← 1937 1936 1935 1938 in New Zealand → 1939 1940 1941
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1938 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,618,500.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1937: 16,500 (1.03%).^[1]
• Males per 100 females: 103.2.^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – George VI
• Governor-General – The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PC^[2]

Government

The 25th New Zealand Parliament continues with the Labour Party in government. The general election in October results in the Labour government being returned for the 26th New Zealand Parliament.

• Speaker of the House – Bill Barnard (Labour Party)
• Prime Minister – Michael Joseph Savage
• Minister of Finance – Walter Nash
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Michael Joseph Savage
• Attorney-General – Rex Mason
• Chief Justice – Sir Michael Myers

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition – Adam Hamilton (National Party).^[3]

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Ernest Davis
• Mayor of Wellington – Thomas Hislop
• Mayor of Christchurch – John Beanland then Robert M. Macfarlane
• Mayor of Dunedin – Edwin Thomas Cox then Andrew Henson Allen

Events

• 19 February: 21 people working on the Wairoa-Gisborne railway are drowned when a flash flood hits a works camp at Kopuawhara near Mahia.^[4]
• The Times, formerly The Gisborne Times, is purchased by its opposition, The Poverty Bay Herald, which the following year becomes The Gisborne Herald.^[5][6]

Arts and literature

See 1938 in art, 1938 in literature, Category:1938 books

Music

See: 1938 in music

Radio

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• New Zealand Review no.5, Mountain Holiday, [1]

See: Category:1938 film awards, 1938 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1938 films

Sport

Basketball

An interprovincial championship is held even though there is no national association at this time.^[7]

• Interpovincial Champions – Men: Otago

British Empire Games

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
5	7	13	25

Chess

• The 47th National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by S. Hindin of Christchurch.^[8]

Golf

• The 28th New Zealand Open championship was won by A.D. Locke.^[9]
• The 42nd National Amateur Championships were held in Otago^[10]
  • Men: JP.G.F. Smith (Akarana)
  • Women – matchplay: Miss S. Collins
  • Women – strokeplay: Mrs R. Fullerton-Smith

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Morello^[11]
• Auckland Trotting Cup –Navy Blue^[12]

Lawn bowls

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.^[13]

• Men's singles champion – W.D. Bennett (Hastings Bowling Club)
• Men's pair champions – R.B. Clarke, C.E. Tyrrell (skip) (Roslyn Bowling Club)
• Men's fours champions – Stanley Snedden, F. Redpath, P. Munn, H. Wilson (skip) (Linwood Bowling Club)

Rugby

Category:Rugby union in New Zealand, Category:All Blacks

• Ranfurly Shield

Rugby league

New Zealand national rugby league team

Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Waterside who beat Mosgiel 4–0 in the final.^[14]
• Provincial league champions:^[15]
  • Auckland: North Shore United
  • Canterbury: Nomads United
  • Hawke's Bay: Napier United
  • Nelson: YMCA
  • Otago: Mosgiel
  • South Canterbury: Northern
  • Southland: Invercargill Thistle
  • Taranaki: Waitara
  • Waikato: Hamilton Wanderers
  • Wanganui: Marist
  • Wellington: Waterside Karori

Births

• 21 January: Jim Anderton, politician. (died 2018).
• 11 February: Bevan Congdon, cricketer. (died 2018).
• 24 February: Murray Hudson, soldier, winner of the George Cross. (died 1974).
• 26 May: Pauline Parker, convicted murderer.
• 11 July: Ron Sang, architect and art collector. (died 2021).
• 12 July: Stanley Meads, rugby player.
• 24 July: John Sparling, cricketer.
• 29 July: Millie Khan, lawn bowler. (died 2003).
• 28 August: Aroha Reriti-Crofts, politician and community activist. (died 2022).
• 10 September: Colin Beyer, lawyer and businessman. (died 2015).
• 11 October: William Taylor, children's writer and politician. (died 2015).
• 12 October: Geoff Murphy, film director (died 2018).
• 28 October (in England): Anne Perry, convicted murderer. (died 2023)
• 29 October: Douglas Myers, businessman. (died 2017).
• 15 November: Peter Sinclair, radio and television host. (died 2001).
• 24 November: Wynne Bradburn, cricketer. (died 2008).
• 1 December: Bill Playle, cricketer. (died 2019).
• 2 December, Jonathan Hunt, politician and diplomat.
• 17 December: Peter Snell, athlete. (died 2019).
• 18 December: Syd Jackson, political activist. (died 2007).

Deaths

• 10 February: Sir Frederic Truby King, director of child welfare. (b. 1858)
• 22 February: Lindsay Buick, historian, journalist, politician. (b. 1865)
• 1 April: William Blomfield, cartoonist. (b. 1866)
• 12 July: Isabella Foster Rogers Kells, teacher, postmistress and community leader (b. 1861)
• 30 July: Alfred Brandon, Mayor of Wellington. (b. 1854)
• 15 December: James Whyte Kelly, politician. (b. 1855)

Full date unknown

• Eria Tutara-Kauika Raukura, tribal tohunga. (b. 1834)^[16]