2002 in New Zealand:

Other years in New Zealand

1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand
• Governor-General - Dame Silvia Cartwright

Government

The 46th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was The Labour Party led by Helen Clark, In coalition with Alliance, led by Jim Anderton. In the 2002 General Election Labour was returned to power, in coalition with the The Progressive Party led by Jim Anderton, and backed with supporting supply votes by United Future, led by Peter Dunne.

• Speaker of the House - Jonathan Hunt
• Prime Minister - Helen Clark
• Deputy Prime Minister - Jim Anderton then Michael Cullen
• Minister of Finance - Michael Cullen
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Phil Goff

Opposition Leaders

See: Category:New Zealand Parliament , New Zealand elections

• National - Don Brash (Leader of the Opposition)
• Greens - Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald
• Act - Richard Prebble
• New Zealand First - Winston Peters
• United Future - Peter Dunne
• Labour - Helen Clarke
• Progressives - Jim Anderton

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - John Banks
• Mayor of Hamilton - David Braithwaite
• Mayor of Wellington - Kerry Prendergast
• Mayor of Christchurch - Garry Moore
• Mayor of Dunedin - Sukhi Turner

Events

January

• 2 January: description

February

March

April

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Arts and literature

• Alison Wong wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
• Montana New Zealand Book Awards:
  • Montana Medal: Lynley Hood, A City Possessed: The Christchurc Civic Creche Case
  • Deutz Medal: Craig Marriner, Stonedogs
  • Reader's Choice: Lynley Hood, A City Possessed: The Christchurc Civic Creche Case
  • First Book Awards
    • Fiction: Craig Marriner, Stonedogs
    • Poetry: Chris Price, Husk
    • Non-Fiction: Steve Braunias, Fool's Paradise

See 2002 in art, 2002 in literature, Category:2002 books

Music

• New Zealand Music Awards
  • Best song: Che Fu & Godfrey De Grut - Misty Frequencies

See: 2002 in music

Radio and Television

• April 29: Ian Fraser becomes CEO of TVNZ.

See: 2002 in New Zealand television, 2002 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:New Zealand television, TV3 (New Zealand), Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Tongan Ninja

See: Category:2002 film awards, 2002 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:2002 films

Internet

See: NZ Internet History

Appointments and awards

See: New Zealand Order of Merit , Order of New Zealand

• Archbishop of New Zealand
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia , see appointments to Diocese

Sport

• See: 2002 in sports, Category:2002 in sports

Athletics

• Mark Bright wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:29:24 on April 27 in Rotorua, while Bernardine Portenski claims her third in the women's championship (3:01:36).

Basketball

• The NBL was won by the Waikato Titans who beat the Nelson Giants 85-83 in the final
• The Waikato Lady Titans won the Women’s NBL, beating the Canterbury Wildcats 88-60 in the final.

Commonwealth Games

See New Zealand at the 2002 Commonwealth Games

Cricket

• Cricket: Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team , Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Golf

See New Zealand Open , Check Category:New Zealand golfers in overseas tourniments.

Horse racing

See Category:Horse races in New Zealand, list winners.

Netball

see Silver Ferns, National Bank Cup ,

Olympics

see New Zealand at the 2002 Winter Olympics,

Rugby Union

• Rugby: Category:Rugby union in New Zealand , Super 14, Rugby Union World Cup, National Provincial Championship , Category:All Blacks , Bledisloe Cup , Tri Nations Series , Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

• The New Zealand Warriors had their best season ever in the Australian NRL competition, winning the Minor Premiership and making the Grand Final, which they lost to the Sydney Roosters, 30-8
• Bartercard Cup won by the Mt Albert Lions

Soccer

• The All Whites won the OFC Nations Cup held in Auckland, beating Australia 1-0 in the final. This qualified the team for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in Mexico.
• New Zealand National Soccer League was won by Miramar Rangers
• Chatham Cup won by Napier City Rovers

Births

Deaths

• 15 February: Kevin Smith, actor.
• 22 February: Sir Raymond Firth, ethnologist.
• 14 March: Cherry Barbara Grimm, fantasy and science-fiction writer under the pseudonym Cherry Wilder.
• 28 May: Norman King, politician.
• 23 July: William Bell, cricketer.
• 24 August: Alan Brash, church leader.
• 3 October: Dalvanius Prime, entertainer.
• 29 December: Don Clarke, rugby player.

• David Henry Lewis, sailor and Polynesian .scholar
• Dame Miraka Szászy, Māori leader.

See also

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

For world events and topics in 2002 not specifically related to New Zealand see: 2002