World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and New Zealand's participation in it dominate the year. Most notably, New Zealand troops take part in the landings at ANZAC cove, Gallipoli

Battle of Gallipoli

The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...

 on 25 April, and the ensuing campaign.

The various political parties agree to form a wartime coalition

Grand coalition

A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...

 in August, even though the Reform Party has an absolute majority in parliament.

Many sporting events are put on hold for the duration of the war, due to the number of men serving in the armed forces and the drive to conserve resources for the war effort.

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
   - George V
  George V of the United Kingdom
  George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
  
  
• Governor
  Governor-General of New Zealand
  The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
  
   - The Earl of Liverpool
  Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
  -References:...
  
  

Government

The 19th New Zealand Parliament commenced, initially with the Reform Party in power, but in August a wartime coalition government was formed, with Liberal party leader Joseph Ward becoming finance minister.

• Speaker of the House
  Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives
  In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...
  
   - Frederic Lang (Reform Party)
• Prime Minister
  Prime Minister of New Zealand
  The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
  
   - William Massey
  William Massey
  William Ferguson Massey, often known as Bill Massey or "Farmer Bill" served as the 19th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925, and was the founder of the Reform Party. He is widely considered to have been one of the more skilled politicians of his time, and was known for the particular...
  
   (Reform Party)
• Minister of Finance
  Minister of Finance (New Zealand)
  The Minister of Finance is a senior figure within the government of New Zealand. The position is often considered to be the most important Cabinet role after that of the Prime Minister....
  
   - James Allen
  James Allen (New Zealand)
  Sir James Allen, GCMG, KCB was a prominent New Zealand politician and diplomat. He held a number of the most important political offices in the country, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was also New Zealand's Minister of Defence during World War I.-Early life:Allen...
  
   until 12 August, then Joseph Ward
  Joseph Ward
  Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
  
  

Parliamentary opposition

• Leader of the Opposition
  Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)
  The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...
  
   - Joseph Ward
  Joseph Ward
  Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
  
  (Liberal Party) Ward retained that title even though he became part of the coalition government.

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland
  Mayor of Auckland
  The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland region in New Zealand...
  
   - TBD
• Mayor of Hamilton
  Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand
  The Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand is the head of the municipal government of Hamilton, New Zealand, and presides over the Hamilton City Council.In the 2010 Local Government elections, Julie Hardaker was elected as mayor, defeating incumbent Bob Simcock....
  
   - Arthur Edward Manning then John Edwin Hammond
• Mayor of Wellington
  Mayor of Wellington
  The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, New Zealand, and presides over the Wellington City Council. The Mayor of Wellington administers only Wellington City itself — other municipalities in adjacent areas of the Wellington Region such as Lower Hutt, Upper...
  
   - TBD
• Mayor of Christchurch
  Mayor of Christchurch
  The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system...
  
   - Henry Holland
  Henry Holland (mayor)
  Henry Holland, CBE was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party, and Mayor of Christchurch from 1912 to 1919.-Member of Parliament:...
  
  
• Mayor of Dunedin
  Mayor of Dunedin
  The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the municipal government of Dunedin, New Zealand, and presides over the Dunedin City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the Single Transferable Vote system in 2007....
  
   - TBD

Events

• 1 January: First flight of the Walsh Brothers'
  Vivian Walsh (aviator)
  Vivian Claude Walsh was an engineer. Vivian and his elder brother Leo Austin Walsh were pioneers of New Zealand aviation.Vivian and Leo built a British Howard Wright biplane, which Vivian first flew on 5 February 1911...
  
   Curtiss
  Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
  Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
  
  -type flying boat
  Walsh Brothers Flying Boats
  The Walsh Brothers Flying boats were World War I pilot training aircraft from New Zealand.-Walsh Brothers:Brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh built and flew a Howard Wright biplane in 1910 and flew it on 5 February 1911...
  
  . The flight takes place at Bastion Point
  Bastion Point
  Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Orakei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour. The area has significance in New Zealand history for its role in 1970s Māori protests against forced land alienation by non Māori New Zealanders.-History:The land was occupied by Ngāti...
  
   and it is the first such aircraft built and flown in the Southern Hemisphere
  Southern Hemisphere
  The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
  
  .
• 14 February: The first contingent of 500 Māori soldiers sails for Egypt aboard SS Wairrimoo. Earlier policy had been against 'native peoples' fighting in a European war.
• 25 April: New Zealand troops participate in the landings at Gallipoli
  Battle of Gallipoli
  The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
  
  .
• October: The New Zealand Flying School
  New Zealand Flying School
  The New Zealand Flying School was formed in 1915, by the Walsh Brothers, Leo and Vivian, to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps. The school flew a fleet of home-built and imported flying boats from Mission Bay on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, near where a sculpture now stands to commemorate...
  
   is started by the Walsh Brothers
  Vivian Walsh (aviator)
  Vivian Claude Walsh was an engineer. Vivian and his elder brother Leo Austin Walsh were pioneers of New Zealand aviation.Vivian and Leo built a British Howard Wright biplane, which Vivian first flew on 5 February 1911...
  
   at Orakei
  Orakei
  Orakei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, close to the shore of the Waitemata Harbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and the Orakei Basin, two arms of the Waitemata, which lie to...
  
