1938 in New Zealand

• Estimated population as of 31 December: 1,618,500.{{Cite web |title=Historical population estimates tables |url=http://archive.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/historical-population-tables.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231000952/http://archive.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/estimates_and_projections/historical-population-tables.aspx |archive-date=31 December 2017 |publisher=Statistics New Zealand}}
• Increase since 31 December 1937: 16,500 (1.03%).
• Males per 100 females: 103.2.

• Head of State – George VI
• Governor-General – The Viscount Galway GCMG DSO OBE PCStatistics New Zealand: New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1990. ISSN 0078-0170 page 52

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

• Leader of the Opposition – Adam Hamilton (National Party).{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.org.nz/democracy/leaders-opposition.html|title=Elections NZ – Leaders of the Opposition|access-date=6 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017200326/http://www1.elections.org.nz/democracy/leaders-opposition.html|archive-date=17 October 2008|url-status=dead}}

• 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

• 19 February: 21 people working on the Wairoa-Gisborne railway are drowned when a flash flood hits a works camp at Kopuawhara near Mahia.[http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=19/02 nzhistory.net.nz]
• The Times, formerly The Gisborne Times, is purchased by its opposition, The Poverty Bay Herald, which the following year becomes The Gisborne Herald.{{cite news|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=CL1.PBH&sp=PBH&essay=1|title=Poverty Bay Herald|publisher=National Library of New Zealand|access-date=21 September 2008}}{{cite web|url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MacHist-t1-body-d38-d15-d1.html|title=Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N.I., N.Z.: Earliest Journals and Their Founders|last=Mackay|first=Joseph Angus|year=1949}}

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

See: 1938 in music

See: Public broadcasting in New Zealand

• New Zealand Review no.5, Mountain Holiday, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070829020326/http://events.filmarchive.org.nz/event.php?eventInstanceID=1412&eventID=288]

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

An interprovincial championship is held even though there is no national association at this time.Todd, S. (1976) Sporting Records of New Zealand. Auckland: Moa Publications. {{ISBN|0-908570-00-7}}

• Interpovincial Champions – Men: Otago

{{main|New Zealand at the 1938 British Empire Games}}

• The 47th National Chess Championship was held in Dunedin, and was won by S. Hindin of Christchurch.[http://www.poisonpawn.co.nz/nzcftitles.htm List of New Zealand Chess Champions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014052518/http://poisonpawn.co.nz/nzcftitles.htm |date=14 October 2008 }}

• The 28th New Zealand Open championship was won by A.D. Locke.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=golf-e/scores/archive_05/holden-preview.htm|title=PGA European – Holden New Zealand Open|publisher=The Sports Network|year=2005|access-date=25 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525235454/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=golf-e%2Fscores%2Farchive_05%2Fholden-preview.htm|archive-date=25 May 2011|url-status=dead}}
• The 42nd National Amateur Championships were held in Otago{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/G/GolfMens/NewZealandAmateurChampions/en|title=Men's Golf – National Champions|work=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand|editor1-last=McLintock|editor1-first=A. H.|publisher=Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|year=1966|access-date=13 February 2009}}
• Men: JP.G.F. Smith (Akarana)
• Women – matchplay: Miss S. Collins
• Women – strokeplay: Mrs R. Fullerton-Smith

• New Zealand Trotting Cup – Morello{{Cite web |url=http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/nz_trotting_cup.htm |title=List of NZ Trotting cup winners |access-date=6 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222233106/http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/nz_trotting_cup.htm |archive-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}
• Auckland Trotting Cup –Navy Blue[http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/major_race2.htm Auckland Trotting cup at hrnz.co.nz] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617211531/http://www.hrnz.co.nz/data/major_races/major_race2.htm |date=17 June 2009 }}

The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Dunedin.{{cite book |editor-last=McLintock |editor-first=A.H. |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |chapter=Bowls, men's outdoor—tournament winners |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/bowls-mens-outdoor/page-5 |access-date=6 June 2018 |year=1966 |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage}}

• 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)

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

• Ranfurly Shield

New Zealand national rugby league team

• Ballinger Belt –
• Robert Bodley (South Africa)
• Douglas Roots (Patea), second, top New Zealander{{cite web |url=https://www.nranz.com/nationals/ballinger-belt/ |title=Ballinger Belt |website=National Rifle Association of New Zealand |access-date=16 January 2025}}{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19380303.2.39 |title=King's Prize |date=3 March 1938 |work=Wairarapa Age |page=5 |access-date=16 January 2025 |via=PapersPast}}

• The Chatham Cup is won by Waterside who beat Mosgiel 4–0 in the final.[http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/chatham_cup_records.html Chatham Cup records, nzsoccer.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314234154/http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/chatham_cup_records.html |date=14 March 2009 }}
• Provincial league champions:{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nzchamp.html|title=New Zealand: List of champions|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|year=1999}}
• 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

{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}

• 21 January: Jim Anderton, politician. (died 2018).
• 11 February: Bevan Congdon, cricketer. (died 2018).
• 15 February: Russell Marshall, politician (died 2025).
• 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: Stan 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. (died 2024).
• 17 December: Peter Snell, athlete. (died 2019).
• 18 December: Syd Jackson, political activist. (died 2007).

• 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)

• Eria Tutara-Kauika Raukura, tribal tohunga. (b. 1834){{DNZB|title=Eria Tutara-Kauika Raukura|first= Judith|last= Binney|id=3r5|accessdate=23 April 2017}}

• History of New Zealand
• List of years in New Zealand
• Military history of New Zealand
• Timeline of New Zealand history
• Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica
• Timeline of the New Zealand environment

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{{Years in New Zealand}}

{{Oceania topic|1938 in|countries_only=yes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1938 in New Zealand}}

Category:Years of the 20th century in New Zealand