The following lists events that happened during 1941 in New Zealand.

1941
in
New Zealand

Decades:
See also:

Population

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  • Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,631,200.[1]
  • Increase since 31 December 1940: -2400 (-0.15%).[1]
  • Males per 100 females: 96.1.[1]
  • The scheduled New Zealand census was not held due to World War II.[citation needed]

Incumbents

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Regal and viceregal

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Government

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The 26th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government. 1941 should have been an election year, but because of World War II the election was deferred until 1942.[3]

Parliamentary opposition

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Main centre leaders

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Events

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  • 16 January: formation of the New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Air Force[5]
  • March: 2NZEF deployed to northern Greece and were soon involved in the Battle of Greece.
  • 24–30 April: New Zealand forces evacuated from mainland Greece to Crete.
  • 14 May: The minesweeper HMNZS Puriri was sunk by a mine while sweeping in the Hauraki Gulf, and sank with the death of five of her crew.
  • 20 May - 1 June: Battle of Crete - New Zealand forces suffer heavy losses: 671 dead, 967 wounded, 2,180 captured. On the first day of the German invasion, Charles Upham wins the V.C
  • 8 October: four police officers and three civilians are shot and killed at Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika, by Stanley Graham
  • 7 December: Hawaii bombed in a surprise attack by Japanese carrier forces on the US Navy.
  • 8 December: New Zealand declares war on Japan in response to Japanese attack on the United States.
  • 10 December: British battlecruiser HMS Repulse and battleship HMS Prince of Wales sunk by Japanese torpedo planes, effectively taking Britain out of the sea war in the Pacific.
  • 15 December: A RNZAF Lockheed Hudson bomber returning to Nelson from a coastal patrol hit the top of a limestone bluff near Collingwood in thick fog, killing all four crew.[6]
  • 19 December: New Zealand suffers its worst naval loss when 150 New Zealanders on board HMS Neptune are killed after the ship strikes mines and sinks off the coast of Libya.[7]
  • German surface raiders operated in New Zealand waters in 1940 and 1941, sinking four ships.

Arts and literature

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See 1941 in art, 1941 in literature

Music

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See: 1941 in music

Radio

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See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

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See: Category:1941 film awards, 1941 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1941 films

Sport

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Most sporting events were on hold due to the war.

Chess

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  • The 50th National Chess Championship was held in Timaru, and was won by P. Allerhand of Wellington.[8]

Horse racing

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Harness racing

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Lawn bowls

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The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Christchurch.[11]

  • Men's singles champion – C. Spearman (Christchurch RSA Bowling Club)
  • Men's pair champions – H.S. Maslin, M.J. Squire (skip) (Hawera Bowling Club)
  • Men's fours champions – C.H. Elsom, D.H. Joseph, A. Williamson, P. Munn (skip) (Canterbury Bowling Club)

Rugby union

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

Rugby league

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New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

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  • Chatham Cup competition not held
  • Provincial league champions: [12]
    • Auckland: Comrade
    • Canterbury: Western
    • Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB
    • Nelson: No competition
    • Otago: Mosgiel
    • South Canterbury: No competition
    • Southland: No competition
    • Waikato: No competition
    • Wanganui: No competition
    • Wellington: Seatoun

Births

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Category:1941 births

Deaths

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Historical population estimates tables". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017.
  2. ^ Statistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52
  3. ^ "Prolongation of Parliament Act, 1941". New Zealand Law online.
  4. ^ "Elections NZ - Leaders of the Opposition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  5. ^ Today in History | NZHistory
  6. ^ "Farmer makes shocking find in wartime tragedy". Stuff (Fairfax). 29 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Navy service to remember those who died serving NZ". Otago Daily Times. NZPA. 15 December 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  8. ^ List of New Zealand Chess Champions Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "List of NZ Trotting cup winners". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  10. ^ Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  12. ^ "New Zealand: List of champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 1999.
  13. ^ Davis, Brian R. "James Alexander Pond". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
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