Month Calendar View | NZHistory, New Zealand history online

Historic NZ events in March

Mar

1862 Charles Thatcher gives first NZ performance

The British-born tenor Charles Thatcher gave his first New Zealand performance at Shadrach Jones's Commercial Hotel in Dunedin.

1916 New Zealand Division formed

After the evacuation from Gallipoli in December 1915, New Zealand troops returned to Egypt to recover and regroup. In February 1916, it was decided that Australian and New Zealand infantry divisions would be sent to the Western Front. On 1 March, the New Zealand Division was formed.

Mar

1865 Missionary Carl Völkner killed at Ōpōtiki

Local Māori adherents of a new religion, Pai Mārire, hanged the Church Missionary Society (Anglican) missionary Carl Völkner from a willow tree near his church at Ōpōtiki.

Mar

Barry Crump publishes <em>A good keen man</em>

1960 Barry Crump publishes A good keen man

One of the most-read books in New Zealand publishing history, A good keen man established Barry Crump’s reputation as an iconic ‘Kiwi bloke’.

Mar

1855 Legendary sheep rustler James Mackenzie caught

In March 1855, shepherds searching for 1000 missing sheep in the upper reaches of the Waitaki Valley apprehended suspected rustler James Mackenzie, one of New Zealand’s first and most enduring folk heroes.

Mar

2013 Census held after two-year delay

New Zealand’s five-yearly census had been scheduled for 8 March 2011. But after Canterbury’s devastating February earthquake, Government Statistician Geoff Bascand and Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson announced that it would not go ahead.

Mar

1830 Outbreak of the 'Girls' War' at Kororāreka

The so-called ‘Girls‘ War’ was fought between northern and southern Ngāpuhi hapū at Kororāreka (later Russell). Up to 100 people were killed or wounded in the fighting, after which the northern alliance took control of the important settlement.

1947 National Orchestra debuts

Classical music lovers packed Wellington’s Town Hall for the debut performance by New Zealand’s first national orchestra.

1966 Country calendar goes to air

For over fifty years Country calendar has introduced half an hour of rural information presented in a way that was accessible to ‘townies’

Mar

1842 New Zealand's first official execution

17-year-old Maketū Wharetōtara was hanged in public, at the corner of Queen and Victoria streets in Auckland, for the 1841 murder of Elizabeth Roberton, her two children, and two other adults.

1941 New Zealand troops arrive in Greece

When the Germans attacked Greece on 6 April they quickly outflanked the Allied defenders, who were forced into a hurried retreat down the peninsula.

1988 Cyclone Bola strikes

Cyclone Bola, one of the most damaging cyclones to hit New Zealand, struck Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne–East Cape in March 1988

Mar

1929 First 'talkie' draws crowds in Wellington

Moviegoers flocked to Wellington’s Paramount Theatre to see Frank Borzage’s Street angel, a silent picture with a recorded musical soundtrack.

Mar

1890 Sutherland Falls climbed

Young surveyor William Quill needed only basic climbing equipment, including a billhook and an alpenstock, to scale the side of the ‘great Sutherland waterfall’, which cascades down for 580 m near Milford Sound.

1956 Death of Opo the friendly dolphin

‘Opononi George’ or ‘Opo’ was a young female bottlenose dolphin which warmed the hearts of thousands of people at Opononi in Hokianga Harbour between June 1955 and March 1956.

1961 First Golden Shears competition

First held at the Masterton War Memorial Stadium in 1961, the Golden Shears competition has become the iconic event for the shearing and wool-handling industry in New Zealand.

Mar

1869 New Zealand Cross created

This medal was created because members of New Zealand's colonial armed forces were not eligible for the Victoria Cross. Only 23 were awarded, making it one of the world‘s rarest military honours.

1995 Auckland Warriors debut

The Auckland Warriors played their first match in the New South Wales Rugby League’s expanded Winfield Cup competition.

