← 1877 1876 1875 1878 in New Zealand → 1879 1880 1881
Decades:	1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1878 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Queen Victoria
• Governor – The Marquess of Normanby

Government and law

The 6th New Zealand Parliament continues.

• Speaker of the House – Sir William Fitzherbet
• Premier – Sir George Grey
• Minister of Finance – William Larnach resigns on 5 March. He is succeeded by John Ballance on 12 July.
• Chief Justice – Hon Sir James Prendergast

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Henry Brett followed by Thomas Peacock
• Mayor of Christchurch – James Gapes followed by Henry Thomson
• Mayor of Dunedin – Richard Henry Leary followed by Henry John Walter
• Mayor of Wellington – Joseph Dransfield

Events

• 2 February: Alois Lubecki makes the first telephone call in the country, between Dunedin and Milton. Later in the year the first public demonstration of the telephone is made with a call between Blenheim and Nelson.^[1]
• 30 September: Great Flood of 1878, caused by the rapid melting of heavy winter snows in Central Otago, kills at least three people and destroys several bridges in Clutha and Southland.^[2]

Undated

• Ashburton is made a borough.^[3]

Sport

Cricket

An Australian team tours New Zealand in January and February, playing seven provincial teams.^[4] None of the matches have first-class status as the home sides fielded between 15 and 22 players. A win by the Canterbury XV is the first ever win by a New Zealand side over an international touring team.

• See Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1877–78

Horse racing

• New Zealand Cup winner: Maritana
• New Zealand Derby winner: Natator
• Auckland Cup winner: Ariel
• Wellington Cup winner: Lara

Rugby union

New clubs were formed in Featherston and Carterton, both in the south Wairarapa. Existing football clubs in Gisborne, Palmerston North and Feilding adopted rugby rules.^[5]

Shooting

Ballinger Belt: No competition

Births

• 10 September: Fanny Irvine-Smith, teacher and writer
• 9 May: Jessie Buckland, photographer^[6]

Deaths

• 9 February: William Williams, first Bishop of Waiapu.^[7]
• 11 February: William Barnard Rhodes, businessman and politician.
• 6 December: Sir John Richardson, politician.
• 25 December Thomas Bartley, politician.