1874 in New Zealand
# 1874 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1874 in New Zealand.

## Incumbents

### Regal and viceregal

* Head of State — Queen Victoria
* Governor — The Rt. Hon Sir James Fergusson resigns and is replaced by The Marquess of Normanby

### Government and law

The 5th New Zealand Parliament continues.

* Speaker of the House — Sir Francis Dillon Bell
* Premier — Julius Vogel.
* Minister of Finance — Julius Vogel
* Chief Justice — Hon Sir George Arney

### Main centre leaders

* Mayor of Auckland — Philip Philips followed by Henry Isaacs followed by Frederick Prime
* Mayor of Christchurch — Michael Brennan Hart followed by Fred Hobbs
* Mayor of Dunedin — Henry Fish followed by Andrew Mercer
* Mayor of Wellington — Charles Borlase

## Events

* 1 January: Wreck of the Surat, carrying 271 passengers and 37 crew, on the Catlins coast. All survived.
* 5 January: The Poverty Bay Herald begins publishing in Gisborne. It is initially bi-weekly. The paper changed its name to The Gisborne Herald in 1939, and continues to publish as a daily today.
* 15 January: The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, first published in 1842, produces its last issue.
* 30 June: The Wellington Independent publishes its final issue, and is replaced by The New Zealand Times. The newspaper started in 1845.
* 18 November: Fire and sinking of the Cospatrick carrying emigrants to New Zealand near the Cape of Good Hope; one of New Zealand's worst disasters as only three of the 472 on board survived.
* The Marlborough Times begins publication bi-weekly, and absorbs The Marlborough News. It became a daily in 1882. The Marlborough Express bought it in 1895 and closed it in 1905.
* The Marine Department employs Capt. B.A. Edwin to provide weather maps and forecasts to ships, establishing New Zealand's first weather service.

## Sport

### Horse racing

* 25 May — Recorded by some sources as the date of first race meeting at Ellerslie.(see also 1857)
* The Auckland Cup is established at Ellerslie Racecourse.
* The Wellington Cup becomes an annual race. The first winner of which evidence survives is recorded.

**Major race winners**

* New Zealand Cup: Tambourini
* New Zealand Derby: Tadmor
* Auckland Cup: Templeton
* Wellington Cup: Castaway

### Rugby union

* Rugby union spreads quickly, with many new clubs being formed: Ngāruawāhia, Hamilton, Cambridge, New Plymouth (Taranaki club) Hawera (Egmont club), Parnell, Grafton, Ponsonby, and Mount Hobson. Rugby was also taken up at Auckland College and Auckland Grammar School.

### Shooting

Ballinger Belt: Captain Skinner (Waiuku Rifles)

## Births

* 8 February: Edmund Anscombe, architect.
* 20 September: George Smith, athlete and rugby player.

## Deaths

* 22 April: Thomas Brunner, surveyor and explorer.
