← 1942 1941 1940 1943 in New Zealand → 1944 1945 1946
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1943 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,642,000.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1942: 5600 (0.34%).^[1]
• Males per 100 females: 92.9.^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George VI
• Governor-General – Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Cyril Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM^[2]

• 
  George VI
• 
  Cyril Newall, 1st Baron Newall

Government

The 26th New Zealand Parliament concluded, with the Labour Party in government. Labour was re-elected for a third term in the election in November

• Speaker of the House – Bill Barnard (Democratic Labour Party)
• Prime Minister – Peter Fraser
• Minister of Finance – Walter Nash
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Peter Fraser
• Attorney-General – Rex Mason
• Chief Justice – Sir Michael Myers

• 
  Bill Barnard
• 
  Peter Fraser
• 
  Walter Nash
• 
  Rex Mason
• 
  Michael Myers

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Sidney Holland (National Party).^[3]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – John Allum
• Mayor of Hamilton – Harold Caro
• Mayor of Wellington – Thomas Hislop
• Mayor of Christchurch – Ernest Andrews
• Mayor of Dunedin – Andrew Allen

• 
  John Allum
• 
  Harold Caro
• 
  Thomas Hislop
• 
  Ernest Andrews

Events

• New Zealand troops take part in invasion of Italy.
• 25 February – Mutiny by Japanese prisoners of war at Featherston prisoner of war camp results in 48 Japanese dead, 61 wounded, plus one dead and 11 injured guards.
• 28 March - Body of Michael Joseph Savage reinterred at Bastion Point by a crowd of ten thousand
• 3 April – Battle of Manners Street between American and New Zealand servicemen
• 4 June – Hyde railway disaster – 21 passengers are killed when the Cromwell to Dunedin Express derails while travelling around a bend too fast near Hyde in Central Otago.^[4]
• 20 June – Several U.S. Marines drown during landing exercises at Paekākāriki.
• 28 August – Eleanor Roosevelt arrives in New Zealand for visit (she had visited American troops in the Cook Islands).
• 3 September – Eleanor Roosevelt flies out from Auckland.
• 25 September – 1943 New Zealand general election.
• October last US Marines depart US Naval Base New Zealand
• 28 October – Butter rationing is introduced, with an allowance of 8 ounces (230 g) per person per week.^[5][6]
• Japanese submarines operate in New Zealand waters in 1942 and 1943. They send reconnaissance aircraft over Auckland and Wellington, but do not carry out any attacks.

Arts and literature

See 1943 in art, 1943 in literature

Music

See: 1943 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

See: Category:1943 film awards, 1943 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1943 films

Sport

Archery

The New Zealand Archery Association, now Archery New Zealand,^[7] is incorporated.^[8]

The first national championships are held. From now until 1947 the championships are a postal shoot.^[9]

• Men Open: W. Burton (Gisborne)

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Haughty – 2nd win^[10]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Shadow Maid^[11]

Thoroughbred racing

Rugby union

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Category:All Blacks

• Ranfurly Shield

Soccer

• Chatham Cup competition not held
• Provincial league champions:^[12]
  • Auckland: Metro College
  • Canterbury: Western
  • Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB
  • Nelson: No competition
  • Otago: Mosgiel
  • South Canterbury: No competition
  • Southland: No competition
  • Taranaki: RNZAF
  • Waikato: No competition
  • Wanganui: No competition
  • Wellington: Waterside

Births

• 28 January: Malvina Major, opera singer
• 10 March: John McGrath, judge (died 2018)
• 16 March: Dave McKenzie, long-distance runner
• 24 March: Kate Webb, journalist (died 2007)
• 6 April: Roger Cook, journalist
• 7 May: Gretchen Albrecht, painter
• 12 July: Bruce Taylor, cricketer (died 2021)
• 16 July: Peter Welsh, steeplechase runner
• 20 July: Chris Amon, Formula 1 racing driver (died 2016)
• 19 August: Sid Going, rugby union player
• 9 September: Keith Murdoch, rugby union player (died 2018)
• 11 September: Brian Perkins, radio broadcaster in Britain (BBC)
• 15 October (in Bosnia): Drago Došen, painter (died 2019)
• 21 October: John Robertson (composer)
• 27 October: Tom Lister, rugby union player (died 2017)
• 7 November: Silvia Cartwright, judge
• 16 November: Chris Laidlaw, All Black, diplomat, politician and radio host
• 24 November: Barry Milburn, cricketer
• 26 November: Adrienne Simpson, broadcaster, historian, musicologist and writer (died 2010)
• 17 December: (in Ireland): Bert Hawthorne, motor racing driver (died 1972)
• 25 December: Hedley Howarth, cricketer (died 2008)
• Mel Courtney, politician
• Brian Easton, economist
• Richard (Dick) Frizzell, artist
• Alamein Kopu, politician (died 2011)
• Georgina te Heuheu, politician

Deaths

• 15 January: William Barber, politician.^[13]
• 1 February: Frank Worsley, sailor and explorer.^[14]
• 6 April: Paraire Karaka Paikea, politician.^[13]
• 4 March: Arthur Cook, politician.^[15]
• 27 March: Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, soldier, VC winner.
• 22 May: Alfred Ransom, politician & cabinet minister.
• 27 May: Gordon Coates, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand.
• 31 May: Dolce Ann Cabot, journalist.
• 21 August: Hilda Hewlett, aviation pioneer.
• 6 September: James Cowan, writer, historian and ethnographer.^[16]
• 14 September: Sarah McMurray, woodcarver and craftswoman.^[17]
• 24 September: Arthur Withy, journalist and politician.
• 10 October: Emma Maria Walrond, landscape painter.^[18]
• 11 October: Matthew Joseph Brodie, second Catholic bishop of Christchurch.
• 20 October: John Rigg, politician.^[13]

• 
  William Barber
• 
  Frank Worsley
• 
  Paraire Karaka Paikea
• 
  Arthur Cook
• 
  Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu
• 
  Alfred Ransom
• 
  Gordon Coates
• 
  Hilda Hewlett
• 
  Sarah McMurray
• 
  Matthew Brodie
• 
  John Rigg