The following lists events that happened during2005 in New Zealand.
At the beginning of 2005, the news was dominated by the recent"Boxing Day Tsunami". New Zealanders gave time and $25 million (money and goods) for relief in the areas affected.
16 January: National day of mourning for the victims of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, including one minute's silence at 2:59 pm, exactly three weeks after the event.
25 January: Opposition leaderDon Brash pledges to cut the number of working-age beneficiaries by one third over ten years. He plans to particularly reduce the number ofsolo parents on theDomestic Purposes Benefit.
22 February: Social Development ministerSteve Maharey announces that seven benefits will be merged into one, with supplements available for accommodation, disability, and childcare. The benefits replaced include unemployment, sickness, disability, and the domestic purposes benefit. The new benefit will apply from 2007 but trial areas will pilot the scheme from May 2005.
5–10 March: The Prince of Wales (nowCharles III) tours New Zealand. The most controversial incident was two women baring their breasts to him, in protest against a misreported objection by the Prince to a toplessAborigine dance in Australia, and the temporary closure of abreast cancer screening caravan due to security concerns during the visit.
4 April: Government member of parliamentJohn Tamihere is involved in a major scandal after speaking candidly and scathingly about his fellowLabour MPs to a reporter (an interview which Tamihere claims was off-the-record). Further details of comments made at the interview were released a week later.
12 April:John Tamihere is censured by the Labour Party caucus for his earlier comments, but was not asked to resign from the party.
21 April: Bus drivers inAuckland working forStagecoach have voted to strike for six days from 5 May in support of their claim for an extra $2 an hour.[3]
21 April: 700 coal miners strike for the day in the first national coal miners' strike in New Zealand for more than a decade. The miners want a 6% wage increase, but their employer,Solid Energy, is offering 2.8%.[4]
26 April: TheCivil Unions and Relationships Acts come into force. These Acts allow same-sex and de facto couples to form legal unions similar to marriage.
3 May: AnAirworkFairchild Metro III explodes while flying fromAuckland toWoodbourne, about 5 km east ofStratford. The plane had two pilots and was carrying courier parcels. Both men were killed. Residents in the area report hearing a loud noise, with some seeing a fireball and falling debris. Wreckage is spread over a 15 km area.[5]
6 May: A bridge nearWairoa on the East Coast of theNorth Island collapsed sending two train wagons and a crane on the East Coast into theNūhaka River 9 metres below. The accident which happened at about 7:30 amNZST and there was nobody on board the wagons or crane.[6]
6 May: Graeme Fraser, the chairman of theNew Zealand Qualifications Authority resigns afterState Services Commission report into the 2004NCEA scholarship exams. There was a wide discrepancy between the number of scholarships awarded inArts subjects compared toScience subjects. The report laid most of the blame on NZQA. It said they failed to "see that wide variability in scholarship results could undermine the credibility of the exams".[7]
10 May: A letter sent to the New Zealand prime minister alleges thatfoot and mouth disease has been released onWaiheke Island. The letter writer threatens further releases unless tax reforms are made. While the letter is considered likely to be a hoax, a farm on Waiheke is quarantined. New Zealand has been free of the foot and mouth virus to date.[8]
14 May:Telecom New Zealand is planning to increase security for itsvoicemail service after ahacker managed to access the voicemail famous New Zealanders such asDick Hubbard,Auckland mayor. Telecom's public affairs manager was only aware that his own voicemail had been accessed after being told by a computer journalist. The voicemail of several policemen was accessed.[9]
17 May:David Benson-Pope stands down as New Zealand's Associate Education Minister after three people alleged that he had administered cruel punishments to them while he was a high-school teacher inDunedin. Benson-Pope has previously denied the allegations in Parliament.[10]
18 May: Fierce storms lash theBay of Plenty, forcing the declaration of a state of emergency and the evacuation of homes inTauranga andMatatā.[11][12]
2 June: New Zealand electricity supplierMeridian Energy announces plans to build one of the world's largestwind farms at Mākara, west ofWellington. The farm is planned to have 70 turbines, each over 100 metres high, and to generate 210 MW, which would be sufficient to power the whole of Wellington,Porirua, andLower Hutt.[13]
4 June: At the start of theQueen's Birthday long weekend in New Zealand, rain, snow and ice closed several major highways. State Highway 1 (known as the Desert Road) was closed in the morning betweenWaiouru andRangipo in the centralNorth Island, and State Highway 4 betweenWanganui andTaumarunui was also closed for some time. A series of slips in theManawatū Gorge has caused delays to traffic. The year's first major snowfall inDunedin has caused problems for motorists there.[14]
10 June: New Zealand MPSue Bradford introduces a private member's bill to outlaw thesmacking of children. The present law requires thatphysical discipline of a child use no more than "reasonable force". As a private member's bill, this will be aconscience vote.[15]
14 June: The New ZealandHigh Commissioner to Canada,Graham Kelly, apologises to all New Zealanders for remarks he made to a Canadian Senate committee in April. Kelly insultedMāori, Pacific Islanders and Asian immigrants to New Zealand in an attempt at humour.[16]
22 June: 500 residents of the town ofTākaka in the northernSouth Island are evacuated after a major fire at the town's dairy factory. Evacuation was through fear of an explosion in vats containingcaustic soda andsulphuric acid, which could have released toxic gases.[18]
24 June: TheNew Zealand cricket team announced that it would tourZimbabwe in August, despite calls for a boycott due toOperation Murambatsvina. The New Zealand government will not stop the tour going to Zimbabwe, but says a return tour by the Zimbabwe team will not be welcome.