  . Its primary purpose is to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps
  Royal Flying Corps
  The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
  
  .
• November: The New Zealand Flying School moves to Kohimarama
  Kohimarama
  Kohimarama is a coastal residential Auckland City suburb, located to the east of the city.Situated in Eastern Auckland and has a reputation as being relatively wealthy, with many of the homes having some of the best views over Auckland Harbour. According to the 2001 census, Kohimarama has a...
  
  .
• 20 December: The last New Zealand troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.

Undated

• The Waikato Argus merges into the Waikato Times
  Waikato Times
  The Waikato Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a circulation to the greater Waikato region.The Waikato Times started out as the tri-weekly Waikato Times and Thames Valley Gazette, first published on 2 May 1872...
  
  . The newspaper started in 1896.

Film

See: :Category:1915 film awards , 1915 in film

1915 in film

The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...

 , List of New Zealand feature films , Cinema of New Zealand

Cinema of New Zealand

New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...

, :Category:1915 films

Appointments and awards

See: New Zealand Order of Merit

New Zealand Order of Merit

The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...

 , Order of New Zealand

Order of New Zealand

The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in New Zealand's honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity"...

• Archbishop of New Zealand
  Archbishop of New Zealand
  The Archbishop of New Zealand is the primate, or head, of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. However, since Whakahuihui Vercoe stepped down at the end of his two-year term as archbishop in 2006, the church has decided that three bishops shall share the position and style of...
  
  
• Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
  Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
  The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia is a church of the Anglican Communion serving New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands...
  
   , see appointments to Diocese

Chess

• The 28th National Chess Championship was held in Christchurch, and was won by F.K. Kelling of Wellington, their second title.

Golf

• The New Zealand Open
  New Zealand Open
  The BMW New Zealand Open is the leading men's golf tournament in New Zealand. In 2011, it will be hosted by The Clearwater Resort in Christchurch from 1–4 December. The tournament is being promoted by New Zealand Golf...
  
   championship and National Amateur Championships were not held due to the war.

Harness racing

• New Zealand Trotting Cup
  New Zealand Trotting Cup
  The New Zealand Trotting Cup or New Zealand Cup is a Group One harness race held annually by the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is considered the country's most prestigious harness racing event. the prize was NZ$750,000, the largest prize for a...
  
  : Country Belle
• Auckland Trotting Cup
  Auckland Trotting Cup
  The Auckland Trotting Cup or Auckland Cup is a race held at Alexandra Park in March in Auckland, New Zealand for Standardbred horses. It is one of two major harness races, along with the New Zealand Cup, held in New Zealand each year. It is notable as it is a Group 1 championship race over...
  
  : Cathedral Chimes

Rugby union

• The Ranfurly Shield
  Ranfurly Shield
  The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies...
  
   (held by Wellington) is not contested as interprovincial matches are cancelled due to the war.

Soccer

Provincial league champions:

• Auckland: Brotherhood
• Canterbury: Christchurch Club
• Hawke's Bay: Waipukurau
• Otago: HSOB
• Southland: No competition
• Wanganui: No competition
• Wellington: Wellington Thistle

Births

• 22 January: Tom Burtt
  Tom Burtt
  Thomas Browning Burtt was a New Zealand cricketer who played in ten Tests from 1947 to 1953. His 128 wickets taken on tour remains a record for New Zealand. In first class cricket, he played 84 games for Canterburybetween 1943 and 1955, taking 40 wickets at 22.19...
  
  , cricketer.
• 15 March: Fen Cresswell
  Fen Cresswell
  George Fenwick Cresswell played three Tests for New Zealand. Born in Wanganui he was the older brother of Arthur Cresswell. He was found dead in Blenheim in 1966....
  
  , cricketer.
• 28 March: Raymond Emery
  Raymond Emery
  Raymond William George Emery played two Tests for New Zealand in 1952....
  
  , cricketer.
• 4 June: Walter Hadlee
  Walter Hadlee
  Walter Arnold Hadlee, CBE was a New Zealand cricketer and Test match captain. He played domestic first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago. Three of his five sons, Sir Richard, Dayle and Barry played cricket for New Zealand...
  
  , cricketer and cricket administrator.
• 1 November: Harry Lapwood
  Harry Lapwood
  Henry Robert Lapwood, OBE was a New Zealand soldier and politician.Born at Tuakau, just south of Auckland, Lapwood was raised by an uncle and aunt, having lost both parents while young - his mother when he was four and his father at age ten...
  
  , soldier and politician

• Allan Dick, politician.
• Duncan MacIntyre
  Duncan MacIntyre (New Zealand)
  Brigadier-General Duncan MacIntyre, CMG, DSO, OBE, ED, PC was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1981 to 1984 under Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.-Member of Parliament:...
  
  , politician.
• (in China): Geoff Moon
  Geoff Moon
  Geoff Moon, OBE MRCVS ARPS Hon FPSNZ MACVs., was a New Zealand naturalist an ornithologist, conservationist, veterinary surgeon and photographer. He is the author and photographer of many books on New Zealand birds and landscape...
  
  , naturalist and photographer.
• Peter Tait, politician.
• Leonard Trent, RNZAF pilot and Victoria Cross winner.