2018 in New Zealand
List of events
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The following lists events that happened during 2018 in New Zealand.
Population
- Estimated population as of 31 December 2018 – 4,886,100[1]
- Increase since 31 December 2017 – 80,700 (1.68%)[1]
- Males per 100 females – 96.8[1]
Incumbents
Regal and vice-regal
- Head of State – Elizabeth II
- Governor-General – Patsy Reddy
- Elizabeth II
- Patsy Reddy
Government
2018 is the first full year of the 52nd Parliament, which first sat on 7 November 2017.
The Sixth Labour Government, elected in 2017, continues.
- Speaker of the House – Trevor Mallard
- Prime Minister – Jacinda Ardern
- Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters
- Leader of the House – Chris Hipkins
- Minister of Finance – Grant Robertson
- Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters
- Trevor Mallard
- Jacinda Ardern
- Winston Peters
- Chris Hipkins
- Grant Robertson
Other party leaders in parliament
- National – Bill English until 27 February, then Simon Bridges (Leader of the Opposition)
- New Zealand First – Winston Peters
- Green – James Shaw and, from 8 April, Marama Davidson
- ACT New Zealand – David Seymour
- Bill English
- Simon Bridges
- Winston Peters
- James Shaw
- Marama Davidson
- David Seymour
Judiciary
- Sian Elias
Main centre leaders
- Mayor of Auckland – Phil Goff
- Mayor of Tauranga – Greg Brownless
- Mayor of Hamilton – Andrew King
- Mayor of Wellington – Justin Lester
- Mayor of Christchurch – Lianne Dalziel
- Mayor of Dunedin – Dave Cull
- Phil Goff
- Greg Brownless
- Andrew King
- Justin Lester
- Lianne Dalziell
- Dave Cull
Events
January
- 31 January – Christchurch's Re:START container mall closes.[2]
February
- 3 February – Murder of Amber-Rose Rush, a Dunedin teenager. A doctor named Venod Skantha is charged with her murder.[3]
March
- 6 March – The 2018 New Zealand census is held.
May
- 29 May – A state of emergency is declared in Ngongotaha and Rotorua District due to extreme weather and flooding.[4]
- 11 May – A wave of about 24 metres (79 ft) height, the highest ever recorded, is observed near Campbell Island south of New Zealand; the previous record wave in 2012 was about 22 metres (72 ft).[5]
- 17 May – The 2018 New Zealand budget is presented to Parlimanet by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson.[6]
- 19 May – A yellow bow is placed on the Big Lemon & Paeroa bottle to celebrate its 50th birthday.[7]
June
- 4 June – The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.[8]
- 9 June – The Northcote by-election is won by National, who retain the seat.
July
- 3 July - The primary teachers' union New Zealand Educational Institute announces strike action on 15 August after the Ministry of Education rejected their demand for a 16% pay rise.[9]
- 9 July - 4,000 Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) workers go on strike for two hours demanding higher salaries.[10]
- 12 July - 30,000 nurses went on strike for 24 hours after the New Zealand Nurses Organisation rejected the government's offer of a 12.5% pay rise.[11]
August
- 7 August - Nurses accepted a pay offer from district health boards including pay rights and a commitment to pay equity by the end of next year.[12][13]
- 15 August – Parliament passes the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018, which bans the sale of existing homes to most non-resident foreigners[14][15]
October
- 30 October – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes south-west of Taumarunui.[16]
December
- 1 or 2 December – Murder of Grace Millane, a British tourist. A 26-year-old man is charged with her murder on 8 December.[17]
- 31 December – The 2019 New Year Honours are announced.[18]