Historical Events - People
| 3 Nov 1802 | William Yate (missionary) is born Links: Te Ara |
| 26 Feb 1817 | Mary Taylor (feminist, businesswoman) is born in England [United Kingdom] Taylor was a life-long friend of writer Charlotte Bronte Links: Te Ara, Gay NZ |
| 4 Dec 1835 | Samuel Butler (explorer) is born |
| Dec 1836 | William Yate (missionary) leaves New Zealand Yate left for England after an inquiry into allegations of sexual activity with some of his pupils |
| 24 Jul 1845 | Mary Taylor arrives in New Zealand Taylor was a life-long friend of writer Charlotte Bronte. She returns to England in 1860 |
| 16 Oct 1854 | Oscar Wilde (writer) is born |
| 18 May 1859 | Amy Bock (confidence trickster) is born |
| Sep 1863 | Samuel Butler (explorer) begins a relationship with Charles Paine Pauli |
| 14 May 1868 | Magnus Hirschfeld (physician, sexologist) is born |
| 14 Sep 1868 | Alexander Turnbull (Alexander Turnbull Library) is born |
| 28 Apr 1869 | Frances Hodgkins (painter) is born |
| 6 Oct 1874 | Ursula Bethell (poet) is born |
| 1875 | Eugenia Falleni (a.k.a Harry Crawford) is born Falleni lived as a man, married Annie Birkett and was subsequently convicted of murdering her in 1920 in Australia. Born in Italy, Falleni had moved to Wellington, New Zealand in 1877. In 1996 Lorae Parry wrote Eugenia a play based on Falleni's life. |
| 29 Jun 1875 | Charles Mackay is born [Nelson, New Zealand] Mackay later became the mayor of Wanganui Links: Te Ara, GayNZ |
| 26 Jul 1877 | William Yate (missionary) dies |
| 17 Jun 1882 | Harold Gillies (plastic surgeon) is born [Dunedin, New Zealand] Gillies is widely considered the father of plastic and gender reassignment surgery. Links: Wikipedia |
| 16 Sep 1882 | Freda Du Faur (mountaineer) is born Links: Te Ara, Sydney Morning Herald |
| 14 Oct 1888 | Katherine Mansfield (writer) is born (born Kathleen Beauchamp) Links: Te Ara, PrideNZ |
| 10 Apr 1890 | Maata Mahupuku is born Mahupuku later had a close relationship with the writer Katherine Mansfield |
| 1 Mar 1893 | Mary Taylor (feminist, businesswoman) dies |
| 22 Jan 1896 | Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (poet) is born Cresswell was later shot by Charles Mackay, mayor of Wanganui |
| 2 Dec 1897 | Rewi Alley (teacher, writer) is born |
| 2 May 1898 | Frank Haigh (lawyer, social reformer) is born Among other things Haigh was prominent in the cause of homosexual law reform |
| 30 Nov 1900 | Oscar Wilde (writer) dies |
| Feb 1901 | Frances Hodgkins (painter) leaves New Zealand for Europe Hodgkins and painter Dorothy Richmond travel through Europe together |
| 18 Jun 1902 | Samuel Butler (explorer) dies |
| 23 Dec 1902 | Walter Scott (civil libertarian) is born |
| 9 Feb 1903 | James Courage (writer) is born [Christchurch, New Zealand] Links: Te Ara |
| 23 Mar 1903 | Norris Frank Davey is born Davey later changed his name to Frank Sargeson (writer) |
| 17 Jun 1906 | Eric McCormick (writer) is born McCormick wrote, among other works, biographies on Alexander Turnbull and Frances Hodgkins |
| 29 Nov 1906 | Alister McIntosh (diplomat) is born |
| 1907 | Katherine Mansfield continues a relationship with Maata Mahupuku Mansfield also begins a relationship with Edie Bendall |
| Jul 1908 | Katherine Mansfield leaves for England Mansfield leaves shortly after her father reads Leves Amores |
| 17 Jun 1909 | Amy Bock's (a.k.a Percival Redwood) marriage to Agnes Ottaway is annulled |
| 27 Jul 1909 | Charles Brasch (poet, writer) is born |
| 20 Aug 1909 | Rodney Kennedy (artist) is born |
| 27 Mar 1910 | Freda Stark (dancer) is born Links: Te Ara |
| 11 Apr 1910 | Mountford Tosswill Woollaston (artist) is born |
| 10 May 1910 | Tuini Moetu Haangu Ngawai (composer) is born |
| 1 May 1912 | Leo Bensemann (artist) is born |
| 17 Dec 1913 | Rupert Brooke (poet) arrives in New Zealand onboard RMS Niagara [Auckland, New Zealand] Links: Wikipedia, Papers Past |
| 7 Jan 1914 | Rupert Brooke (poet) departs for Tahiti onboard RMS Tahiti [Wellington, New Zealand] Brooke is in Wellington 5-7 January 1914 Links: Wikipedia, Papers Past |