26 June: TheIsraeli Foreign Minister,Silvan Shalom, apologises to New Zealand for the actions of two Israeli citizens, believed to beMossad agents, who attempted to gain New Zealand passports under false pretences in 2004. The apology allows diplomatic relations between the two countries to return to normal.[19]
30 June:Prince William arrives in New Zealand for an 11-day tour. This was his second trip to New Zealand; he was nine months old on his first visit. During the visit he follows theLion's tour and has several official engagements.[20][21]
7 July: The High Court of New Zealand rules that the delays in processingUnitec's application to become auniversity breach the New ZealandBill of Rights and that the application should have been considered in 2000.
16 July: Bishops of theCatholic Church in New Zealand call for the boycott of theCanWest television channelsC4TV andTV3 in protest against C4TV's showing of the irreverent cartoonPopetown.[24]
17 July: Heavy rain causes flooding in theCoromandel Peninsula of New Zealand, leaving the holiday town ofPauanui cut off when part of the access road washes away.[25]
18 July:Air New Zealand is forced to cancel about 30% of its international flights after flight attendants begin the first of a series of 48-hour strikes. The third strike was called off but flights will not return to normal until Tuesday 26 July.[26]
31 July: TheNew Zealand First party launches its2005 New Zealand general election campaign with a promise that no pre-election coalition deal will be made. Party leaderWinston Peters says the campaign issues are immigration, law and order, senior citizens, trade, and Māori affairs.[29][30]
3 August: Staff at severaluniversities continue to take strike action in support of their five per cent wage claim. TheUniversity of Otago is the only major university to have settled with their staff.[33]
3 August:Radio New Zealand staff stopped work for two hours in support of their claim for a five percent wage increase and an extra week's annual holiday.(Stuff)
14 August: TheProgressive Party launches itselection campaign calling for a three-way coalition withLabour and theGreens. The party is proud of its achievements in the last three years, including the formation ofKiwibank and the introduction of four weeks annual leave.[36]
19 August: Two police officers and a civilian driver are convicted on driving charges after a high-speed convoy in July 2004 carried the New Zealand Prime Minister,Helen Clark toChristchurch airport. Clark claimed not to be aware of the speed involved, but most New Zealanders are sceptical.[37][38]
21 August:Don Brash launches theNew Zealand National Party election campaign saying that lower taxes and better incentives are the key to reigniting a spirit of enterprise and making New Zealand again a land of opportunity.[40]
21 August: TheNew Zealand Labour Party appeals to voters to reject the politics of division and fear in its campaign launch for thegeneral election.Helen Clark has made seven "pledge-card" promises as the basis of its campaign.[41]
22 August: The two major parties in theNew Zealand election both promise tax cuts if they are elected.Labour offers $1.3 billion worth of tax cuts targeted at families, whileNational offers $3.9 billion across all tax brackets, and a reduction in company tax to 30%.[42][43]
23 August: A 14-year-old boy is arrested for the murder of Chris Currie, who died when a piece of concrete was dropped on his car from anAuckland motorway overbridge.[44]
23 August: FormerACT New Zealand MPDonna Awatere Huata is found guilty of fraud after using money from a state-funded reading programme for personal expenses. She was expelled fromParliament in November 2004 after a lengthy battle.[45]
23 August: TheMāori Party launches its campaign for thegeneral election with co-leader DrPita Sharples suggesting that the party would not form a coalition with a major party, but would offer support to a government on a case by case basis.[46]
4 September: TheACT party kicks off itselection campaign withRodney Hide claiming that the only wayNational can form a government is with its help.[48]
10 September: New Zealand sold theSkyhawk ground attack andAermacchi trainer aircraft to an unnamed American company. The planes were put into storage after the disbanding of theAir Force combat wing in 2001.[50]
14 September: TheOmbudsman forcesTreasury to release details of alternative costings for theLabour Party's proposed interest-freestudent loan scheme. Treasury estimated the scheme would cost $390 million in its third year, but Labour's estimates put the cost at $300 million at that point.[51]
14 September:Winston Peters reveals old sexual harassment allegations against hisNational Party rival inTauranga,Bob Clarkson. Clarkson claims the allegations were the result of a misunderstanding, but talks about hiscrotch to a female reporter.(Stuff)
15 September: The centre ofTauranga is shut down for 13 hours after a man threatens to blow himself up with a bomb in a hotel. The man, who was upset that he could not get avisa to stay in New Zealand, was arrested just after midnight. The bomb was fake.(Stuff)
17 September:General election: election night figures give Labour 50 seats, National 49, New Zealand First 7, Greens 6, Māori Party 4 (all electorate seats, an overhang of 2 because party vote earned them only 2), United Future 3, ACT 2, Progressives 1. National leader Don Brash refuses to concede defeat because there are over 200,000 special votes to be counted. (Elections New Zealand)
20 September:Helen Clark orders an inquiry into Associate Justice MinisterTaito Phillip Field's assistance to a Thai overstayer's work permit application. The Thai man retiled the roof of Field's house inSamoa.[54]
24 September: A flotilla of 100 boats meets theInterisland ferry Challenger (Kaitaki) protesting the speed it travels through theMarlborough Sounds. Protesters claim the ferry's wake damages the shoreline.(Stuff)[55]
30 September:Donna Awatere Huata, a formerACT Member of Parliament, is sentenced to two years nine months in jail for stealing from a Māori trust for disadvantaged children. Her husband is sentenced to two years.[57]
1 October: General election special votes are counted and announced: National drops to 48 seats, others unchanged (as the Māori Party vote share raised its quota to 3, thus overhang of 1).Helen Clark confident she can form a government within 2 weeks.(NZ election results)Archived 4 October 2005 at theWayback Machine
5 October:TVNZ announces it will not renew theNZ$800,000 contract of its newsreader,Judy Bailey, who has presentedONE News for 18 years and has been called "The Mother of the Nation".[59]
6 October: A New Zealand District Courtrules thatHIV-positive people need not tell sexual partners about their status so long assafe sex is practised.(NZ Herald)(Stuff)
30 October:Ian Fraser resigns as CEO ofTelevision New Zealand after the board of directors insists he become involved in negotiations over salaries of top news presenters.[64]
4 November: An iconic statue,Pania of the reef, stolen fromNapier on 27 October, is recovered and two people are charged with the theft.(NZ Herald)
14 November: A researcher for theUnited Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination requests permission to visit New Zealand to determine whether theforeshore and seabed law breaches Māori rights.(NZ Herald)
18 November: New Zealand was announced as the host for the2011 Rugby Union World Cup after unexpectedly beating bids by South Africa and Japan.[65]
19 November:Sky Television purchasesPrime Television for $30 million. Sky will use Prime to advertise its pay content and to show delayed broadcasts of sports events.(NZ Herald)
20 November: New Zealand's last resident World War I veteran, Bob Rudd, dies aged 104 on theWest Coast. Rudd lied about his age to join the British Army and immigrated to New Zealand after the war.(NZ Herald)
27 November: TheAll Blacks complete aGrand Slam by defeating England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in a single tour. The last grand slam was by Australia in 1984.(Mail & Guardian)
8 December: One year after theSmokefree Environments Amendment Act was passed, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation releases a report showing that there has been no reduction in the number of bar patrons or bar takings. There has been an increase in the number of non-smokers at bars and cafes. Rural pubs may have suffered a loss of patronage.[66](Stuff).
9 December: To control the spread of theDidymo algae, the whole of theSouth Island is declared a controlled area. All items, such as boats, fishing gear, clothing, and vehicles, that have been in a stream, river or lake, must be cleaned before they enter another waterway.[67]
15 December:Bob Clarkson keeps his electorate seat, after the High Court rejectsWinston Peters' petition alleging he had spent more on campaigning for the seat ofTauranga than is allowed under the Electoral Act. The Act prescribes a campaign spending limit of $20,000 per local candidate. Peters' petition alleged that Clarkson had spent more than $100,000. The High Court found that he had spent only $18,159.(NZ Herald)
19 December:Air New Zealand makes 110 staff redundant inAuckland as it prepares to outsource most of its heavy maintenance. A further 507 staff will find out the status of their jobs in February 2006.[68]
21 December: The Government abandons the proposedcarbon tax after theNew Zealand First andUnited Future parties opposed it. The Government says the tax would not be effective at lowering emissions. The tax was supposed to help New Zealand meet its obligations under theKyoto Protocol.[69]
21 December: Theminimum wage will increase from NZ$9.50 to $10.25 per hour for adults, and from $7.60 to $8.20 for under-18-year-olds. The increases take effect on 27 March 2006.(NZ Herald)
27 December: The Treaty House atWaitangi is superficially damaged when a man drives a car into it. TheTreaty of Waitangi was signed in the grounds of this house, and it has been the focus of protests over recent decades.(Stuff)
Matt Dravitski wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:22:03 on 5 June inChristchurch, whileShireen Crumpton claims her first as well in the women's championship (2:37:24).
December: New Zealand cricket team beaten 2–1 in anODI series for the Chappell-Hadlee trophy, but New Zealand sets a world record by successfully chasing a target of 332 runs in the final game.
27 November – TheKiwis defeat the Australian Kanagroos 24-0 in the final of therugby league tri-nations championship. (The third team being Great Britain).
3 September: The All Blacks defeat Australia'sWallabies 34-24 in the final match of the 2005Tri Nations Series, and win the title for the sixth time.
27 November – The All Blacks defeat Scotland at Edinburgh to become only the second All Black touring team to complete the "Grand Slam" of rugby – beating Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland on one tour (the first being in 1978).
Media related to2005 in New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons