Regal and viceregal
Head of State - Edward VII
Governor - The Lord Plunket GCMG KCVO
The 16th New Zealand Parliament concluded but the Liberal Party retained in power following the 1908 General Election in November/December
Speaker of the House - Sir Arthur Guinness
Prime Minister - Joseph Ward
Minister of Finance - Joseph Ward
Attorney-General - John Findlay
Leader of the Opposition - William Massey, (Independent).
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland - Arthur Myers
Mayor of Wellington - Thomas Hislop
Mayor of Christchurch - George Payling then Charles Allison
Mayor of Dunedin - John Loudon then John McDonald
7 August: First through passenger train on the North Island Main Trunk railway, over temporary track north of Taonui, the 11-car Parliamentary Special carrying the Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward and other parliamentarians north to see the American Great White Fleet at Auckland.
6 November: The North Island Main Trunk railway linking Wellington and Auckland is completed, with the last spike driven in by Prime Minister Joseph Ward at Manganui-o-te-Ao.
9 November: A two-day NIMT rail passenger service starts, with an overnight stop at Ohakune.
2 December: Dunedin Public Library opens, aided by a grant from Andrew Carnegie.
Late December: Wanganui (population 9000) became the first provincial town to introduce trams
Undated
Blackball, New Zealand coal miners strike for 11 weeks, an important step in the formation of the New Zealand Labour Party.
Auckland. Three cultivars of the Feijoa are introduced into New Zealand.
See also Current events in Australia and New Zealand
Arts and literature
See 1908 in art, 1908 in literature, Category:1908 books
The first Edmonds Cookery Book is published.
See: 1908 in music
See: 1908 in film, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1908 films
The welterweight division is included in the national championships for the first time.
National amateur champions
Heavyweight - M. Ryan (Invercargill)
Middleweight - J. Smith (Auckland)
Welterweight - R. Mayze (Christchurch)
Lightweight - T. Metcalfe (Auckland)
Featherweight - W. Elliott (Timaru)
Bantamweight - J. Parker (Christchurch)
The Auckland Sports Club, the national representative to the British Billiards Association, holds the first national championship.
National Champion: J. Ryan (Auckland)
The 21st National Chess Championship was held in Wellington, and was won by of A.W.O. Davies of Wellington, his second title.
The second New Zealand Open championship was held at Balmacewen golf club and was won by 19-year old professional J.A. Clements
The 16th National Amateur Championships were held in Otago Men: H.C. Smith (Otago)
Women: Miss ? Christie
New Zealand Trotting Cup: Durbar
Auckland Trotting Cup: Scotia
Auckland Cup - All Red
New Zealanders compete at the Olympic Games for the first time, as part of the Australasian team. Harry Kerr becomes the first New Zealander to win an Olympic medal.
New Zealand national rugby league team tour of Great Britain:
lost to Wales, 9 - 8
1st test: lost to Great Britain 8 - 5 at Cheltenham
2nd test: beat Great Britain 18 - 6 at Chelsea
3rd test: beat Great Britain 14 - 6 at leeds
Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield against Marlborough (32-0), Wellington (24-3), Taranaki (9-0) and Otago (11-5)
Provincial league champions:
Auckland: Auckland Corinthians
Canterbury: Christchurch Club
Otago: Northern Dunedin
Southland: Murihiku
Taranaki: Hawera
Wellington: Diamond Wellington
Anthony Wilding pairs with Australian Norman Brookes, as the Australasian team, to win the Davis Cup, beating the United States 3-2. The final is held in Melbourne.
Anthony Wilding, partnered with Norman Brookes, wins the men's doubles at the Wimbledon Championship
12 March: Rita Angus, painter.
2 June: Lindsay Weir, cricketer.
5 June: Les George, rugby player.
19 June: Fred Baker, soldier.
18 August: Bill Merritt, cricketer.
21 September: Charles Upham, double Victoria Cross winner.
25 September: Herbert Dudley Purves, medical researcher.
17 December: Sylvia Ashton-Warner, writer and educator.
Category:1908 births
20 May: Albert Henry Baskerville, rugby league pioneer
Edward Connolly, politician.
Henry Feldwick, politician.
Category:1908 deaths
