Regal and vice regal
Monarch – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – Anand Satyanand
2008 was the third and last year of the 48th Parliament, which was dissolved on 3 October. A general election was held on 8 November to elect the 49th Parliament, which saw the Fifth National Government elected.
Speaker of the House – Margaret Wilson then Lockwood Smith
Prime Minister – Helen Clark to 19 November, then John Key
Deputy Prime Minister – Michael Cullen to 19 November, then Bill English
Minister of Finance – Michael Cullen to 19 November, then Bill English
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters to 29 August, then Helen Clark (acting) to 19 November, then Murray McCully
Labour – Helen Clark to 11 November, then Phil Goff
National – John Key
Progressive – Jim Anderton
New Zealand First – Winston Peters
United Future – Peter Dunne
Act – Rodney Hide
Greens – Jeanette Fitzsimons and Russel Norman
Māori Party – Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland – John Banks
Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby
Mayor of Hamilton – Bob Simcock
Mayor of Wellington – Kerry Prendergast
Mayor of Christchurch – Bob Parker
Mayor of Dunedin – Peter Chin
22 January – State funeral for Sir Edmund Hillary
5 April – A huge propane explosion at a coolstore in Tamahere kills firefighter senior station officer Derek Lovell, and seriously injures seven others.
8 May – The Tapuae Marine Reserve is established.
5 June – A newly redesigned flag for the Governor General of New Zealand is flown for the first time at Government House, Auckland.
1 July – Rail transport network is renationalised as KiwiRail
11 July – Police Sergeant Derek Wootton (52) is struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police, while laying road spikes at Titahi Bay.
1 August – Crown entities Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand merge to form the NZ Transport Agency
16 August – Dunedin Public Hospital is put in lockdown for a week after approximately 170 staff and patients fall ill to a norovirus outbreak, resulting in 2,300 appointments and procedures being delayed.
5 September – Fonterra advise Prime Minister Helen Clark of the 2008 baby milk scandal.
7 September – The Taputeranga Marine Reserve is opened.
11 September – Undercover police Sergeant Don Wilkinson (47) is fatally shot in Mangere, after being discovered attempting to secretly fix a tracking device to a car.
24 September - GO Wellington dispute - an industrial dispute between the GO Wellington bus company and drivers
8 November – John Key and the New Zealand National Party win the General Election. John Key is able to form a Government and in Helen Clark's speech she resigns as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
9 November – Michael Cullen resigns as deputy leader of the Labour Party.
19 November – John Key is sworn in as Prime Minister
27 November – 2008 Air New Zealand A320 test flight crash. Air New Zealand A320 Airbus crashes into the Mediterranean during a test flight, killing five New Zealand and two German air crew.
Holidays and observances
6 February – Waitangi Day
21 March – Good Friday
23 March – Easter Sunday
24 March – Easter Monday
25 April – Anzac Day
2 June – Queen's Birthday
5 June – Matariki
27 October – Labour Day
Brower, Ann (August 2008). Who Owns the High Country? The controversial story of tenure review in New Zealand. New Zealand: Nelson: Craig Potton Publishing. ISBN 978-1-877333-78-1.
BPANZ Book Design Awards - In association with Spectrum Print and the New Zealand Listener id=13
BEST BOOK Title: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning
BEST COVER Winner: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning
NON-ILLUSTRATED Winner: Dear to Me
ILLUSTRATED Winner: Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning
EDUCATIONAL Winner: Astronomy Aotearoa NCEA Level 1 by Robert Shaw ISBN 978-0-7339-9261-2
CHILDREN’S Winner: The King’s Bubbles by Ruth Paul
May - New Zealand Music Month
3 September: Technical Awards for the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards
8 October: Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards
Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Suzanne Lynch MNZM.
Freeview|HD Digital television is launched.
The country's first Chinese television channel, CTV8 (Chinese Television 8) is launched in early October.
New Zealand men's cricket team, the Black Caps plays three test matches against England and draws the series, each team having won a game
New Zealand Trotting Cup: Changeover
Auckland Trotting Cup: Gotta Go Cullen
The ANZ Netball Championship begins in April 2008.
The New Zealand Kiwis won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
The New Zealand Warriors finished 8th in the National Rugby League and in the playoffs made it through to the Semi Finals, beating minor premiers the Melbourne Storm in the progress.
The inaugural season of the new Bartercard Premiership saw Auckland defeat Canterbury 38-10 in the grand final.
Ballinger Belt – Brian Carter (Te Puke)
30 October – 16 November – New Zealand hosts the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Matches are held in Albany, Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington.
The Chatham Cup is won by East Coast Bays AFC who beat Dunedin Technical 1—0 in the final.
18 September – Silent Achiever, thoroughbred racehorse
23 September – Zurella, thoroughbred racehorse
