← 1841 1840 1839 1842 in New Zealand → 1843 1844 1845
Decades:	1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1842 in New Zealand.

Population

The estimated population of New Zealand at the end of 1842 is 76,900 Māori and 10,992 non-Māori (a 120% increase in 1 year).^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Queen Victoria
• Governor – Captain William Hobson dies on 10 September. His replacement Captain Robert Fitzroy does not arrive until 26 December 1843.

Government and law

• Chief Justice – William Martin

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Wellington – George Hunter is elected Mayor on 3 October, the first Mayor in New Zealand. (see also 1843)

Events

• 1 January: The Government begins publication of a monthly magazine in Māori, Te Karere o Nui Tireni (The Messenger of New Zealand). It publishes until 1846, and is revived as The Maori Messenger and Te Manuhiri Tuarangi between 1849 and 1863.^[2][3]
• 1 February: The first settlers arrive in Nelson aboard the Fifeshire.
• 24 February: The Bay of Islands Observer begins publishing. The newspaper publishes its last issue on 27 October 1842.^[4]
• 12 March: The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle is first published. It continues until 1874.^[5]
• 6 April: The New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, which was founded in 1841, ceases publication.^[6][7]
• April: The Auckland Standard begins publication. It folds on 28 August, after four months.^[6]
• May : Wellington becomes a Borough.
• 2 August: The New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser begins publishing. It lasts for one year.^[4]
• 29 August: The Auckland Times begins publication. It runs until 1846.^[7]

Undated

• Copper is discovered on Kawau Island and a mine established.^[8]

Sport

Cricket

The first recorded game in Wellington is played in December.^[9]

Horse racing

• 20 October – Races are held on the beach at Petone.^[10]

Births

• (unknown date): (in Auckland) Isa Outhwaite, watercolour artist, poet, social activist and philanthropist
• 7 August: (in the Hutt Valley) Edward Riddiford, runholder
• 25 November: William Downie Stewart, politician
• (unknown date): Charles Rous-Marten, journalist and railway writer (in England)

Deaths

• 7 March: Wiremu Kingi Maketu, first person executed in New Zealand under British rule
• 5 June: Charles Armitage Brown, pioneer New Plymouth businessman
• 10 September: William Hobson, first Governor of New Zealand
• 22 November: Te Kakapi-o-te-rangi Te Wharepouri, tribal leader

Unknown date

• Te Purewa, tribal leader