– Edward Purcell, rugby league player December 1 December – Taione Vea, rugby union player 7 December – James Marshall, rugby union player 8 December – Simon van Velthooven, cyclist 11 December – Tim Southee, cricketer 12 December – Isaac John, rugby league player 13 December – James Tamou, rugby league player 16 December – Robin Cheong, taekwando competitor 17 December – Steve Rapira, rugby league player Exact date unknown Eli Kent, playwright and actor Sam McCarthy, songwriter and musician Deaths January–February 2 January – Bill Crawford-Compton, World War II air ace, air force commander (born 1915) 10 January – Ron King, rugby union player and selector (born 1909) 11 January – Arthur Collins, rugby union player (born 1906) 9 February – Zelma Roberts, writer (born 1915) 17 February – Reginald Uren, architect (born 1906) 23 February – Charlie Jackman, cricketer (born 1906) 29 February – Sister Mary Gabriel, nun, pharmacist (born 1904) March–April 16 March – Harold Turbott, medical practitioner, public health administrator, broadcaster and writer (born 1899) 23 March – Cyril Walter, cricketer, field hockey player and coach, sports writer (born 1912) 30 March – Sir Donald McKay, politician (born 1908) 7 April – Christopher Rollinson, boxer (born 1928) 16 April – Doug Mudgway, amateur wrestler (born 1924) 17 April – Ormond Wilson, politician (born 1907) May–June 9 May – Robert Alexander, cricketer (born 1911) 14 May – Fred Atkins, professional wrestler (born 1910) 22 May – Leslie Stephen-Smith, cricketer (born 1904) 24 May – Tom Burtt, cricketer (born 1915) 26 May – Neta Neale, theatre director, speech and drama teacher (born 1904) 27 May – Alwyn Warren, Anglican bishop, university chancellor (born 1900) 28 May – Evelyn Page, artist (born 1899) 1 June – Ricky May, musician (born 1943) 3 June – Christabel Robinson, vocational guidance and community worker (born 1898) 4 June – Elizabeth Turnbull, woollen mill worker (born 1885) 5 June – Brian Ashby, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1923) 17 June – Cyril Crawford, cricketer (born 1902) 24 June Alexander Astor, rabbi, community leader (born 1900) Anthony Rohrs, cricketer (born 1961) 25 June – Neville Pickering, politician, mayor of Christchurch (1971–74) (born 1923) 30 June – Hubert Ryburn, university administrator (born 1897) July–August 8 July – Enga Washbourn, artist and writer (born 1908) 12 July – Robert Monteith, cricket umpire (born 1937) 18 July – Ralph Bulmer, ethnobiologist (born 1928) 21 July – Dame Cecily