Mar

1845 The fall of Kororāreka

After hundreds of Ngāpuhi fighters led by Kawiti and Hōne Heke attacked Kororāreka (Russell), most of its inhabitants were evacuated by sea. The flagstaff on nearby Maiki Hill was cut down for the fourth and last time.

1884 New Zealand Freethought Association founded

Forty delegates from six regional associations met in Dunedin to adopt a constitution and elect the first officeholders in the new organisation.

Mar

1864 Arthur's Pass 'discovered'

Arthur, George and Edward Dobson were searching for a route between Canterbury and the West Coast that the chief Tarapuhi had told them about.

1975 New Zealand Red Cross worker killed in Vietnam

Returning from leave in Laos, 30-year-old Malcolm ‘Mac’ Riding was on board an Air Vietnam DC4 when it crashed 25 km from his Red Cross team’s compound near Pleiku, South Vietnam.

Mar

1956 New Zealand's first test cricket victory

New Zealand was already 3–0 down in the series going into the fourth and final test at Eden Park in Auckland. Their West Indies opponents included household names such as Gary Sobers and Everton Weekes, who had broken batting records for a New Zealand season.

Mar

1980 Split Enz hit no. 1

The Kiwi group’s first New Zealand no. 1 hit, from their album True colours, also topped the charts in Australia and Canada. It reached no. 12 in Britain and no. 53 in the United States.

Mar

2019 51 killed in mosque shootings

New Zealand’s Muslim community suffered an horrific attack when a self-proclaimed ‘white nationalist’ opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch. Fifty people were killed and 41 wounded, one of whom died six weeks later.

1944 New Zealand forces capture Castle Hill at Cassino

6 New Zealand Brigade attacked the Italian town of Cassino as part of the Allies‘ advance on Rome. By the time 2 New Zealand Division was withdrawn in early April, 343 New Zealanders had lost their lives.

1919 New Zealand troops riot in England

Four months after the end of the First World War, hundreds of New Zealand soldiers rioted at Sling Camp on Salisbury Plain in southern England. It was the most serious breakdown of discipline in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the European theatre.

Mar

1940 Jockey Y-fronts hit New Zealand shops

‘If old-fashioned underwear makes you squirm, switch to Jockey.’ That was the pitch from clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin when it began marketing the Jockey Y-front to New Zealand men on 16 March 1940.

1999 NZHistory website launched

NZHistory was launched by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jack Elder, at a function at National Archives (now Archives New Zealand) in Wellington on 16 March 1999.

Mar

1860 First Taranaki War erupts at Waitara

The opening shots of the first Taranaki War were fired when British troops attacked a pā built by Te Āti Awa at Te Kohia, Waitara.

1905 Only surviving Maungatautari Bank cheque issued

The Maungatautari Bank was one of several set up by Māori in the decades after the New Zealand Wars to handle the money they were receiving from land sales.

Mar

1983 Waitangi Tribunal rules on Motunui claim

In a landmark ruling, the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi included a duty to protect Māori fishing grounds.

Mar

1839 Honey bees brought to New Zealand

Mary Bumby, the sister of a Methodist missionary, was probably the person who introduced honey bees to New Zealand.

1946 Main body of Jayforce lands in Japan

About 4500 New Zealand servicemen arrived as part of a 36,000-strong British Commonwealth Occupation Force that was to work alongside the US military forces that had occupied most of Japan.

Mar

1834 New Zealand's first recognised flag chosen

A New Zealand flag was first suggested in 1830 after Sydney customs officials seized a Hokianga-built ship.

Mar

1994 Kiwis win Oscars for The piano

Eleven-year-old Anna Paquin became the first New Zealander to win an Academy Award for acting when she was named best supporting actress for her role as Flora McGrath in the acclaimed historical drama, The piano. Paquin was the second youngest recipient of this award in Oscar history.

2003 Race Relations Day celebrated for first time

Race Relations Day was first formally celebrated in 2003 with the theme, 'Hands Up for Kiwis of Every Race and Place'.

