1903 in New Zealand

'1903 in New Zealand':

Other years in New Zealand

1900 • 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State - Edward VII
• Governor - The Earl of Ranfurly GCMG ^[1]

Government

The 15th New Zealand Parliament continued. In government was the Liberal Party.

• Speaker of the House - Arthur Guinness (Liberal)
• Prime Minister - Richard Seddon
• Minister of Finance - Richard Seddon

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition - Vacant until 11 September, then William Massey, (Independent).^[2]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Alfred Kidd then Edwin Mitchelson
• Mayor of Wellington - John Aitken
• Mayor of Christchurch - Henry Wigram
• Mayor of Dunedin - James Park then Thomas Scott

Events

September

26 September - New Zealand is the first country in the world to pass a Wireless Telegraphy Act.^[3]

Arts and literature

See 1903 in art, 1903 in literature, Category:1903 books

Music

See: 1903 in music

Film

• A Message from Mars

Sport

Boxing

The Bantamweight division is included in the national championships for the first time.

National amateur champions

• Heavyweight - H. Taylor (Greymouth)
• Middleweight - J. Griffin (Invercargill)
• Lightweight - A. Farquharson (Dunedin)
• Featherweight - A. Parker (Christchurch)
• Bantamweight - J. Pearce (Christchurch)

Chess

National Champion: J.C. Grierson of Auckland.^[4]

Golf

The 11th National Amateur Championships were held in Napier ^[5]

• Men: Kurepo Tareha (Napier)
• Women: A. E Pearce

Horse racing

Harness racing

• Auckland Trotting Cup: Plain G ^[6]

Rugby union

• 1903 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia

Soccer

Provincial league champions:^[7]

• Auckland: YMCA Auckland
• Otago: Northern
• Wellington: Wellington St. John's

Births

• 30 January: Colin Scrimgeour, minister and broadcaster.^[8]
• 6 February: Jack Dunning, cricketer
• 11 March: George Dickinson, cricketer
• 11 March: Ronald Syme, historian
• 21 March: Frank Sargeson, writer
• 28 March: Merton Hodge, west-end playwright
• 4 August: Charles Bateson, historian and writer
• 2 November: Anna Lois White, painter
• 15 November: Stewie Dempster, cricketer
• Edward Musgrave Blaiklock, academic.
• Count Geoffrey Potocki de Montalk, poet.
• John Stewart, politician.

Category:1903 births

Deaths

• 30 August: Joe Warbrick, rugby player.

Category:1903 deaths

See also

• List of years in New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• History of New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of the New Zealand environment
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica

References

1. Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
2. "Elections NZ - Leaders of the Opposition". Retrieved 6 April 2008.
3. Ministry of EconomicDevelopment: Celebrating 100 Years of Wireless
4. List of New Zealand Chess Champions
5. edited by A. H. McLintock (1966). "Men's Golf - National Champions". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
6. Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz
7. "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.
8. Davidson, Allan K. "Scrimgeour, Colin Graham". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 29 June 2011.

External links

Media related to 1903 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons