title: 1871 in New Zealand
text: # 1871 in New Zealand
  
  The following lists events that happened during 1871 in New Zealand.
  
  ## Incumbents
  
  ### Regal and viceregal
  
  * Head of State – Queen Victoria
  * Governor – Sir George Ferguson Bowen
  
  ### Government and law
  
  The 1871 election takes place between 14 January and 1 February. The 5th New Zealand Parliament commences.
  
  1 February – Māori elections are held for the first time in conjunction with a general election, although the first Māori MPs had been elected in 1868.
  
  * Speaker of the House – After the election Sir Francis Dillon Bell becomes Speaker replacing Sir David Monro who stood down at the end of 1870.
  * Premier – William Fox
  * Minister of Finance – Julius Vogel
  * Chief Justice – Hon Sir George Arney
  
  ### Main centre leaders
  
  * Mayor of Auckland – Philip Philips
  * Mayor of Christchurch – Andrew Duncan followed by James Jameson
  * Mayor of Dunedin – Thomas Birch followed by Henry Fish
  * Mayor of Wellington – Joseph Dransfield
  
  ## Events
  
  * 1 February: The Daily Telegraph begins publishing in Napier. It continues until 1999, when it merges with The Hawke's Bay Herald Tribune to form Hawke's Bay Today.
  * 5 July: New Zealand's first university, Otago opens its doors. It was absorbed into the University of New Zealand three years later.
  * The Westport News begins publication. The newspaper continues to publish Monday-Friday.
  
  ## Sport
  
  ### Athletics
  
  The first amateur club is formed, in South Canterbury. Professional athletics is already well established.
  
  ### Horse racing
  
  **Major race winners**
  
  * New Zealand Cup: Peeress
  * New Zealand Derby: Defamation
  
  ### Rugby union
  
  * 12 May: Founding of the Wellington Rugby club, the second rugby union club in New Zealand.
  
  ### Shooting
  
  Ballinger Belt: Captain Wales (Otago)
  
  ## Births
  
  * 10 January: Hoeroa Tiopira, rugby union player
  * 10 March (in Europe): George William von Zedlitz, professor of languages
  * 6 June: Freeman Wright Holmes, jockey, horse driver, trainer and breeder
  
  ## Deaths
  
  ### Date unknown
  
  * Helen Ann Wilson, nurse and community leader (b. 1793)
  