Regal and viceregal
Head of State - Elizabeth II
Governor-General - The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys GNZM, GCMG, QSO
The 45th New Zealand Parliament continued, with the Fourth National Government in power.
Speaker of the House - Doug Kidd
Prime Minister - Jenny Shipley
Deputy Prime Minister - Winston Peters then Wyatt Creech
Minister of Finance - Bill Birch
Minister of Foreign Affairs - Don McKinnon
See: Category:Parliament of New Zealand, New Zealand elections
National - Prime Minister Jenny Shipley
Act - Richard Prebble
New Zealand First - Winston Peters
United New Zealand - Peter Dunne
Labour - Helen Clark (Leader of the Opposition)
The Alliance - Jim Anderton and Sandra Lee
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland - Les Mills then Christine Fletcher
Mayor of Hamilton - Margaret Evans then Russell Matthew Remmington
Mayor of Wellington - Mark Blumsky
Mayor of Christchurch - Vicki Buck then Garry Moore
Mayor of Dunedin - Sukhi Turner
2 May – By-election in Taranaki-King Country after the former Prime Minister Jim Bolger resigned. Shane Ardern retained the seat for National.
14 August – Prime Minister Jenny Shipley sacks Winston Peters from Cabinet after a dispute over the privatisation of Wellington International Airport. Peters subsequently cancels New Zealand First's coalition agreement with National.
New Zealand appoints a resident ambassador to Argentina and establishes an embassy in Buenos Aires.
As of December 2016, this year is New Zealand's warmest year on record.
Arts and literature
Michael King wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
Montana New Zealand Book Awards:
Montana Medal: Harry Orsman (ed.), Dictionary of New Zealand English
Deutz Medal: Maurice Gee, Live Bodies
Reader's Choice: Malcolm McKinnon(ed.), New Zealand Historical Atlas
First Book Awards
Fiction: Catherine Chidgey, In a fishbone church
Poetry: Kapka Kassabova, All Roads Lead to the Sea
Non-Fiction: Genevieve Noser, Olives: The new passion
See 1998 in art, 1998 in literature, Category:1998 books
New Zealand Music Awards
Winners are shown first with nominees underneath. were:
Album of the Year: Bic Runga - Drive
Salmonella Dub - Calming of the Drunken Monkey
Rob Guest - Standing Ovation
The Stereobus - Stereobus
Greg Johnson - Chinese Whispers
Single of the Year: Bic Runga - Sway
Shihad - Home Again
The Feelers - Pressure Man
Darcy Clay - Jesus I Was Evil
Moizna - Just Another Day
Best Male Vocalist: Jon Toogood – (Shihad)
Greg Johnson (Greg Johnson Set)
Booga Beazley (Head Like A Hole)
Best Female Vocalist: Bic Runga
Sulata
Annie Crummer
Best Group: Shihad
The Mutton Birds
Dam Native
Most Promising Male Vocalist: Darcy Clay
Dave Yetton (The Stereobus)
James Reid (The Feelers)
Most Promising Female Vocalist: Alesha Siosiua (Miozna)
Maisey Rika (St Josephs Maori Girls College)
Jordan Reyne
Most Promising Group: Moizna
The Feelers
The Stereobus
International Achievement: OMC
The Mutton Birds
Garageland
Best Video: Mark Hurley - Home Again (Shihad)
Joe Lonie - Pressure Man (The Feelers)
Wayne Conway - Suddenly Strange (Bic Runga)
Best Producer: Malcolm Welsford - Pressure Man (The Feelers)
Chris Sinclair - Kia Koe (Sulata)
Debbie Harwood & Stephen Small - So This Is Love
Best Engineer: Simon Sheridan - Sway (Bic Runga)
Chris Sinclair - Kia Koe (Sulata)
Malcolm Welsford - Pressure Man (The Feelers)
Best Jazz Album: the New Loungehead - Came a Weird Way
Trip to the Moon - Jazz Hop
Sustenance - Food For Thought
Best Classical Album: Daniel Poynton - You Hit Him, He Cry Out
Alexander Ivashkin - Shostakovich Cello Concertos
Keith Lewis And NZ Chamber Orchestra - Opera Kings Gods And Mortals
Best Country Album: Kylie Harris - Fancy
Best Folk Album: Paul Ubana Jones - Blessings and Burdens
T&D Bigger Band - Hillingdon
AJ Bell - Ragwort Touch
Best Gospel Album: Parachute Band - You Alone
Dennis Marsh - Faith
Invasion Band - You Call My Name
Best Mana Maori Album: Te Matapihi – Te Matapihi
Maori Volcanics - Kia Ora
Dam Native - Kaupapa Drvien Rhymes Uplifted
Best Mana Reo Album: St Josephs Maori Girls College - E Hine
The Willie Matthews Quartet - A Treasury Of Maori Songs
Nga Kura O Hananah - Nga Kura O Hananah
Best Children's Album: Kids TV - Sing Something Simple
Tessa Grigg & Brian Ringrose - Where Are You Going Colin
Jules Riding - Kids Time With Jules Riding
Best Songwriter: Bic Runga - Sway
Greg Johnson - Liberty
Jordan Luck - Change Your Mind
Best Cover: Wayne Conway - Drive (Bic Runga)
Crispin Schuberth - Came A Weird Way (The New Loungehead)
A Penman & Ross (Finnart) - Calming of the Drunken Monkey (Salmonella Dub)
New Zealand Radio Programmer Award: John Diver - Channel Z (Wellington)
Melanie Wise - Q92FM (Queenstown)
Kaye Glamuzina - National Radio
See: 1998 in music
Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Dame Malvina Major ONZ GNZM DBE.
