Estimated population as of 31 December: 2,617,000
Increase since 31 December 1963: 50,100 (1.95%)
Males per 100 females: 100.8
Regal and viceregal
Head of State – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – Brigadier Sir Bernard Fergusson GCMG GCVO DSO OBE.
The 34th New Zealand Parliament commenced, with the second National Government in power.
Speaker of the House – Ronald Algie .
Prime Minister – Keith Holyoake
Deputy Prime Minister – Jack Marshall.
Minister of Finance – Harry Lake.
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Keith Holyoake.
Attorney-General – Ralph Hanan.
Leader of the Opposition – Walter Nash (Labour) until 31 March, then Arnold Nordmeyer (Labour).
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland – Dove-Myer Robinson
Mayor of Hamilton – Dennis Rogers
Mayor of Wellington – Frank Kitts
Mayor of Christchurch – George Manning
Mayor of Dunedin – Thomas Kay Stuart Sidey
2 January: description
21–27 June: The Beatles tour New Zealand.
The Continental Shelf Act 1964 passes into law
Arts and literature
Maurice Gee wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
See 1964 in art, 1964 in literature
Washday at the pa
See Category:1964 books
See 1964 in music
21–27 June: The Beatles tour New Zealand.
Radio and television
Coronation Street was shown for the first time on New Zealand television on AKTV2 in the Auckland region on Thursday 14 May, running from 8.25 pm to 8.52 pm. As television was not then networked throughout New Zealand, Wellington (WNTV1), Christchurch (CHTV3) and Dunedin (DNTV2) followed in June and July; on Tuesday in Wellington and Christchurch and Thursday in Dunedin.
Television licences reach 168,000.
A Māori broadcasting section of NZBC is established.
NZBC begins plans for the Avalon studios. [1]
New Zealand Television Workshop awards:
Best Factual: Focus
Best Light Entertainment: Music Hall
Best Documentary: The Distant Shore
See: 1964 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, Category:New Zealand television programmes, Public broadcasting in New Zealand.
Runaway
See: Category:1964 film awards, 1964 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1964 films
Peter Snell – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's 800 metres
Peter Snell – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's 1500 metres
John Davies – Olympic Bronze Medal, Men's 1500 metres
Marise Chamberlain – Olympic Bronze Medal, Women's 800 metres
Ray Puckett wins his fourth national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:17:38.6 on 7 March in Lower Hutt.
The 71st National Chess Championship was held in Auckland, and was won by R.A. Court of Wellington.
New Zealand cricket team
Plunket Shield was won by Auckland (1963-1964 season)
New Zealand Trotting Cup: Cairnbrae
Auckland Trotting Cup: Lordship
Summer Olympics, Tokyo – New Zealand sent a team of 69 competitors, winning 3 gold and 2 bronze medals.
Silver Ferns
New Zealand national rugby league team
Rugby League World Cup
Category:All Blacks
Bledisloe Cup: New Zealand beat Australia by 2 tests to 1
Ranfurly Shield: Taranaki was successful in all defences, with 8 wins and 1 draw.
The Chatham Cup is won by Mount Roskill who beat King Edward Technical College Old Boys 3—1 in the final.
Provincial league champions:Auckland: Blockhouse Bay
Bay of Plenty: Kahukura
Buller: Waimangaroa United
Canterbury: Christchurch City
Franklin: Papatoetoe
Hawke's Bay: Napier Rovers
Manawatu: Thistle
Marlborough: Woodbourne
Nelson: Rangers
Northland: Otangarei United
Otago: Northern AFC
Poverty Bay: Eastern Union
South Canterbury: West End
Southland: Invercargill Thistle
Taranaki: Moturoa, Old Boys (shared)
Waikato: Hamilton
Wairarapa: YMCA
Wanganui: Wanganui United
Wellington: Diamond
West Coast: Grey United
Helmer Pedersen, and Earle Wells – Olympic Gold Medal, Men's Flying Dutchman class
10 February: John Campbell, broadcaster
1 March: Anne Judkins, race walker
23 March: John Mitchell, rugby player and coach
7 April: Russell Crowe, actor
12 May: Matthew Palmer, legal academic
24 May: Aaron Craig,
27 May: Joel Hayward, strategic studies scholar and poet
10 June: Tony Martin, comedian.
12 June: Lorraine Downes, beauty queen
18 June: Simon Dallow, newsreader
19 June: Michael Kenny, heavyweight boxer
July: Shayne Carter, musician
11 August: Grant Waite, golfer
27 August: Lynley Hannen, rower
23 October: David Penfold, field hockey player
29 October: Anthony Mosse, swimmer.
3 November: Bryan Young, cricketer
5 December – Brent Todd, rugby league footballer
16 December: John Kirwan, rugby footballer and coach
24 December: Nick Smith, politician
Unknown: Martin Devlin, sports broadcaster
Steve Braunias, journalist
Glenn Colquhoun, poet
Shane Cotton, painter
Brad McGann, filmmaker
Andrew Niccol, film director
12 December: John Norman Massey, MP and politician.
