Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

2011 in New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

The following lists events that happened during 2011 in New Zealand.

Quick facts Decades:, See also: ...

Population

  • Estimated population as of 31 December: 4,399,400.[1]
  • Increase since 31 December 2010: 25,600 (0.58%).[1]
  • Males per 100 Females: 95.7.[1]

Incumbents

Summarize
Perspective

Regal and vice-regal

Government

2011 was the third and last full year of the 49th Parliament, which was dissolved on 20 October. A general election was held on 26 November to elect the 50th Parliament, which saw the Fifth National Government elected for a second term.

Other Party leaders

Judiciary

Main centre leaders

Remove ads

Events

January

February

Thumb
ChristChurch Cathedral and the Cathedral Square two days after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake
Thumb
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key visiting the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) base of operations at Latimer Square, Christchurch. Following the devastating earthquake, Key is thanking DART Team leader Al Dwyer and talking to the team.

March

April

  • 28 April – A state of emergency is declared in the Hawke's Bay due to flooding.[6]

May

Thumb
Structural damage caused by the Albany tornado

June

July

Thumb
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner met with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at Blair House, on 21 July 2011.
Thumb
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta looks on as New Zealand Prime Minister John Key signs an official guest book before a meeting in the Pentagon on 21 July 2011.
Thumb
U.S. President Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key make a statement to the press conference following their meeting at the Oval Office, on 22 July 2011.

August

Thumb
Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae performs a hongi with the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at his swearing-in ceremony outside the parliament, on 31 August 2011.

September

  • 9 September – The Rugby World Cup begins, the first time the event has been held in New Zealand since 1987. New Zealand playing Tonga at Eden Park, Auckland in the opening game, which was marred with overcrowding problems on the Auckland Waterfront fan zone and transport failures resulting in some spectators missing the game.[14]
  • 28 September – A New Zealand Special Air Service soldier dies fighting in Afghanistan, the second in two months.[15]
  • 30 September – Credit agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's both downgrade New Zealand's long-term credit rating from AA+ to AA.[16]

October

  • 5 October – The container ship MV Rena runs aground on the Astrolabe Reef 12 nmi (22 km) off the coast of Tauranga, causing a large oil spill into the Bay of Plenty.[17][18]
  • 11–13 October – The Tauranga oil spill becomes the nation's worst maritime environmental disaster, as tonnes of fuel oil from the MV Rena washes ashore near Tauranga and containers begin to fall off the damaged ship.[19]
  • 23 October – The Rugby World Cup concludes, with the New Zealand All Blacks winning the tournament and the Webb Ellis Cup after defeating France 8–7 in the final at Eden Park, Auckland.
  • 25–30 October – Natural gas supply to the Upper North Island is severely cut back after a major leak is found in the Maui high pressure gas line in northern Taranaki, affecting 255,000 consumers including many several major industrial users, thermal power stations, dairy factories, hospitals and businesses.[20][21][22]
  • 29 October – Christchurch's temporary container mall Re:START opens.[23]

November

December

  • 10 December – Official results for the 26 November general election and voting system referendum are released:
    • The National Party is confirmed to hold a plurality of the votes and seats. With confidence and supply agreements with ACT New Zealand and United Future confirmed, National announces it will form a minority government with a one-seat majority, returning the Fifth National Government to a second term in office.
    • Full results of the referendum on the voting system confirm that the Mixed Member Proportional voting system, with 57.8% of the vote, will be kept but will be reviewed. The First Past the Post voting system gains the most votes for the preferred alternative voting system.
  • 11 December – The National Party signs a confidence and supply agreement with the Maori Party, extending its majority to govern to seven seats (64 seats to 57).[24]
  • 13 December – A fault disconnects Huntly Power Station from the national grid at 12:38pm, resulting in 200,000 customers across the North Island losing power as Transpower employs load shedding to prevent a cascade failure of the North Island electricity network. Electricity is gradually restored to customers as reserve generation comes online to replace Huntly.[25][26]
  • 14 December – A state of emergency is declared in the Nelson and Tasman regions after nearly 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of rain falls in the 2011 Golden Bay and Nelson floods in 24 hours.[27][28]
  • 20–21 December – The 50th New Zealand Parliament is opened, with members elected at the 26 November general election being sworn in and the Governor-General delivering the Speech from the Throne.[29]
  • 23 December – A magnitude 5.8 and a magnitude 6.0 earthquake strike Christchurch at 1:58pm and 3:18pm respectively, causing damage, liquefaction, minor injuries, and majorly disrupting shopping and travel in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period.[30][31] A state of emergency is declared in Canterbury but later stood down.[32]

Holidays and observances

Undated

Remove ads

Arts and literature

Awards

New books

Films

Music

Performing arts

Television

  • C4 to be renamed FOUR
Remove ads

Sport

Events

Horse racing

Harness racing

Thoroughbred racing

Shooting

  • Ballinger Belt – Richard Rowlands (Malvern)
Remove ads

Births

Deaths

January

  • 19 January – Bryce Postles, cricketer (born 1931)
  • 21 January – Wally Hughes, association football player and coach (born 1934)

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

  • 4 December – Alamein Kopu, politician, former MP (1996–99) (born 1943)
  • 7 December
  • 11 December – Phillip Cottrell, journalist (born 1968)
  • 15 December
  • 16 December – Pae Ruha, Māori leader (born 1931)
  • 24 December – Tom Logan, water polo player, swimmer, dentist, naval officer (born 1927)
  • 28 December – Volksraad, Thoroughbred sire (foaled 1988)
  • 30 December – John Hewitt, local-body politician (born c.1943)[35]
Remove ads

See also

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads