← 1996 1995 1994 1997 in New Zealand → 1998 1999 2000
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 1997 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 3,802,700.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 1996: 40,400 (1.07%).^[1]
• Males per 100 Females: 97.1.^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and viceregal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – The Rt Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys GNZM, GCMG, QSO^[2]

Government

The 45th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was The National Party, led by Jim Bolger, in coalition with New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters.

• Speaker of the House – Doug Kidd
• Prime Minister – Jim Bolger then Jenny Shipley
• Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters
• Minister of Finance – Bill Birch
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Don McKinnon
• Chief Justice — Sir Thomas Eichelbaum

Parliamentary leaders

• Labour – (37 seats) Helen Clark (Leader of the Opposition)
• Alliance – (13 seats) Jim Anderton
• ACT New Zealand – (8 seats) Richard Prebble
• United New Zealand- (1 seat) Peter Dunne

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – Les Mills
• Mayor of Hamilton – Margaret Evans
• Mayor of Wellington – Mark Blumsky
• Mayor of Christchurch – Vicki Buck
• Mayor of Dunedin – Sukhi Turner

Events

• 8 February: Stephen Anderson, 24, shoots 11 people, killing 6 of them (including his wife and parents) at Raurimu.^[3]
• 16 July: List MP Alamein Kopu resigns from the Alliance Party but remains a member of parliament. This causes controversy because Kopu has signed contracts with the party that she would resign from Parliament should she leave the party.^[4]
• 10 September: Parliament's privileges committee finds that Alamein Kopu is entitled to remain an independent MP.
• Argentina reopens its embassy in Wellington (closed since 1982).^[5]

Arts and literature

• Paddy Richardson wins the Robert Burns Fellowship.
• Montana New Zealand Book Awards:
  • Book of the Year/Cultural Heritage: Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert
  • First Book Awards
    • Fiction: Dominic Sheehan, Finding Home
    • Poetry: Diane Brown, Before the Divorce We Go To Disneyland
    • Non-Fiction: Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert

See 1997 in art, 1997 in literature, Category:1997 books

Music

New Zealand Music Awards

Winners are shown first with nominees underneath.^[6][7]

• Album of the Year: Strawpeople – Vicarious
  • Emma Paki – Oxygen of Love
  • Garageland – Last Exit to Garageland
  • OMC
  • The Mutton Birds – Envy of Angels
• Single of the Year: DLT Featuring Che Fu – Chains
  • Bic Runga – Bursting Through
  • Garageland
  • Strawpeople – Taller Than God
  • The Mutton Birds
• Best Male Vocalist: Che Fu – Chains
  • Jeremy Eade (Garageland)
  • Jon Toogood (Shihad)
• Best Female Vocalist: Bic Runga
  • Emma Paki
  • Fiona McDonald (Strawpeople)
• Best Group: Garageland
  • Shihad
  • The Mutton Birds
• Most Promising Male Vocalist: Daniel Haimona (Dam Native)
  • Andrew Tilby (Breathe)
  • Ed Cake (Bressa Creeting Cake)
• Most Promising Female Vocalist: Lole Usoalii
  • Andrea Cook
  • Maryanne Antonuvich (D Faction)
• Most Promising Group: Dam Native
  • Bike
  • Bressa Creeting Cake
  • Cinematic
• International Achievement: OMC
  • Crowded House
  • Jane Campion
  • Peter Jackson
• Best Video: Sigi Spath & Joe Lonie – if I Had My Way (Supergroove)
  • Kevin Sprig – La La Land (Shihad)
  • Jonathan King – Behold My Kool Style (Damn Native)
• Best Producer: Malcolm Welsford / Karl Steven – Backspacer (Supergroove)
  • Alan Jansson – How Bizarre
  • Eddie Raynor – ENZSO
• Best Engineer: Rick Huntington / Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (OMC)
  • Chris Van Der Geer (Strawpeople)
  • Malcolm Welsford – Backspacer (Supergroove)
• Best Jazz Album: Bluetrain – No Free Lunch
  • Jazz in the Present Tense – Jazz in the Present Tense
  • Nairobi Trio – Shelf Life
• Best Classical Album: the Nzso, Janos Furst, Michael Houston – Live : Tower Beethoven Festival
  • New Zealand String Quartet – Bartok String Quartet 1–5
  • Alexander Ivashin & Tama Vesmas – Sergie Prokofiev
• Best Country Album: Coalrangers – Coast to Coast
  • Dennis Marsh – Out of Nashville
  • Bartlett, Dugan, Vaughan – Together Again
• Best Folk Album: Wild Geese – Betwixt Time and Place
  • Michael Scorey – Angel Station
  • Bob Bickerton – Music in the Glen
• Best Gospel Album: Max Jacobson – Found
  • The Lands – Arbor Day
  • Evan Silva – Aint No Two Ways About It
• Best Mana Maori Album: Emma Paki – Oxygen of Love
  • DLT – The True School
  • Dam Native – Behold My Kool Style
• Best Mana Reo Album: St Josephs Maori Girls College – a Gift of Song
  • Te Kura Tuatahi Me Te Ropu Kapahaka O Ranana – Te Wainui A Rua
  • Turakina Maori Girls College – Mana Wahine
• Best Childrens Album: Universal Childrens Audio – Waiata Karahere
  • Helen Willberg – Ranona Moemoea
  • Love To Sing Choir – Love My First Songbook
• Best Polynesian Album: Annie Crummer – Seventh Wave
  • Felise Mikaele -Se Taitau
  • The Five Stars – Samoa Ea
• Best Songwriter: Dl Thompson, C Ness, A McNaughton, K Rangihuna – Chains (DLT Feat Che Fu)
  • Paul Casserley, Fiona McDonald, Greg Johnson – Boxers (Strawpeople)
  • Bic Runga – Bursting Through
• Best Cover: Wayne Conway – ENZSO (ENZSO)
  • Jeremy Takacs, Karl & Jon – Shihad
  • Rick Huntington And Alan Jansson – How Bizarre (OMC)

See: 1997 in music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Paul Bennett.

Radio and television

• CanWest takes complete ownership of TV3 and launches TV4.
• TVNZ broadcasts MTV.
• July: Prime Television in Australia purchases 34 licences covering all major New Zealand centres.

See: 1997 in New Zealand television, 1997 in television, List of TVNZ television programming, Category:Television in New Zealand, TV3 (New Zealand), Category:New Zealand television shows, Public broadcasting in New Zealand

Film

• Lost Valley^[8]
• Topless Women Talk About Their Lives

See: Category:1997 film awards, 1997 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1997 films

Internet

See: NZ Internet History

Sport

Athletics

• Peter Buske wins his first national title in the men's marathon, clocking 2:20:49 on 8 March in New Plymouth, while Terri-Lee Farr claims her first in the women's championship (2:55:20).
• Beatrice Faumuina became the first New Zealander to win an event at a World Athletics Championships.^[9]

Basketball

• The Men's NBL was won by the Auckland Stars
• Tall Blacks

Cricket

• Various Tours, New Zealand cricket team

Golf

• New Zealand Open won by Greg Turner

Horse racing

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup: Iraklis^[10]
• Auckland Trotting Cup: Kate's First^[11]

Thoroughbred racing

Netball

• Silver Ferns
• National Bank Cup

Rugby league

• The Auckland Warriors competed in the breakaway Super League and finished 7th out of 10 teams.
• Waikato won the Super League Challenge Cup, defeating Canterbury 34–18 in the final. Waikato also won the Rugby League Cup.
• 25 April, New Zealand lost to Australia 22–34
• 26 September, New Zealand defeated Australia 30-12

Rugby union

• Super 12
• Rugby Union World Cup
• National Provincial Championship
• Bledisloe Cup
• Tri Nations Series
• Ranfurly Shield

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt – Ross Geange (Masterton)^[12]

Soccer

• The Chatham Cup is won by Central United who beat Napier City Rovers 3–2 in the final (after extra time).^[13]

Births

Deaths