| 31 Jul 1915 | Theo Schoon (artist) is born Schoon was a notable figure in New Zealand art in the mid 20th century. He refused to separate art and craft and created in a range of media. He was interested in the integration of Maori and European art to produce a local modernism. Links: Te Ara |
| 2 Nov 1915 | Douglas Lilburn (composer) is born |
| 30 Jan 1917 | W. Somerset Maugham (writer) and his lover Gerald Haxton briefly visit Wellington en route to Tahiti |
| 13 Dec 1917 | Keith Hay (morals campaigner) is born Hay was a founding member of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, a group that was behind the large anti law reform petition |
| 28 Jun 1918 | Alexander Turnbull (Alexander Turnbull Library) dies [Wellington, New Zealand] Links: Te Ara, GayNZ |
| 25 Sep 1921 | Robert Muldoon (Prime Minister) is born As Prime Minister, Muldoon accuses MP Colin Moyle of having been picked up for homosexual practices. Moyle resigned from Parliament in 1977 |
| 9 Jan 1923 | Katherine Mansfield (writer) dies in France Mansfield dies of Tuberculosis Katherine Mansfield was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction from New Zealand. She had a number of close relationships with women. |
| Aug 1924 | Effie Pollen joins Ursula Bethell (poet) to live in Christchurch |
| 27 Jun 1927 | Brian Brake (photographer) is born [Wellington, New Zealand] Links: Wikipedia |
| 17 Mar 1928 | Patricia Bartlett (morals campaigner) is born Bartlett would later form the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards |
| 1 May 1929 | Deresley Morton (a.k.a. Peter Stratford) dies in California, USA NZ Truth headline: Death of Masquerader Reveals Incredible Deception |
| 3 May 1929 | Charles Mackay is shot dead Mackay was shot by a policeman while covering a street battle as a journalist in Berlin |
| 18 Jun 1929 | Colin Moyle is born Moyle resigned from Parliament in 1977 after it was made public that he had been questioned by the police on suspicion of homosexual activities |
| 2 Jul 1934 | Ernst Roehm, an early Nazi leader and co-founder of the Sturmabteilung (SA), is executed [Germany] Links: Wikipedia, Papers Past |
| 14 May 1935 | Magnus Hirschfeld (physician, sexologist) dies Hirschfeld dies of a heart attack on his 67th birthday |
| 11 Sep 1935 | Freda Du Faur (mountaineer) dies Links: Te Ara, Sydney Morning Herald |
| 5 Jul 1936 | Robert Gant (photographer) dies |
| 10 Oct 1936 | Carmen Rupe (born Trevor Rupe) is born. [New Zealand] Links: Time Out |
| 10 Jun 1938 | Eugenia Falleni (a.k.a Harry Crawford) dies following fatal injuries The previous day she had stepped off the pavement in front of a motorcar in Sydney, Australia. Falleni lived as a man, married Annie Birkett and was subsequently convicted of murdering her in 1920 in Australia. Born in Italy, Falleni had moved to Wellington, New Zealand in 1877. In 1996 Lorae Parry wrote Eugenia a play based on Falleni's life. |
| 1941 | Alison Laurie (activist, author, academic) is born [New Zealand] |
| 1941 | Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (writer, academic, activist) is born |
| 1 Mar 1941 | Johnny Croskery (female impersonator, volunteer, activist) is born [Wellington, New Zealand] Links: Tapatoru |
| 25 Mar 1942 | Richard O'Brien (actor, writer) is born |
| 27 Aug 1943 | US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visits New Zealand with her aide Norah Walton Roosevelt was here to inspect the American troops and the American Red Cross |
| 29 Aug 1943 | Amy Bock (confidence trickster) dies |
| 7 Feb 1944 | Witi Ihimaera (writer) is born |
| 15 Jan 1945 | Ursula Bethell (poet) dies |
| 13 May 1947 | Frances Hodgkins (painter) dies |
| Jun 1949 | Tom McLean (author, journalist) is born |
| 15 Jan 1952 | Maata Mahupuku dies |
| 7 Oct 1952 | Marilyn Waring (politician, academic) is born |
| 1953 | Mani Bruce Mitchell is born [Auckland, New Zealand] Mani is recognised as the first out Intersex person in New Zealand Links: PrideNZ |
