Regal and vice-regal
Head of State – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – The Hon Anand Satyanand PCNZM QSO
2010 was the second full year of the 49th Parliament.
Speaker of the House – Lockwood Smith
Prime Minister – John Key
Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English
Minister of Finance – Bill English
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully
Labour – Phil Goff (Leader of the Opposition
Act – Rodney Hide, since 13 June 2004
Greens – Metiria Turei (since 30 May 2009) and Russel Norman (since 3 June 2006)
Māori Party – Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples
Main centre leaders
Mayor of Auckland – John Banks since October 2007, followed by Len Brown for the Auckland super city
Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby, since October 2004
Mayor of Hamilton – Bob Simcock since May 2007, followed by Julie Hardaker in October 2010
Mayor of Wellington – Kerry Prendergast since October 2001, followed by Celia Wade-Brown in October 2010
Mayor of Christchurch – Bob Parker, since October 2007
Mayor of Dunedin – Peter Chin succeeded by Dave Cull
17–19 January: Prince William of Wales visits New Zealand, and represents The Queen officially for the first time by opening the new Supreme Court building in Wellington.
25 April: Three members of the air force are killed when their Iroquois helicopter crashes on the way to Wellington for Anzac day commemorations.
13 July: Two police officers are injured and police dog Gage is killed after being confronted by an armed offender during a routine drugs search in Phillipstown, Christchurch. Gage would later be posthumously awarded the PDSA Gold Medal after taking a fatal gunshot wound protecting his injured handler.
4 August: Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell becomes the first New Zealand fatality of the War in Afghanistan after his convoy is attacked.
4 September: The 7.1 magnitude 2010 Canterbury earthquake causes widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in Christchurch.
4 September: All nine passengers on board are killed in a Fletcher FU24 crash, the worst aircraft crash in New Zealand in 17 years.
17 September: MP and Corrections Minister David Garrett resigns from the ACT party caucus after revelations that in 1984 he obtained a false passport using details of a deceased child.
17–22 September: A "storm the size of Australia" passes to the south of New Zealand bringing snow, rain, gales, tornadoes and causing widespread damage – 72,000 homes lost power, and the roof of a stadium collapsed under a snow load in Invercargill and numerous roads are closed.
1 October: The largest reform in the tax system since the 1980s takes effect: GST is raised to 15%, company tax rates drop from 30% to 28%, and the top tax bracket falls from 38% to 33%.
5 October: Breakfast broadcaster Paul Henry is suspended by TVNZ after questioning if New Zealand's ethnic minority Governor-General Anand Satyanand, is a proper New Zealander. On 7 October Henry is embroiled in further controversy as his mockery of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is declared "racist" and "unacceptable" and New Zealand's ambassador to India is summoned for a dressing down. Henry resigns from TVNZ on 10 October.
9 October: Elections held for all of New Zealand's city, district and regional councils, and all District Health Boards.
27 October: After crisis talks with Warner Bros executives, Prime Minister John Key announces the $670 million project to film The Hobbit will go ahead in New Zealand. Acting unions had threatened to boycott the movies, leading Warner Bros and New Line to consider taking the production elsewhere.
19 November: A gas explosion in the Pike River coal mine traps 29 workers underground.
20 November: Labour candidate Kris Faafoi wins the 2010 Mana by-election
Holidays and observances
6 February – Waitangi Day
25 April – ANZAC Day
2 June – Queen's Birthday Monday
5 June – Matariki
27 October – Labour Day
New Zealander of the year
The inaugural awards take place.
New Zealander of the Year: Ray Avery
Senior New Zealander of the Year: Sir Eion Edgar
Young New Zealander of the Year: Divya Dhar
Community of the Year: Victory Village
Local Hero: Haami (Sam) Tutu Chapman
Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Gary Daverne ONZM.
Boy
Matariki
Predicament
Tracker
Wound
The 2010 World Rowing Championships were held at Lake Karapiro, near Hamilton, New Zealand between 29 October – 7 November.
New Zealand co-hosted the 2010 Four Nations and also won the tournament, defeating Australia in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
The New Zealand Warriors finished fifth in the National Rugby League, before being eliminated in the first round of the play-offs. The Junior Warriors won the Toyota Cup.
Auckland won the Albert Baskerville Trophy, defeating Counties Manukau in the final.
Ballinger Belt –
Jonathan Cload (United Kingdom)
Ross Geange (Otorohanga), second, top New Zealander
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, New Zealand finish third in their pool after achieving three draws: 1–1 vs Slovakia, 1-1 vs Italy and 0-0 vs Paraguay.
21 August – Suavito, Thoroughbred racehorse
25 September – Puccini, Thoroughbred racehorse
