← 2009 2008 2007 2010 in New Zealand → 2011 2012 2013
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history

The following lists events that happened during 2010 in New Zealand.

Population

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 4,373,900.^[1]
• Increase since 31 December 2009: 41,700 (0.96%).^[1]
• Males per 100 Females: 95.7.^[1]

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

• Head of State – Elizabeth II
• Governor-General – Sir Anand Satyanand^[2]

• 
  Elizabeth II
• 
  Sir Anand Satyanand

Government

2010 was the second full year of the 49th Parliament.

• Speaker of the House – Lockwood Smith
• Prime Minister – John Key
• Deputy Prime Minister – Bill English
• Minister of Finance – Bill English
• Minister of Foreign Affairs – Murray McCully

• 
  Lockwood Smith
• 
  John Key
• 
  Bill English
• 
  Murray McCully

Other party leaders

• Labour – Phil Goff (Leader of the Opposition)
• Act – Rodney Hide, since 13 June 2004
• Greens – Metiria Turei (since 30 May 2009) and Russel Norman (since 3 June 2006)
• Māori Party – Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples

• 
  Phil Goff
• 
  Rodney Hide
• 
  Russel Norman
• 
  Metiria Turei
• 
  Pita Sharples
• 
  Tariana Turia

Judiciary

• Chief Justice — Sian Elias

• 
  Dame Sian Elias

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland – John Banks since October 2007, followed by Len Brown for the Auckland super city
• Mayor of Tauranga – Stuart Crosby, since October 2004
• Mayor of Hamilton – Bob Simcock since May 2007, followed by Julie Hardaker in October 2010^[3]
• Mayor of Wellington – Kerry Prendergast since October 2001, followed by Celia Wade-Brown in October 2010^[4]
• Mayor of Christchurch – Bob Parker, since October 2007
• Mayor of Dunedin – Peter Chin succeeded by Dave Cull^[5]

• 
  John Banks
• 
  Len Brown
• 
  Stuart Crosby
• 
  Julie Hardaker
• 
  Kerry Prendergast
• 
  Celia Wade-Brown
• 
  Bob Parker
• 
  Peter Chin
• 
  Dave Cull

Events

January

• 17–19 January: Prince William of Wales visits New Zealand, and represents The Queen officially for the first time by opening the new Supreme Court building in Wellington.^[6]

February

March

April

• 25 April: Three members of the air force are killed when their Iroquois helicopter crashes on the way to Wellington for Anzac day commemorations.^[7]

May

June

July

• 13 July: Two police officers are injured and police dog Gage is killed after being confronted by an armed offender during a routine drugs search in Phillipstown, Christchurch. Gage would later be posthumously awarded the PDSA Gold Medal after taking a fatal gunshot wound protecting his injured handler.

August

• 4 August: Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell becomes the first New Zealand fatality of the War in Afghanistan after his convoy is attacked.^[8]

September

• 4 September
  • The 7.1 magnitude 2010 Canterbury earthquake causes widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in Christchurch.
  • All nine passengers on board are killed in a Fletcher FU24 crash, the worst aircraft crash in New Zealand in 17 years.^[9]
• 17 September: MP and Corrections Minister David Garrett resigns from the ACT party caucus after revelations that in 1984 he obtained a false passport using details of a deceased child.^[10]
• 17–22 September: A "storm the size of Australia" passes to the south of New Zealand bringing snow, rain, gales, tornadoes and causing widespread damage – 72,000 homes lose power, and the roof of a stadium collapses under a snow load in Invercargill and numerous roads are closed.^[11][12]

October

• 1 October: The largest reform in the tax system since the 1980s takes effect: GST is raised to 15%, company tax rates drop from 30% to 28%, and the top tax bracket falls from 38% to 33%.^[13]
• 5 October: Breakfast broadcaster Paul Henry is suspended by TVNZ after questioning if New Zealand's ethnic minority Governor-General Anand Satyanand, is a proper New Zealander.^[14] On 7 October Henry is embroiled in further controversy as his mockery of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is declared "racist" and "unacceptable" and New Zealand's ambassador to India is summoned for a dressing down.^[15] Henry resigns from TVNZ on 10 October.^[16]
• 9 October: Elections held for all of New Zealand's city, district and regional councils, and all District Health Boards.
• 27 October: After crisis talks with Warner Bros executives, Prime Minister John Key announces the $670 million project to film The Hobbit will go ahead in New Zealand. Acting unions had threatened to boycott the movies, leading Warner Bros and New Line to consider taking the production elsewhere.^[17]

November

• 19 November: A gas explosion in the Pike River coal mine traps 29 workers underground.^[18]
• 20 November: Labour candidate Kris Faafoi wins the 2010 Mana by-election^[19]

December

• 28 December: A storm moves up the country. Two bridges on the Aorere River are swept away, including the historic Salisbury Swing Bridge.^[20]

Holidays and observances

• 6 February – Waitangi Day
• 25 April – ANZAC Day
• 2 June – Queen's Birthday Monday
• 5 June – Matariki
• 27 October – Labour Day

Awards

New Zealander of the year

The inaugural awards take place.^[21]

• New Zealander of the Year: Ray Avery
• Senior New Zealander of the Year: Sir Eion Edgar
• Young New Zealander of the Year: Divya Dhar
• Community of the Year: Victory Village
• Local Hero: Haami (Sam) Tutu Chapman

Arts and literature

New books

Music

Performing arts

• Benny Award presented by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand to Gary Daverne ONZM.

Television

Film

• Boy
• Matariki
• Predicament
• Tracker
• Wound

Internet

Sports

Commonwealth Games

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
6	22	8	36

Cricket

Horse racing

Harness racing

Thoroughbred racing

Motorsport

Netball

Olympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of 16 competitors in eight sports.

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
0	0	0	0

Paralympic Games

• New Zealand sends a team of two competitors in one sport.

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	0	0	1

Rowing

The 2010 World Rowing Championships were held at Lake Karapiro, near Hamilton, New Zealand between 29 October – 7 November.

Rugby league

• New Zealand co-hosted the 2010 Four Nations and also won the tournament, defeating Australia in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
• The New Zealand Warriors finished fifth in the National Rugby League, before being eliminated in the first round of the play-offs. The Junior Warriors won the Toyota Cup.
• Auckland won the Albert Baskerville Trophy, defeating Counties Manukau in the final.

Rugby union

Shooting

• Ballinger Belt –
  • Jonathan Cload (United Kingdom)
  • Ross Geange (Otorohanga), second, top New Zealander^[22]

Soccer

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, New Zealand finish third in their pool after achieving three draws: 1–1 vs Slovakia, 1-1 vs Italy and 0-0 vs Paraguay.

Tennis

Births

• 21 August – Suavito, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 25 September – Puccini, Thoroughbred racehorse
• 23 October – Tiger Tara, Standardbred racehorse

Deaths