| 1955 | Mahinarangi Tocker (singer) is born |
| 1956 | Douglas Wright (dancer, choreographer) is born |
| 28 Apr 1956 | Daniel Fielding is born Daniel established the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt project in December 1988 Links: Tributes Online |
| Nov 1957 | Georgina Beyer is born Beyer would later become the world's first transsexual mayor and member of parliament |
| 4 Aug 1958 | Tim Barnett (former politician) is born. [United Kingdom] While in Parliament Barnett introduced the Prostitution Law Reform Bill (2003) and was also heavily involved in the Civil Union Bill (2004). Links: Wikipedia |
| 1960 | Peter Wells (writer) is born [New Zealand] |
| 21 Feb 1960 | Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (poet) dies |
| 10 Sep 1960 | Harold Gillies (plastic surgeon) dies [United Kingdom] Gillies is widely considered the father of plastic surgery and gender-reassignment surgery Links: Wikipedia |
| 5 Oct 1963 | James Courage (writer) dies |
| 12 Aug 1965 | Tuini Moetu Haangu Ngawai (composer) dies. [New Zealand] Ngawai was a prolific Ngati Porou songwriter, composer, teacher and shearer who had close relationships with women. One of Ngawai’s most famous songs “Arohaina mai” became the unofficial hymn of the Maori Battalion. Links: Te Ara |
| 1968 | Hinemoana Baker (poet, writer) born |
| 29 Feb 1968 | Gareth Farr (composer) is born [New Zealand] Links: Wikipedia, NZ on Screen |
| 7 Apr 1970 | Benjamin Britten (composer) and Peter Pears (tenor) visit New Zealand The visit was part of a tour to generate money for the rebuilding of the concert hall at The Maltings |
| Mar 1972 | Ngahuia Te Awekotuku is refused a United States visa because she is a known 'sexual deviant' |
| 20 May 1973 | Charles Brasch (poet, writer) dies |
| 1975 | Carmen Rupe announces she knows of gay and bisexual members of Parliament [Wellington, New Zealand] Carmen is required to apologise by Parliament's Privileges Committee Links: Te Ara, Te Papa |
| 1976 | National MP Marilyn Waring is outted by the Truth newspaper |
| 30 Nov 1978 | Alister McIntosh (diplomat) dies |
| 1 Mar 1982 | Frank Sargeson (writer) dies |
| 19 Feb 1985 | Walter Scott (civil libertarian) dies |
| 1 Jun 1985 | Bruce Burnett (AIDS activist/educator) dies of AIDS related complications. [Auckland, New Zealand] Links: PrideNZ |
| 14 Jul 1985 | Theo Schoon (artist) dies |
| 2 Oct 1985 | Rock Hudson (actor) dies from AIDS related conditions. [United States of America] Links: Wikipedia |
| 2 Jan 1986 | Leo Bensemann (artist) dies |
| 17 Apr 1986 | Media reports that Eve van Grafhorst is confirmed to have AIDS. [New Zealand] Van Grafhorst was born prematurely in 1982, and required eleven blood transfusions to save her life. The eleventh transfusion was contaminated, and van Grafhorst contracted HIV. Links: Wikipedia |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Norman Jones (National MP) dies of a brain tumour Jones had been a vehement opponent of law reform |
| 27 Dec 1987 | Rewi Alley (teacher, writer) dies |
| 4 Aug 1988 | Brian Brake (photographer) dies [Auckland, New Zealand] Links: Wikipedia |
| 31 Oct 1988 | Peter Cuthbert dies from an AIDS related condition. [New Zealand] Cuthbert is remembered in the first panel of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt. Links: NZ AIDS Memorial Quilt |
| 24 Mar 1989 | Tom McLean, journalist and author of If I Should Die dies [Wellington, New Zealand] McLean dies from an AIDS related illness Links: AIDS Memorial Quilt |
| 14 Oct 1989 | Rodney Kennedy (artist) dies |
| 23 Apr 1990 | Lew Pryme (singer) dies. [New Zealand] Pryme dies from AIDS related conditions. Links: NZ On Screen |
| 17 Jul 1992 | Frank Haigh (lawyer, social reformer) dies Among other things Haigh was prominent in the cause of homosexual law reform |
| 5 Aug 1992 | Robert Muldoon (former Prime Minister of New Zealand) dies. [Auckland, New Zealand] In 1976 Muldoon revealed in Parliament that prominent Labour MP Colin Moyle had been questioned by the police in regard to possible homosexual soliciting. Moyle subsequently resigned from Parliament in 1977. Links: Te Ara |
