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1979 in New Zealand

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 1979 in New Zealand

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Decades:
See also:

The following lists events that happened during 1979 in New Zealand.

Population

  • Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,163,900[1]
  • Increase since 31 December 1978: -1,300 (−0.04%)
  • Males per 100 females: 99.0

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

Government

Parliamentary opposition

Main centre leaders

Events

  • 17 February – an Air New Zealand Fokker F27 Friendship crashed into Manukau Harbour while on final approach to Auckland Airport 1 crew and 1 company staff member were killed.[5]
  • 19 March – Cessna aircraft en route from Palmerston North to Taupo crashed onto the Desert Rd in bad weather, killing all 6 occupants
  • 24 May – Labour MP Malcolm Douglas is removed from Parliament six months after the 1978 general election, after an electoral petition by National opponent Winston Peters is upheld over irregularities in the votes of the Hunua electorate. Peters subsequently replaces Douglas
  • 30 July – The carless days scheme is introduced, restricting private motor vehicles from driving on one day of the week.[6]
  • 8 August – 1979 Abbotsford landslip: Sixty-nine homes in the Dunedin suburb of Abbotsford are left uninhabitable after 18 hectares (44 acres) of land slips 48 metres in 15 minutes.
  • 3 November – The Evening Star ceases publication. The Dunedin newspaper was founded in 1863.[7]
  • 28 November – Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashes in Mount Erebus, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crewmembers aboard.
  • Two years after its official opening, the new executive wing of Parliament Buildings, known as the Beehive, is completed and occupied by the Government.[8]

Arts and literature

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

  • ALBUM OF THE YEAR Street Talk – Street Talk
  • SINGLE OF THE YEAR Th' Dudes – Be Mine Tonight
  • TOP MALE VOCALIST Rob Guest
  • TOP FEMALE VOCALIST Sharon O'Neill
  • TOP GROUP Th' Dudes
  • MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Jon Stevens
  • MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Tina Cross
  • MOST PROMISING GROUP Street Talk
  • PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Steve Robinson – This Heart This Song
  • ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Gerry Smith – This Heart This Song
  • BEST COVER DESIGN Geoff Chunn, Peter Burt & Dale Wrightson – Just Drove Through Town

See: 1979 in music

Performing arts

  • Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Eddie Hegan and Chic Littlewood.

Radio and television

  • Feltex Television Awards:
    • Best Current Affairs: Dateline Monday
    • Best Documentary: Okarito
    • Best Drama: The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts
    • Best Speciality: Spot On
    • Best Information: Fair Go
    • Best Actor: David McPhail in A Week of It
    • Best Actress: Barbara Ewing
    • Entertainer of the Year: David McPhail
    • Special Committee Award: Selwyn Toogood for pioneering work in Radio and Television

Film

  • Middle Age Spread
  • Sons for the Return Home

Sport

Athletics

  • Tony Good wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:18:47.3.

Chess

Horse racing

Harness racing

Motorsport

Netball

Soccer

Births

Deaths

  • October: Marty Johnstone, drug trafficker ('Mr Asia')
  • 28 November: Peter Mulgrew, mountaineer (died in Mount Erebus disaster)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Historical population estimates tables". Statistics New Zealand.
  2. ^ Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
  3. ^ a b c d e Lambert & Palenski: The New Zealand Almanac, 1982. ISBN 0-908570-55-4
  4. ^ "Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  5. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Fokker F-27 Friendship 500 NK-NFC Manukau Harbour". Aviation Safety Network. 27 February 2005.
  6. ^ Dominion Post, 29 July 2017 page A12: "Couldn't car-less"
  7. ^ "Allied Press History". Allied Press. Archived from the original on 31 August 2006.
  8. ^ "The Beehive - Executive Wing". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. ^ List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  11. ^ Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com Archived 14 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Media related to 1979 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons

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