← 1859 1858 1857 1860 in New Zealand → 1861 1862 1863
Decades:	1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1860 in New Zealand.

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State — Queen Victoria
• Governor — Colonel Thomas Gore Browne leaves office on 3 October to take up the post of Governor of Tasmania. His successor is Sir George Grey who takes up the position in December.

Government and law

The general election of 1860–1861 begins on 12 December but does not conclude until 28 March the following year. The 2nd Parliament continues until the completion of the election.

• Speaker of the House — The sitting Speaker, Sir Charles Clifford, does not stand for re-election. He will be replaced in 1861 by Sir David Monro.
• Premier — Edward Stafford.
• Minister of Finance — William Richmond.
• Chief Justice — Hon George Arney

Events

• 2 January: The Auckland Independent ceases publishing. It began in 1859.^[1]
• 6 January: The Marlborough Press publishes its first issue.^[2] The paper continues until 1948.
• 8 January: Julius von Haast begins his journey of exploration of the West Coast.^[3]
• 17 March: The assault on Te Kohia pā marks the beginning of the First Taranaki War.^[4]
• 28 March: Battle of Waireka.^[4]
• 27 June: The battle of Puketakauere is a major setback for Imperial forces.^[4]
• 28 December: Imperial forces capture Matarikoriko Pā, near Waitara.^[5]

Undated

• The Nelson Advertiser is a short-lived newspaper in the Nelson, New Zealand area.^[6]

Arts and literature

Music

• A choral society is formed in Wellington.^[7]
• The Canterbury Vocal Union is formed by nine men in Christchurch. It shortly afterwards merges with the St. Cecilia Society and will eventually become the Royal Christchurch Music Society.^[7]

Sport

Cricket

The first inter-provincial cricket game is played between Auckland and Wellington. Auckland win.^[8]

Horse racing

The New Zealand Derby is held for the first time, at Riccarton Racecourse.^[8] This is the first race in New Zealand to have a continuous annual history.

Major race winner

• New Zealand Derby – Ada

Lawn bowls

Bowls is first known to have been played in the country, in Auckland.^[8]

Rowing

Shooting

The Government recommends that prizes be given for rifle shooting. This leads to the first National Rifle Shooting Championships in 1861.^[8]

Births

• 11 September: James Allan, rugby union player

Deaths

• 8 January: Louis Catherin Servant, Catholic priest and missionary
• 30 May: Karetai, tribal leader
• 25 June: Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, first Māori King
• 6 August: William Cargill, British soldier, Otago founder and politician^[9]
• 7 August: Charles Southwell, English-born journalist, freethinker and newspaper publisher
• 4 November (in Tianjin, China): Arthur Saunders Thomson, military surgeon, medical scientist, writer and historian
• 26 December: Barnet Burns, English sailor and trader

Unknown date

• Te Rei Hanataua, tribal leader