Mar

1902 George von Zedlitz arrives in Wellington

Victoria College’s first professor of modern languages joined the fledgling institution’s four foundation professors.

Mar

1848 Scottish settlers arrive in Otago

Otago celebrates the arrival of the immigrant ship John Wickliffe as the founding day of the province.

Mar

1770 Kidnapped Ngāti Kahu chief Ranginui dies on French ship

Ranginui was a Ngāti Kahu chief from Doubtless Bay who was kidnapped by the French explorer Jean François Marie de Surville.

1894 'Aerial Queen' crashes in Hamilton

‘One of the most courageous feats ever performed in Waikato’ almost ended in tragedy when Leila Adair’s hot-air balloon burst several hundred feet above Hamilton East.

1989 RainbowYOUTH formed

RainbowYOUTH was conceived at a Gay and Lesbian Conference held in Auckland on 24 March 1989

Mar

1847 Wakefield and Featherston duel

Isaac Featherston, editor of the Wellington Independent, had in effect accused William Wakefield, the New Zealand Company's principal agent, of being a thief. Neither man was hurt in the duel.

1940 John A. Lee expelled from Labour Party

A charismatic ex-soldier, orator and writer, John A. Lee had been active in the New Zealand Labour Party since shortly after the First World War.

2020 New Zealand enters nationwide lockdown in fight against COVID-19

At 11.59 p.m. on Wednesday 25 March 2020, New Zealand entered a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus around the country.

Mar

1896 Brunner mine disaster kills 65

At 9.30 a.m., an explosion tore through the Brunner mine in Westland’s Grey Valley. Two men sent underground to investigate were later found unconscious after inhaling black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

Mar

1883 The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand

Two English Salvation Army officers landed at Port Chalmers to set up a New Zealand branch of the Christian evangelical movement.

1984 Trades' Hall bombing

Caretaker and unionist Ernie Abbott was killed on 27 March 1984 when a bomb exploded inside Trades’ Hall on Wellington’s Vivian St.

Mar

1923 Forest and Bird founded

The New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society was formed at a meeting in Wellington called by a local conservation advocate, Captain Ernest ‘Val’ Sanderson.

1955 NZ cricketers skittled for 26

Bert Sutcliffe top-scored with 11 runs as New Zealand was skittled for the lowest total in test cricket history – 26 runs.

1983 Signing of CER agreement strengthens trans-Tasman trade ties

New Zealand and Australia formally signed the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement, strengthening trade ties between the Tasman neighbours.

2004 Māori Television launched

A dawn pōwhiri at Māori Television’s new offices in Newmarket, Auckland, was covered in the first transmission next day.

Mar

1901 Skippers Bridge opened

At 96 m long and 91 m high, the suspension bridge over the Shotover River near Queenstown in Central Otago is one of the most spectacular bridges in New Zealand.

1942 Nazi sabotage hoax

During the Second World War, convicted conman Sydney Gordon Ross duped New Zealand’s intelligence service into believing that Nazi agents were planning to carry out sabotage in New Zealand.

1959 Evangelist Billy Graham arrives for 11-day crusade

In the first half of 1959 Billy Graham and his associate evangelists Leighton Ford, Grady Wilson and Joseph Blinco held crusades in New Zealand and Australia which attracted large audiences.

Mar

1940 Funeral procession for Prime Minister Savage

New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister, Michael Joseph Savage, died in office on 27 March 1940. His body lay in state at Parliament for two days before his funeral cortège, which was more than 1.6 km long, set off for the railway station at 9 a.m. on 30 March.

2004 Historian Michael King dies

Historian Michael King (aged 58) and his wife Maria Jungowska died in a car accident in south Waikato. King’s Penguin history of New Zealand became the most popular book of the year, and was the Readers’ Choice at the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Read more...

Mar

1864 Rewi's last stand?

The last battle of the Waikato War began when the spearhead of a strong British force charged an apparently weak Māori position at Ōrākau, south-east of Te Awamutu. After two frontal assaults failed, the British besieged the pā.