The following lists events that happened during 1997 in New Zealand.
Population Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,802,700. Increase since 31 December 1996: 40,400 (1.07%). Males per 100 Females: 97.1.
Incumbents
Regal and viceregal Head of State – Elizabeth II Governor-General – The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys GNZM, GCMG, QSOThe Rt Hon Sir Michael Hardie Boys, GNZM, GCMG, QSO gg.govt.nz. Retrieved 10 April 2012
Government The 45th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was The National Party, led by Jim Bolger, in coalition with New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters.
Speaker of the House – Doug Kidd Prime Minister – Jim Bolger then Jenny Shipley Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters Minister of Finance – Bill Birch Minister of Foreign Affairs – Don McKinnon Chief Justice — Sir Thomas Eichelbaum
Parliamentary leaders Labour – (37 seats) Helen Clark (Leader of the Opposition) Alliance – (13 seats) Jim Anderton ACT New Zealand – (8 seats) Richard Prebble United New Zealand- (1 seat) Peter Dunne
Main centre leaders Mayor of Auckland – Les Mills Mayor of Hamilton – Margaret Evans Mayor of Wellington – Mark Blumsky Mayor of Christchurch – Vicki Buck Mayor of Dunedin – Sukhi Turner
Events 8 February: Stephen Anderson, 24, shoots 11 people, killing 6 of them (including his wife and parents) at Raurimu.CNN report on Raurimu massacre 16 July: List MP Alamein Kopu resigns from the Alliance Party but remains a member of parliament. This causes controversy because Kopu has signed contracts with the party that she would resign from Parliament should she leave the party.Privileges committee report on the Kopu case 10 September: Parliament's privileges committee finds that Alamein Kopu is entitled to remain an independent MP. Argentina reopens its embassy in Wellington (closed since 1982).
Arts and literature Paddy Richardson wins the Robert Burns Fellowship. Montana New Zealand Book Awards: Book of the Year/Cultural Heritage: Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert First Book Awards Fiction: Dominic Sheehan, Finding Home Poetry: Diane Brown, Before the Divorce We Go To Disneyland Non-Fiction: Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert
See 1997 in art, 1997 in literature, :Category:1997 books
Music
New Zealand Music Awards Winners are shown first with nominees underneath.
Album of the Year: Strawpeople – Vicarious Emma Paki – Oxygen of Love Garageland – Last Exit to Garageland OMC The Mutton Birds – Envy of Angels Single of the Year: DLT Featuring Che Fu – Chains Bic Runga – Bursting Through Garageland Strawpeople – Taller Than God The Mutton Birds Best Male Vocalist: Che Fu – Chains Jeremy Eade (Garageland) Jon Toogood (Shihad) Best Female Vocalist: Bic Runga Emma Paki Fiona McDonald (Strawpeople) Best Group: Garageland Shihad The Mutton Birds Most Promising Male Vocalist: Daniel Haimona (Dam Native) Andrew Tilby (Breathe) Ed Cake (Bressa Creeting Cake) Most Promising Female Vocalist: Lole Usoalii Andrea Cook Maryanne Antonuvich (D Faction) Most Promising Group: Dam Native Bike Bressa Creeting Cake Cinematic International Achievement: OMC Crowded House Jane Campion Peter Jackson Best Video: Sigi Spath & Joe Lonie – if I Had My Way (Supergroove) Kevin Sprig – La La Land (Shihad) Jonathan King – Behold My Kool Style (Damn Native) Best Producer: Malcolm Welsford / Karl Steven – Backspacer (Supergroove) Alan Jansson – How Bizarre Eddie Raynor – ENZSO Best Engineer: Rick Huntington / Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (OMC) Chris Van Der Geer (Strawpeople) Malcolm Welsford – Backspacer (Supergroove) Best Jazz Album: Bluetrain – No Free Lunch Jazz in the Present Tense – Jazz in the Present Tense Nairobi Trio – Shelf Life Best Classical Album: the Nzso, Janos Furst, Michael Houston – Live : Tower Beethoven Festival New Zealand String Quartet – Bartok String Quartet 1–5 Alexander Ivashin & Tama Vesmas – Sergie Prokofiev Best Country Album: Coalrangers – Coast to Coast Dennis Marsh – Out of Nashville Bartlett, Dugan, Vaughan – Together Again Best Folk Album: Wild Geese – Betwixt Time and Place Michael Scorey – Angel Station Bob Bickerton – Music in the Glen Best Gospel Album: Max Jacobson – Found The Lands – Arbor Day Evan Silva – Aint No Two Ways About It Best Mana Maori Album: Emma Paki – Oxygen of Love DLT – The True School Dam Native – Behold My Kool Style Best Mana Reo Album: St Josephs Maori Girls College – a Gift of Song Te Kura Tuatahi Me Te Ropu Kapahaka O Ranana – Te Wainui A Rua Turakina Maori Girls College – Mana Wahine Best Childrens Album: Universal Childrens Audio – Waiata Karahere Helen Willberg – Ranona Moemoea Love To Sing Choir – Love My First Songbook Best Polynesian Album: Annie Crummer – Seventh Wave Felise Mikaele -Se Taitau The Five Stars – Samoa Ea Best Songwriter: Dl Thompson, C Ness, A McNaughton, K Rangihuna – Chains (DLT Feat Che Fu) Paul Casserley, Fiona McDonald, Greg Johnson – Boxers (Strawpeople) Bic Runga – Bursting Through Best Cover: Wayne Conway – ENZSO (ENZSO) Jeremy Takacs, Karl & Jon – Shihad Rick Huntington And Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (OMC)
See: 1997 in music
Performing arts
Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Paul Bennett.
Radio and television CanWest takes complete ownership of TV3 and launches TV4. TVNZ broadcasts MTV. July: Prime Television in Australia purchases 34 licences covering all major New Zealand centres.
See: 1997 in New Zealand television, 1997 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, :Category:Television in New Zealand, TV3 (New Zealand), :Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand
Film Lost Valley Topless Women Talk About Their Lives
See: :Category:1997 film awards, 1997 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, :Category:1997 films
Internet
See: NZ Internet History
Sport
Athletics Peter Buske wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:49 on 8 March in New Plymouth, while Terri-Lee Farr claims her first in the women's championship (2:55:20). Beatrice Faumuina became the first New Zealander to win an event at a World Athletics Championships.
Basketball The Men's NBL was won by the Auckland Stars Tall Blacks
Cricket Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team
Golf New Zealand Open won by Greg Turner
Horse racing
Harness racing New Zealand Trotting Cup: Iraklis Auckland Trotting Cup: Kate's FirstAuckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
Thoroughbred racing
Netball Silver Ferns National Bank Cup
Rugby league
The Auckland Warriors competed in the breakaway Super League and finished 7th out of 10 teams. Waikato won the Super League Challenge Cup, defeating Canterbury 34–18 in the final. Waikato also won the Rugby League Cup. 25 April, New Zealand lost to Australia 22–34 26 September, New Zealand defeated Australia 30-12
Rugby union Super 12 Rugby World Cup National Provincial Championship Bledisloe Cup Tri Nations Series Ranfurly Shield
Shooting Ballinger Belt – Ross Geange (Masterton)
Soccer The Chatham Cup is won by Central United who beat Napier City Rovers 3–2 in the final (after extra time).Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com
Births
January–February 3 January – Jacob Cowley, rugby union player 7 January – Dylan Schmidt, trampolinist 10 January – Patrick Herbert, rugby league player 20 January – James Munro, motor racing driver 21 January – Josh Clarkson, cricketer 23 January – Duncan Campbell, snowboarder 24 January Hailey Duff, Scottish curler Jordan Uelese, rugby union player 3 February – Paige Hourigan, tennis player 11 February – Rosé, singer and member of South Korean girl group Blackpink 12 February Anna Grimaldi, athlete Clayton Lewis, association footballer 13 February – Sevu Reece, rugby union player 17 February – Jordie Barrett, rugby union player
