See also: 2004 in New Zealand, other events of 2005 (in English), other events of 2005 (in Maori) , 2006 in New Zealand , and the Timeline of New Zealand history.

Summary

• New Zealanders give time and 25 million dollars (money and goods) for relief in areas suffering from the "Boxing Day Tsunami"
• Foreshore and seabed legislation comes into effect and is criticised by a UN committee
• General Election, the first contested by the Maori Party and Destiny New Zealand

Incumbents

Regal and Vice Regal

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor-General - Silvia Cartwright

Government

The 47th New Zealand Parliament continued. Government was a coalition between Labour and the Progressives, with United Future supporting supply votes.

• Speaker of the House - Jonathan Hunt (Labour) then Margaret Wilson (Labour)
• Prime Minister - Helen Clark (Labour)
• Deputy Prime Minister - Michael Cullen (Labour)
• Minister of Finance - Michael Cullen (Labour)
• Minister of Foreign Affairs - Phil Goff (Labour)

Opposition Leaders

• National - Don Brash (Leader of the Opposition)
• Greens - Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald
• Act - Rodney Hide
• New Zealand First - Winston Peters
• United Future - Peter Dunne
• Maori Party - Tariana Turia

Main centre leaders

• Mayor of Auckland - Dick Hubbard
• Mayor of Hamilton - Michael Redman
• Mayor of Wellington - Kerry Prendergast
• Mayor of Christchurch - Gary Moore
• Mayor of Dunedin - Peter Chin

Events

• 16 January: National day of mourning for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, including one minute's silence at 2:59 pm, exactly three weeks after the event.
• 17 January: The Foreshore and seabed legislation comes into effect.
• 25 January: Opposition leader Don Brash pledges to cut the number of working-age beneficiaries by one third over ten years. He plans to particularly reduce the number of solo parents on the Domestic Purposes Benefit .
• 22 February: Social Development minister Steve Maharey announces that seven benefits will be merged into one, with supplements available for accommodation, disability, and childcare. The benefits replaced include unemployment, sickness, disability, and the domestic purposes benefit. The new benefit will apply from 2007 but trial areas will pilot the scheme from May 2005.
• 5 March – 10 March: Prince Charles tours New Zealand. The most controversial incident was two women baring their breasts to him, in protest against a misreported objection by the Prince to a topless Aborigine dance in Australia, and the temporary closure of a breast cancer screening caravan due to security concerns during the visit.
• 12 March: The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination states that the Foreshore and seabed legislation discriminates against Maori by extinguishing the possibility of establishing Maori customary title over the foreshore and seabed, and by not providing a means of redress.
• March: Easter road toll the highest for several years.
• March: New Zealand cricket team beaten in test and ODI series by Australia.
• 4 April: Government member of parliament John Tamihere is involved in a major scandal after speaking candidly and scathingly about his fellow Labour MPs to a reporter (an interview which Tamihere claims was off-the-record). Further details of comments made at the interview were released a week later.
• 12 April: John Tamihere is censured by the Labour Party caucus for his earlier comments, but was not asked to resign from the party.
• 12 April: Northland farmer Paul McIntyre is acquitted of charges of careless use of a firearm. He shot at the vehicle of three thieves who were fleeing after attempting to steal his farmbike in 2002, injuring one of them. An earlier jury found him not guilty of reckless behaviour but could not agree on this charge.

• See also New Zealand general election 2005

Arts and literature

New Books

Awards

Music

Television

Film

Web sites

• 8 February: Te Ara, the National Encyclopedia of New Zealand, is launched in English and Maori.

Sport

Births

Deaths

• 19 January: Bill Andersen, trade union leader.