Regal and viceregal
Head of State - Edward VII
Governor - The Lord Plunket GCMG KCVO
The 11th New Zealand Parliament commenced.
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 until February and thereafter as leader of the Reform Party)
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland - Arthur Myers then Charles Grey
Mayor of Wellington - Alfred Newman
Mayor of Christchurch - Charles Allison
Mayor of Dunedin - John McDonald then James Walker
1 January: The Quackery Prevention Act 1908 becomes law, preventing false advertising in relation to ingredients, composition, structure, nature or operation of a medicine.
12 February: Inter-island steamer SS Penguin is wrecked at Cape Terawhiti in Cook Strait with the loss of 75 lives.
14 February: The first North Island Main Trunk passenger express train leaves Auckland for Wellington, an overnight trip scheduled to take 19 hours 15 minutes, with a sleeping car, day cars with reclining seats, postal/parcels vans, and a dining car for part of the way.
The Canterbury (NZ) Aero Club, the first in New Zealand, is formed by George Bolt.
Arts and literature
See 1909 in art, 1909 in literature, Category:1909 books
See: 1909 in music
See: 1909 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1909 films
National amateur champions
Heavyweight - M. Ryan (Invercargill)
Middleweight - S. Monaghan (Ohakune)
Welterweight - G. Watchorn (Palmerston North)
Lightweight - J. Finnerty (Invercargill)
Featherweight - J. Hagerty (Timaru)
Bantamweight - C. Stewart (Timaru)
The 22nd National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by F.K. Kelling of Wellington.
The third New Zealand Open championship was won by J.A. Clements (his second consecutive win).
The 17th National Amateur Championships were held in Auckland Men: Arthur Duncan (Wellington) - 6th title
Women: Mrs ? Bevan.
New Zealand Trotting Cup: Wildwood Junior
Auckland Trotting Cup: Havoc
New Zealand national rugby league team
Auckland defend the Ranfurly Shield only once, beating Taranaki 18-5
Provincial league champions:
Auckland: Auckland Corinthians
Canterbury: Burnham Industrial School
Otago: Dunedin City
Southland: Murihiku
Taranaki: Kaponga
Wellington: Wellington Swifts
Anthony Wilding and Australian Norman Brookes, as the Australasian team, successfully defend the Davis Cup, beating the United States 5-0. The final is held in Sydney.
Anthony Wilding wins the men's singles at the Australian Open.
27 July: Charles Brasch, poet and literary editor.
20 August: Alby Roberts, cricketer.
15 September: Jean Batten, aviator.
31 October: Frank Bateson, astronomer.
23 December: Don Cleverley, cricketer.
Ralph Hanan, politician.
Bill Pratney, cyclist.
Tom Skinner, politician, Federation of Labour president.
Jack Watts, politician.
Category:1909 births
Samuel Brown, Mayor of Wellington.
Category:1909 deaths
