in the grand final. Waitakere were the minor premiers. In their second season the Auckland Warriors placed 11th of 20 teams in the Australian National Rugby League competition. They had been in finals contention until losing their last six games. 5 October, New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 62-8 11 October, New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 64-0
The 1996 Great Britain Lions tour saw the three Tet matches played in New Zealand: 18 October, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 17-12 25 October, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 18-15 1 November, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 32-12
Rugby union :Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Super 14, Rugby World Cup, National Provincial Championship, :Category:All Blacks, Bledisloe Cup, Tri Nations Series, Ranfurly Shield
Shooting Ballinger Belt – Graeme Ballinger (Levin)
Soccer The National Summer Soccer League was inaugurated to replace the New Zealand National Soccer League, so there was no 1996 league champion. The New Zealand national soccer team placed third in the OFC Nations Cup, which this year was played as a league rather than a tournament. The Chatham Cup is won by Waitakere City F.C. who beat Mt Wellington 3–1 in the final.Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com
Births
January 1 January – Ben Lister, cricketer 5 January – James Fisher-Harris, rugby league player 9 January – Jayden Bezzant, basketball player 10 January – Jamie-Lee Price, netballer 13 January Mitch Jacobson, rugby union player Oliver Sail, association footballer 28 January – Gabby Westbrook-Patrick, model 31 January – Jordan Trainor, rugby union player
February 6 February – Rhett Purcell, tennis player 7 February – Piera Hudson, alpine skier 10 February – Nicole van der Kaay, triathlete 11 February – Jack Salt, basketball player 14 February – Poasa Faamausili, rugby league player 19 February – Amy Robinson, field hockey player 28 February – Rosa Flanagan, athlete 29 February Nelson Asofa-Solomona, rugby league player Tarryn Davey, field hockey player Claudia Williams, tennis player
March 8 March – Leni Apisai, rugby league player 11 March – Matthew Ridenton, association footballer 14 March – Andrew Blake, association footballer 16 March – Tyrel Lomax, rugby union player 20 March – Deklan Wynne, association footballer 22 March – Tamupiwa Dimairo, association footballer 24 March – Jack Boyle, cricketer 26 March – Zane Musgrove, rugby league player
April 3 April – Cory Brown, association footballer 14 April – Jessee Wyatt, athlete 15 April – Nathaniel Roache, rugby league player 20 April – Caleb Makene, rugby union player 23 April – Ollie Jones, cyclist 29 April – Nicholas Kergozou, cyclist
May 9 May – Jonah Lowe, rugby union player 10 May Henry Shipley, cricketer Taniela Tupou, rugby league player 12 May – Hugh Renton, rugby union player 23 May – Maddison Keeney, diver 27 May – Sio Tomkinson, rugby union player 29 May – Holly Rose Emery, model 31 May – Brandon Smith, rugby league player
June 1 June – Adam Mitchell, association footballer 4 June – Meikayla Moore, association footballer 5 June Gayle Broughton, rugby union player Jamayne Isaako, rugby league player 6 June – Ofahiki Ogden, rugby league player 7 June – Jackie Gowler, rower 10 June – TJ Va'a, rugby union player 12 June Luke Mudgway, cyclist Alex Rufer, association footballer 18 June – Sam Nock, rugby union player 29 June Joseph Manu, rugby league player Mikayla Pirini, basketball player 30 June – Louisa Tuilotolava, field hockey player
July 1 July – Lauchie Johns, cricketer 3 July – Aidan Sarikaya, field hockey player 5 July – Alex Ridley, cricketer 11 July – David Liti, weightlifter 16 July – Josh Iosefa-Scott, rugby union player 20 July – Jasmine Pereira, association footballer 26 July – Jamie Curry, vlogger, comedian 27 July – Luther Hirini, rugby union player 29 July – Marata Niukore, rugby league player
August 16 August – Sefo Kautai, rugby union player 17 August Hamish Kerr, high jumper Esan Marsters, rugby league player 20 August – Bunty Afoa, rugby league player 21 August – Quinten Strange, rugby union player
September 5 September – Isaac Salmon, rugby union player 6 September – Nicholas Reddish, cyclist 12 September Aaron Booth, decathlete Ryan Christensen, cyclist Pari Pari Parkinson, rugby union player 13 September – Botille Vette-Welsh, rugby league player 19 September – Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, rugby union player 25 September – Salesi Rayasi, rugby union player 29 September – Jahrome Brown, rugby union player
October 2 October Tayler Reid, triathlete Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, netball player 3 October – Hannah Rowe, cricketer 4 October – Brett Cameron, rugby union player 5 October Lisati Milo-Harris, rugby union player Jayden Nikorima, rugby league player 6 October Regan Gough, cyclist Elizabeth Ross, rower 9 October – Eliza Grigg, alpine skier 18 October – Frances Davies, field hockey player 22 October – Kelly Jury, netball player 24 October – Ayden Johnstone, rugby union player