| 24 Nov 1993 | David Halls (Hudson and Halls) was found dead in his apartment. [London, United Kingdom] Halls committed suicide after his partner Peter Hudson died from cancer a year earlier. Halls wrote Without Peter I don't want to go on - he was my life, and I have no regrets. I love him now as much as I always did and I want to be with him for all eternity. |
| 28 Sep 1994 | Tom O'Donoghue, a long-term AIDS activist, dies |
| 27 Nov 1994 | Arthur Tauhore (artist) dies Tauhore dies from AIDS related illnesses |
| 1 Jan 1995 | Warren Douglas (dancer) dies [Wellington, New Zealand] Warren is remembered on the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt. The Warren Douglas Scholarship Fund was established in May 1995 to help those who wanted to make the transition from performer to arts administrator, as he had done. Links: New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt, Warren Douglas Scholarship Fund |
| 25 Mar 1995 | Eric McCormick (writer) dies McCormick wrote, among other works, biographies on Alexander Turnbull and Frances Hodgkins |
| 1996 | Mani Bruce Mitchell publicly comes out as Intersex [(nationwide), New Zealand] Mani is recognised as the first out Intersex person in New Zealand Links: PrideNZ |
| 25 Jan 1996 | Jonathan Larson (composer) dies. [New York, United States of America] Larson's musical Rent was just days away from opening on Broadway when he passed away. Links: New York Times |
| 18 Jul 1996 | Shona Laing (singer) comes out as bisexual in Express magazine |
| 2 Jan 1997 | Keith Hay (morals campaigner) dies |
| 1 Jan 1998 | Jacqui Grant (the Tranny Granny) is made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit [New Zealand] Links: Queer History, A Gender Variance Whos Who |
| 30 Aug 1998 | Mountford Tosswill Woollaston (artist) dies |
| 19 Mar 1999 | Freda Stark (dancer) dies Links: Te Ara |
| 8 Nov 2000 | Patricia Bartlett (morals campaigner) dies |
| 6 Jun 2001 | Douglas Lilburn (composer) dies Lilburn, described as the grandfather of New Zealand music, dies peacefully at his home in Wellington. Lilburn was a composer, teacher, philanthropist and advocate for social justice. |
| 9 Aug 2002 | Auckland police senior sergeant Mark Richards resigns after a newspaper sting. [Auckland, New Zealand] Richards resigns despite being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing after he discussed drug use with a newspaper reporter. The Sunday Star Times headline read Senior policeman at the centre of sex and drugs investigation resigns before facing internal charges. Links: Queer News Aotearoa |
| 28 Sep 2002 | Michael Pattison gains media attention as an openly gay man competing in the Cleo Bachelor of the Year. [(nationwide), New Zealand] Pattison has previously won Mr Gay Wellington and Mr Drag Wellington. Links: Gay NZ, Access My Library |
| 24 Aug 2004 | Brian Tamaki (Destiny Church) is interviewed about the Enough is Enough march in Wellington. [New Zealand] The interview broadcasts during the Holmes programme on TV1. |
| 6 Jan 2005 | Makgatho Mandela, the eldest son of Nelson Mandela dies of AIDS related conditions. Links: BBC |
| 15 Oct 2005 | Daniel Fielding dies [Wellington, New Zealand] Daniel established the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt project in December 1988. Daniel dies at Wellington Public Hospital. Links: Tributes Online |
| 10 Oct 2006 | Carmen Rupe visits Parliament on her birthday [Wellington, New Zealand] 32 years earlier Carmen had been brought before Parliament's Privileges committee because she suggested there were homosexual MPs. |
| 2 May 2007 | Henare te Ua (broadcaster) dies. [Auckland] Links: NZ Herald |
| 15 Apr 2008 | Mahinarangi Tocker (singer) dies |
| 5 Apr 2009 | Marvin Te Maunga Te Kotahitanga Peihopa, a teenager bullied for being feminine, commmits suicide. [New Zealand] The coroner found Peihopa had experienced bullying at a number of schools in Northland before taking his own life. Links: Stuff |