Radio and television
30 August: Prime Television New Zealand begins transmission.
See: 1998 in New Zealand television, 1998 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, TV3 (New Zealand), Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand
Memory and Desire
Saving Grace
See: Category:1998 film awards, 1998 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1998 films
See: NZ Internet History
See: 1998 in sports, Category:1998 in sports
Mark Hutchinson wins his second national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:24:51 on 25 October in Auckland while Bernardine Portenski claims her second in the women's championship (2:44:52)
the NBL was won by the Nelson Giants
Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team
The Shell Trophy for 1998-99 was won by Canterbury, with Northern Districts runners-up.
New Zealand Open Category:New Zealand golfers
New Zealand Trotting Cup: Christian Cullen
Auckland Trotting Cup: Christian Cullen
Silver Ferns
National Bank Cup
Netball World Championships
New Zealand at the 1998 Winter Olympics
The Auckland Warriors finished 15th out of 20 teams in the first season of the National Rugby League premiership.
Auckland won the National Provincial Competition by defeating Canterbury 44-8 while Waikato ended the season holding the Rugby League Cup.
24 April, New Zealand defeated Australia 22-16
9 October, New Zealand lost to Australia 12-30
31 October, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 22-16
7 November, New Zealand defeated Great Britain 36-16
14 November, New Zealand drew with Great Britain 23-all
Category:Rugby union in New Zealand,
Super 12 - was won by the Canterbury Crusaders who defeated the Auckland Blues 20-13 in the final. Season summary
National Provincial Championship - won by Otago
Bledisloe Cup - won 3-0 by Australia
Tri Nations Series - won by South Africa. New Zealand came last with no wins and only 2 bonus points
Ranfurly Shield - Waikato held the shield all season, beating Poverty Bay 121-0, King Country 76-0, Bay Of Plenty 25-18, Auckland 24-23, Southland 95-7, Nth Harbour 39-22, Northland 63-22, and Canterbury 29-23
Ballinger Belt – Mike Collings (Te Puke)
The second National Summer Soccer League was won by Napier City Rovers
The New Zealand national soccer team won the OFC Nations Cup tournament held in Australia, beating the host nation 2-0 in the final.
The Chatham Cup is won by Central United who beat Dunedin Technical 5—0 in the final.
New Zealand U-16 team coached by Wynton Rufer travels to unofficial U-16 World Cup in France to coincide with 1998 FIFA World Cup. Achieve mixed results (0-3 v Italy, 0-2 v Cameroon, 1-1 v Austria, 0-1 v USA, 0-1 v Israel, 1-0 v Norway)
5 February – Tai Wynyard, basketballer
6 February – Hayden Phillips, field hockey player
20 February – Nicole Fujita, model and tarento
9 April – James McGarry, association footballer
18 April – Liana Dance, water polo player
18 May – Brianna Fruean, environmental activist
28 May – Logan Rogerson, association footballer
7 July – Mackenzie Slee, artistic gymnast
15 July – Nathan Smith, cricketer
1 August – Rosie Cheng, tennis player
17 November – Courtney McGregor, artistic gymnast
18 December – Jade Lewis, tennis player
24 December – Nikita Howarth, swimmer
22 August – Leica Guv, Thoroughbred racehorse
