2020 in New Zealand

Decades:	2000s; 2010s; 2020s;
See also:	Other events of 2020; Timeline of New Zealand history;

The following lists events that happened during 2020 in New Zealand. One overarching event is the coronavirus pandemic.

Incumbents

Regal and vice-regal

Head of State – Elizabeth II
Governor-General – Patsy Reddy

Elizabeth II
Patsy Reddy

Government

Legislature term: 52nd New Zealand Parliament

The Sixth Labour Government, elected in 2017, continues.

Speaker of the House – Trevor Mallard
Prime Minister – Jacinda Ardern
Deputy Prime Minister – Winston Peters
Leader of the House – Chris Hipkins
Minister of Finance – Grant Robertson
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Winston Peters

Trevor Mallard
Jacinda Ardern
Winston Peters
Chris Hipkins
Grant Robertson

Other party leaders

National – Simon Bridges until 22 May, then Todd Muller until 14 July, and then Judith Collins (Leader of the Opposition)
New Zealand First – Winston Peters
Green – James Shaw and Marama Davidson
ACT – David Seymour

Simon Bridges
Todd Muller
Judith Collins
Winston Peters
James Shaw
Marama Davidson
David Seymour

Judiciary

Chief Justice – Helen Winkelmann

Helen Winkelmann

Main centre leaders

Phil Goff
Andy Foster
Lianne Dalziell
Aaron Hawkins

Events

January

28 January – Jacinda Ardern announces the general election date to be 19 September.[1]
29 January – The New Zealand Upgrade Programme is announced.[2]

February

3 February – A state of emergency is declared in Milford Sound as rain and flooding hit the region.[3]
5 February – Residents of Gore, Mataura and Wyndham are ordered to evacuate as the Mataura River bursts its banks.[4]
28 February – COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand's first case of the coronavirus is confirmed. They had recently returned from Iran via Bali.[5]

March

5 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Information of the first human transmission case of the coronavirus within New Zealand is released.[6]
14 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern announces new measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. These measures provide that all people (excluding people who have come from Pacific islands where no cases have been confirmed) who arrive in New Zealand must self-isolate for 14 days. Cruise ships are also banned from docking in New Zealand ports.[7]
17 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: A $12.1 billon scheme is announced by the government, due to the economic impact of coronavirus on New Zealand, including $5.1 billion for an income subsidy. This is the biggest peacetime government spend in history.[8]
19 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association announces that all Anzac Day services, scheduled for 25 April, will be cancelled and the red poppy collection postponed due to the health risk. This is the first time that Anzac Day services have not been held since 1916.[9]
21 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Ardern announces the COVID-19 alert level system, with New Zealand initially being placed at alert level 2.[10]
23 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand is placed at alert level 3.[11]
25 March
- COVID-19 in New Zealand: A State of National Emergency is declared in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[12]
- COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand is upgraded to alert level 4 at 11:59 pm, and the country enters lockdown for a period of at least four weeks.[13][14]
26 March – The perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings pleads guilty to all 51 murder charges, as well as 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.[15]
29 March – COVID-19 in New Zealand: The first coronavirus-related death in New Zealand occurs, a woman in her 70s from Greymouth.[16]

April

6 April – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Queen Elizabeth II makes a rare broadcast to the nation and the Commonwealth regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, her fifth televised broadcast outside of her Christmas Message.[17]
8 April – Dunedin's Baldwin Street reclaims its title as the steepest residential street in the world after Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales, took the title in July 2019.[18]
25 April
- COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealanders paid tribute at private dawn services[19] as public remembrance services are cancelled, the first time since 1916.[9]
- Central government announces $40 million funding for mental health service, giving 1.5 million New Zealanders free access to the service, once fully operational.[20]
27 April – COVID-19 in New Zealand:New Zealand enters alert level 3 for a period of at least two weeks at 11:59 pm, partially lifting the lockdown requirements.[21]

May

11 May – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Cabinet decides to lower New Zealand's COVID-19 alert level to level two, effective from the 14 May.[22]
13 May
- COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level two at 11.59pm.[22]
- It is reported that New Zealand Police failed to receive clearance from higher officials in central government, the senior police hierarchy or the Privacy Commissioner to use facial recognition software, after a trial was tested using the American firm Clearview AI's system.[23][24]
14 May – The 2020 Budget is unveiled, including a $50 billion recovery package to offset the impending recession.[25]
18 May – Statistics NZ announces that New Zealand's population reached five million during March, and estimates the population at 31 March as 5,002,100.[26]
22 May – Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye are elected leader and deputy leader of the National Party in a leadership election, replacing Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett.[27]
29 May – New Zealand's oldest resident, Nina Brown, aged 108, dies in Christchurch.[28]

June

1 June – The 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours are announced.[29]
8 June – COVID-19 in New Zealand: New Zealand moves to alert level 1 at 11:59 pm, removing nearly all social restrictions.[30]
19 June – A fatal police shooting in West Auckland leaves a police officer dead and another seriously injured.[31]

July

7 July – Hamish Walker, Member of Parliament for Clutha-Southland leaks sensitive information containing private details of COVID-19 patients. On the same day, Michelle Boag, former president of the National Party confesses that she sent the infomation to Walker. Boag resigns from her position as chief executive of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.[32]
9 July – Rio Tinto announces that Tiwai Point smelter is set to close, leaving 1000 people out of employment.[33]
14 July
- Todd Muller announces his immediate resignation as the leader of National Party, citing health reasons.[34]
- Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee are elected new leader and deputy leader of the National Party.[35]

August

11 August – COVID-19 in New Zealand: Four new cases of COVID-19 outside of a quarantine facility are reported.[36]
12 August
- COVID-19 in New Zealand: At noon, Auckland enters alert level 3, while the rest of the country enters alert level 2, for at least three days.[36]
- The dissolution of Parliament, originally set for this day, is delayed until 17 August.[37]

Predicted and scheduled events

17 August – Parliament is dissolved after a five-day delay.[37]
19 September – The 2020 general election, referendum on personal cannabis consumption, and referendum on euthanasia are set to take place.[1]

Holidays and observances

Public holidays in New Zealand in 2020 are as follows:[38]

1 January – New Year's Day
2 January – Day after New Year's Day
6 February – Waitangi Day
10 April – Good Friday
12 April – Easter Sunday
13 April – Easter Monday
25 April – Anzac Day
27 April – Anzac Day observed
1 June – Queen's Birthday
26 October – Labour Day
25 December – Christmas Day
26 December – Boxing Day
28 December – Boxing Day observed

Sports

Shooting

Ballinger Belt –
- David Black (Australia)
- Allan White (Malvern), second, top New Zealander[39]

Winter Youth Olympics

New Zealand sent a team of 20 competitors across nine sports to the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 9–22 January.[40]

Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
0	0	1	1