2008 in New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2008 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011

Contents 1 Incumbents 1.1 Regal and Vice Regal 1.2 Government 1.3 Other Party Leaders 1.4 Main centre leaders 2 Events 2.1 Holidays and Observances 3 Arts and literature 3.1 New Books 3.2 Awards 3.3 Music 3.4 Television 3.5 Film 3.6 Internet 4 Sport 4.1 Cricket 4.2 Netball 4.3 Motorsport 4.4 Olympic Games 4.5 Rugby league 4.6 Rugby union 4.7 Rowing 4.8 Soccer 4.9 Tennis 5 Births 6 Deaths 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Incumbents

[edit] Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - The Hon. Anand Satyanand, PCNZM, QSO^[1]

[edit] Government

The 48th New Zealand Parliament continues. The government is a Labour-Progressive coalition with supply and confidence from United Future and New Zealand First in exchange for two ministerial spots outside Cabinet.

• Speaker of the House - Margaret Wilson (Labour) since 3 March 2005
• Prime Minister - Helen Clark (Labour) since 5 December 1999
• Deputy Prime Minister - Michael Cullen (Labour) since 15 August 2002
• Minister of Finance - Michael Cullen (Labour) since 5 December 1999

Non-Labour Ministers

• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Winston Peters (NZ First) since October 2005
• Jim Anderton (Progressives) - Minister of Agriculture (within Cabinet)
• Peter Dunne (United Future)- Minister of Revenue and Associate Minister of Health (outside Cabinet)

[edit] Other Party Leaders

• National - John Key (Leader of the Opposition) since 27 November 2006
• Act - Rodney Hide, since 13 June 2004
• Greens - Jeanette Fitzsimons (since 1995) and Russel Norman (since 2006)
• Māori Party - Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples, both since 7 July 2004

[edit] Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Banks, since October 2007
• Mayor of Hamilton - Bob Simcock, since May 2007
• Mayor of Wellington - Kerry Prendergast, since October 2001
• Mayor of Christchurch - Bob Parker, since October 2007
• Mayor of Dunedin - Peter Chin, since October 2004

[edit] Events

• 22 January: State funeral for Sir Edmund Hillary
• 5 June: A newly redesigned flag for the Governor General of New Zealand is flown for the first time at Government House, Auckland. ^[2]
• 1 July: Rail transport network is renationalised as KiwiRail
• 1 August: Crown entities Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand merge to form the NZ Transport Agency
• 16 August: Dunedin Public Hospital is put in lockdown for a week after approximately 170 staff and patients fall ill to a norovirus outbreak, resulting in 2,300 appointments and procedures being delayed.^[3]
• 5 September: Fonterra advise Prime Minister Helen Clark of the 2008 baby milk scandal.^[4]
• 8 November: John Key and the New Zealand National Party win the General Election. John Key is able to form a Government and in Helen Clark's speech she resigns as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
• 9 November: Michael Cullen resigns as deputly leader of the Labour Party. ^[5]
• 19 November John Key is sworn in as Prime Minister

[edit] Holidays and Observances

• 6 February - Waitangi Day (Wednesday)
• 21 March/24 March Good Friday/Easter Monday
• 25 April - ANZAC Day (Friday)
• 2 June - Queen's Birthday Monday
• 5 June - Matariki (Thursday)
• 27 October - Labour Day Monday

[edit] Arts and literature

[edit] New Books

[edit] Awards

[edit] Music

• May - New Zealand Music Month

[edit] Television

• Freeview|HD Digital television is launched.

• The country's first Chinese television channel, CTV8 (Chinese Television 8) is launched in early October.

[edit] Film

[edit] Internet

[edit] Sport

[edit] Cricket

• New Zealand men's cricket team, the Black Caps plays three test matches against England and draws the series, each team having won a game

[edit] Netball

• The ANZ Netball Championship begins in April 2008.

[edit] Motorsport

[edit] Olympic Games

Main article: New Zealand at the 2008 Summer Olympics

[edit] Rugby league

[edit] Rugby union

[edit] Rowing

[edit] Soccer

• 30 October-16 November — New Zealand hosts the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Matches are held in Albany, Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington.

[edit] Tennis

[edit] Births

[edit] Deaths

• 1 January: Joan Dingley, mycologist
• 4 January: Bert Walker, former National Party politician, minister.
• 10 January: George Laking, diplomat and public servant.^[6]
• 11 January: Sir Edmund Hillary, mountaineer and first person to climb Mount Everest.^[7]
• 16 January: Hone Tuwhare, poet.^[8]
• 12 February: Ron Chippindale, Chief Inspector of Accidents^[9]
• 19 February: Barry Barclay, Māori film-maker^[10]
• 21 March: Merv Wallace, cricketer and test match captain.^[11]
• 6 April: Tony Davies, All Blacks rugby union player^[12]
• 11 April: Fraser Colman, former Labour Party politician, minister.
• 12 April: Dame Augusta Wallace, former judge, first woman District Court judge.^[13]
• 5 June: Colin Kay, Mayor of Auckland and New Zealand triple jump champion.^[14]
• 25 August: Hardwicke Knight, Otago historian. ^[15]
• 7 September: Sir Hamish Hay, Mayor of Christchurch from 1974 to 1989.^[16]
• 8 September: A. R. Guthrey, Mayor of Christchurch from 1968 to 1971.^[17]
• 13 September: Duncan Laing, swimming coach, trainer of 11 Olympic athletes.^[18]
• 13 September: Sue Garden-Bachop, women's rugby international player and administrator.^[19]
• 25 September: Brian Donnelly, politician and diplomat.^[20]
• 2 October: Rob Guest, actor and singer.^[21]
• 29 October: John Darwin, mathematician and statistician
• 8 November: Hedley Howarth, Test cricketer.^[22]

[edit] 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 2008 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 2008

[edit] References