The following lists events that happened during 1881 in New Zealand.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal
- Head of State – Queen Victoria
- Governor – The Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Government and law
The general election is held on 9 December. Afterwards the 8th New Zealand Parliament begins.
- Speaker of the House – Maurice O'Rorke.
- Premier – John Hall (New Zealand)
- Minister of Finance – Harry Atkinson
- Chief Justice – Hon Sir James Prendergast
Main centre leaders
- Mayor of Auckland – James Clark
- Mayor of Christchurch – Charles Thomas Ick followed by James Gapes
- Mayor of Dunedin – Archibald Hilson Ross followed by James Gore
- Mayor of Wellington – William Hutchison
Events
- The government passes the Chinese Immigration Act 1881. This imposes a £10 tax per Chinese person entering New Zealand, and permits only one Chinese immigrant for every 10 tons of cargo.
- 1 October – The first telephone exchange in New Zealand is opened in Christchurch.
- 24 October – A telephone exchange is opened in Auckland.
- 5 November – The invasion of Parihaka by a colonial militia aiming to clear the non-violent resistance movement and enable the subdivision of land for European settlement
Sport
Cricket
- The Auckland Association is formed.
- An Australian team tours the country playing twelve matches against provincial teams. None of the games have first-class status, with the home teams fielding between 12 and 22 players. Australia suffered one loss, but 10 wickets to the Wanganui XXII. Itinerary
Horse racing
- New Zealand Cup winner: Grip
- New Zealand Derby winner: The Dauphin
- Auckland Cup winner: King Quail
- Wellington Cup winner: Natator
Rugby union
The Otago union is formed.
Provincial club rugby champions include:
- see also Category:Rugby union in New Zealand
Shooting
Ballinger Belt: Lieutenant Paynter (Nelson)
Births
- 16 January: Hercules Wright, rugby union player.
- 14 February (in Australia): George Skellerup, industrialist
- 6 April: Walter Broadfoot, politician.
Deaths
- 15 September William Sefton Moorhouse, politician.
Unknown date
- Paora Te Potangaroa, Māori prophet.
See also
- List of years in New Zealand
- Timeline of New Zealand history
- History of New Zealand
- Military history of New Zealand
- Timeline of the New Zealand environment
- Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica
References
- General
- Romanos, J. (2001) New Zealand Sporting Records and Lists. Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett. ISBN 1-86958-879-7
- Specific
External links
Media related to 1881 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons
