1870 in New Zealand

Updated on Dec 07, 2024

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Decades: 1850s1860s1870s1880s1890s See also: Other events of 1870Timeline of New Zealand history

Regal and viceregal

Head of State — Queen Victoria

Governor — Sir George Ferguson Bowen

Government and law

The 4th New Zealand Parliament continues.

Speaker of the House — Sir David Monro stands down at the end of the year. He will be replaced after the 1871 election by Sir Francis Dillon Bell

Premier — William Fox

Minister of Finance — Julius Vogel

Chief Justice — Hon Sir George Arney

Voting in New Zealand elections is changed to a secret ballot.

Main centre leaders

Mayor of Christchurch — John Anderson followed by Andrew Duncan

Mayor of Dunedin — Thomas Birch followed by Henry Fish

Mayor of Wellington — Joseph Dransfield

Archery

The first club meets at One Tree Hill, Auckland.

Golf

New Zealand's first golf course was opened in Dunedin.

Horse racing

There are 2 races for both the New Zealand Cup and New Zealand Derby (presumably at the beginning and end of the calendar year).^{(Confirmation required)}

Major race winners

New Zealand Cup: Knottingley

New Zealand Derby: Malabar

New Zealand Derby: Envy

Rugby union

Charles Monro, son of the Speaker of the House, Sir David Monro, introduces rugby to the Nelson Football club.

14 May — First rugby club match, Nelson College versus Nelson Football Club "The Town" at the Botanical reserve. This was the first interclub game of rugby union played in New Zealand.

12 September — A Nelson team, the "Lunatics", defeats Wellington at Petone.

— The first "international" between Wellington and a team from HMS Rosario.

Shooting

Ballinger Belt: Lieutenant Goldie (Otago)

Births

14 April: James Cowan, writer.

20 October: C. F. Goldie, painter.

Deaths

16 July: Elizabeth Guard, of pioneering whaling family.

References

1870 in New Zealand Wikipedia

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