– P.H. Edwards, E.W. Travers (skip) (St Kilda Bowling Club) Men's fours champions – W. Chapman, A.E. Seymour, J.A. Whyte, C.G. Spearman (skip) (Christchurch RSA Bowling Club) Rugby union Ranfurly Shield: Held by Southland (uncontested due to World War II) Rugby league New Zealand national rugby league team Soccer Chatham Cup competition not held Provincial league champions: Auckland: Metro College Canterbury: Thistle Hawke's Bay: Napier HSOB Nelson: No competition Otago: Mosgiel South Canterbury: No competition Southland: No competition Taranaki: Old Boys Waikato: Rotowaro Wanganui: No competition Wellington: Waterside Births 4 January: Alan Sutherland, rugby player (died 2020) 7 February: Witi Ihimaera, author 4 March: Brian Turner, sportsman and writer 6 March: Kiri Te Kanawa, opera singer 8 April: Tariana Turia, politician 12 May: Barry Barclay, filmmaker (died 2008) 16 June: Robin Morrison, photographer (died 1993) 17 July: Mark Burgess, cricketer 22 July: Anand Satyanand, Judge, Ombudsman and 19th Governor-General of New Zealand 29 July: Terrence Jarvis, cricketer 17 August: Philip Woollaston, politician 26 August: Neroli Fairhall, archer (died 2006) 30 August: Alex Wyllie, rugby union player and coach 7 October: Jack Body, composer (died 2015) 10 November: Andy Leslie, rugby union player and administrator 18 November: David O'Sullivan, cricketer Noel Anderson, Judge (died 2021) Philip Culbertson, theologian Keith Locke, environmentalist and politician John Wood, diplomat J. S. Parker, painter (died 2017) :Category:1944 births Deaths 18 June Arthur Bignell, businessman, mayor. 21 July: John Andrew MacPherson, politician. 12 August: James Hargest, National MP, killed while serving with NZ Army as observer with British forces in Normandy. 30 August: Thomas William Rhodes, politician. 30 October: Haami Tokouru Ratana, politician and Ratana church leader. 2 December: Frank Milner, headmaster and educationalist. 29 December: John Cobbe, politician. 29 December: Henry Holland, mayor of Christchurch. :Category:1944 deaths See also History of New Zealand List of years in New Zealand Military history of New Zealand Timeline of New Zealand history Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica Timeline of the New Zealand environment References External links Years of the 20th century in New Zealand