2018 in New Zealand

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

• Chief Justice – Sian Elias

• 
  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

February

• 3 February - Murder of Amber-Rose Rush, a Dunedin teenager. A doctor named Venod Skantha is charged with her murder.^[2]

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.^[3]

• 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).^[4]
• 17 May – The 2018 New Zealand budget is presented to Parlimanet by the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson.^[5]
• 19 May – A yellow bow is placed on the Big Lemon & Paeroa bottle to celebrate its 50th birthday.^[6]

June

• 4 June – The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.^[7]
• 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.^[8]
• 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.^[9]
• 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.^[10]

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.^[11][12]
• 15 August – Parliament passes the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018, which bans the sale of existing homes to most non-resident foreigners^[13][14]

October

• 30 October – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes south-west of Taumarunui.^[15]

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.^[16]
• 31 December – The 2019 New Year Honours are announced.^[17]

Sports