| 29 Oct 2011 | Frank Lund (a.k.a. Toni Roget) dies [Wellington, New Zealand] Frankie was a female impersonator who created elaborate outfits (a number of them now are held by Te Papa) |
| 15 Dec 2011 | Carmen Rupe dies [Sydney, Australia] Carmen was a New Zealand-Australian performer, brothel keeper, anti-discrimination activist, would-be politician, and HIV AIDS activist. Links: GayNZ.com |
| 12 Feb 2012 | Andreas Derleth wins Mr Gay New Zealand 2012 [Auckland, New Zealand] Links: GayNZ |
| 16 Feb 2012 | Sam Johnson wins Young New Zealander of the Year Johnson was the founder of the Student Volunteer Army that assisted during the Christchurch earthquake recovery |
| 19 Apr 2012 | Johnny Croskery (female impersonator, volunteer, activist) dies [Wellington, New Zealand] Links: Tapatoru |
| 28 Feb 2013 | Coroner Gordon Matenga rules Douglas Hughes (soldier) committed suicide. [New Zealand] Links: Stuff |
| 29 Mar 2013 | Warren Freer (former MP) dies |
| 21 Jun 2013 | Meg Torwl (artist) dies, aged 46. Links: North Shore News |
| 22 Aug 2013 | Wentworth Miller (actor) comes out in an open letter protesting Russia's anti-gay laws. [United States of America] Miller is best know for his role in the tv series Prison Break. Links: Stuff |
| 3 Sep 2013 | Coroner H Brandt Shortland finds a teenager bullied for being feminine, committed suicide. [New Zealand] Marvin Te Maunga Te Kotahitanga Peihopa died on 5 April 2009. Links: Stuff |
| 16 Sep 2013 | Peter Taylor, a well known Auckland personality dies. [Auckland, New Zealand] Taylor died shortly after stopping treatments for long-term HIV and leishmaniasis infections. Links: Gay NZ |
| 27 Sep 2013 | Paul Findlay resigns as a board-member of youth group Q-topia. [Christchurch, New Zealand] A sexting conversation was publicized in the media allegedly between Findlay and a person identifying themselves as a fifteen-year-old. Links: NZ Herald, GayNZ |
| 28 Sep 2013 | Aunty Wai Mason (NZ AIDS Foundation kaumatua) dies. [Auckland, New Zealand] Links: NZ AIDS Foundation, Gay NZ |
| 1 Oct 2013 | Nathan Verhelst, a Belgium transsexual, dies through euthanasia. Verhelst told media None of these [gender reassignment] operations worked as desired ... I do not want to be a monster. Links: Stuff |
| 1 Oct 2013 | The Solicitor General (Mike Heron) declines a request for a second Coronial Inquiry into the death of Corporal Douglas Hughes. [New Zealand] Hughes committed suicide in Afghanistan shortly after being questioned about a situation with a subordinate soldier. Links: Gay NZ |
| 17 Oct 2013 | Geno Sisneros' complaint against the Anglican Church is dismissed by the Human Rights Tribunal. [Auckland, New Zealand] Sisneros complained that the Bishop of Auckland had prevented him from becoming a priest because of his sexuality. Links: Gay NZ |
| 26 Oct 2013 | Paul Jenden (dramatist, performer) dies. [Wellington, New Zealand] Jenden was a lyricist, writer and choreographer of numerous New Zealand productions. Links: Stuff, Gay NZ |
| 15 May 2017 | Vicki Letele dies [Auckland, New Zealand] Letele, who was serving a prison term for fraud, was denied parole in October 2016, but was released on compassionate grounds in November 2016 to spend her final months with loved ones. Links: GayNZ |
| 16 Jun 2017 | Mika X is confirmed as The Opportunities Party (TOP) candidate for the Auckland Central Electorate [Auckland, New Zealand] TOP was founded by philanthropist Gareth Morgan in November 2016. Links: Scoop |
| 5 Jul 2017 | Creative New Zealand announces writer Paul Diamond is the latest recipient of the Berlin Writers Residency [(nationwide), New Zealand] Diamond will spend up to 11 months in Berlin researching and writing a book about former Whanganui mayor, Charles Mackay, who was killed in Berlin in 1929 while working as a journalist Links: Creative New Zealand |
| 12 Jul 2017 | Alison Mau is announced as a finalist in the Women of Influence awards [(nationwide), New Zealand] Established in 2012, the awards are run by Fairfax Media Links: Stuff |