March–April 1 March Nick Kwant, cricketer Niccolo Tagle, badminton player 3 March – Du'Plessis Kirifi, rugby union player 5 March – Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, rugby union player 11 March – Ata Hingano, rugby league player 12 March – Stephen Perofeta, rugby union player 13 March – Orbyn Leger, rugby union player 14 March – Sam Dobbs, cyclist 18 March – Rieko Ioane, rugby union player 19 March – Zak Gibson, cricketer 20 March – Bobby Cheng, chess player 21 March – Moses Dyer, association footballer 23 March – Sirocco, kākāpō 8 April – Ella Greenslade, rower 20 April – Luke Jacobson, rugby union player 23 April – Myer Bevan, association footballer 24 April – Lydia Ko, golfer 26 April – Tima Fainga'anuku, rugby union player 30 April Daisy Cleverley, association footballer Sam Lane, field hockey player
May–June 1 May – Terina Te Tamaki, rugby union player 2 May – Aotearoa Mata'u, rugby union player 5 May – Asafo Aumua, rugby union player 6 May – Carlos Garcia Knight, snowboarder 7 May – Harry Allan, rugby union player 8 May Tahuna Irwin, darts player Amanda Jamieson, cyclist 13 May – Ngatokotoru Arakua, rugby league player 23 May – Sam Timmins, basketball player 24 May – Olivia Podmore, cyclist (died 2021) 30 May Ere Enari, rugby union player Sitili Tupouniua, rugby league player 5 June – Ross ter Braak, cricketer 8 June – James Rolleston, actor 11 June – Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, rugby union player 17 June KJ Apa, actor Pouri Rakete-Stones, rugby union player 28 June – Henry Cameron, association footballer
July–August 5 July – Abigail Latu-Meafou, netball player 9 July – Grace Anderson, cyclist 16 July Braydon Ennor, rugby union player Isaia Walker-Leawere, rugby union player 5 August – Clara van Wel, singer–songwriter 6 August – Noah Billingsley, association footballer 12 August – Elizabeth Cui, diver 19 August – Alex Fidow, rugby union player 21 August – Sione Katoa, rugby league player
September–October 9 September – Erin Clark, rugby league player 10 September – Jacob Pierce, rugby union player 11 September – Zoe Hobbs, sprinter 16 September – Martine Puketapu, association footballer 17 September – Christian Leopard, cricketer 21 September – Maia Wilson, netball player 27 September – Hail, Thoroughbred racehorse 30 September – Ryan Coxon, rugby union player 1 October Troy Johnson, cricketer Sam Verlinden, singer 8 October – Taniela Paseka, rugby league player 10 October – Josh McKay, rugby union player 11 October – Dalton Papalii, rugby union player 23 October – Jaydn Su'A, rugby league player 30 October – Abbie Palmer, squash player
November–December 1 November – Kimiora Poi, netball player 4 November – Bryony Botha, cyclist 16 November – Ethereal, Thoroughbred racehorse 21 November – Caleb Aekins, rugby league player 26 November – Tamati Tua, rugby union player 7 December – Briton Nikora, rugby league player 15 December – Stefania Owen, actor 27 December – Jona Nareki, rugby union player 31 December Peter Umaga-Jensen, rugby union player Thomas Umaga-Jensen, rugby union player
Deaths
January–March 1 January – Nora Crawford, police officer (born 1917) 2 January – Keith Hay, construction company founder, politician, conservative activist (born 1917) 10 January – John Rodgers, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1915) 15 January – Ted Smith, rower (born 1922) 29 January – Sir Clifford Richmond, jurist (born 1914) 2 February – Ray Dalton, rugby union player (born 1919) 26 March – Sir Norman Alexander, physics academic, university administrator (born 1907)
April–June 8 April – Lord Module, Standardbred racehorse (foaled 1974) 10 April – Sir Robert Aitken, medical academic, university administrator (born 1901) 14 April – Count Geoffrey Potocki de Montalk, poet, pretender to the Polish throne (born 1903) 17 April – Henry Lang, public servant, economics academic (born 1919) 24 April – Hugh McLean, rugby union player (born 1907) 25 April – Terry O'Sullivan, rugby union player (born 1936) 3 May – Bruce Beetham, politician (born 1936)