The following lists events that happened during 1861 in New Zealand.
A ceasefire is reached in the First Taranaki War, with British efforts to defeat Māori disaffected over land purchases having largely failed.
Prosperity comes to the south with the onset of the Central Otago Gold Rush. Within a year the population of the Tuapeka goldfields is twice that of Dunedin.
16 February: The Southern News and Foveaux Strait's Herald publishes its first issue.[1] The paper will become daily by 1875 and change its name to The Southland Daily News. It continues until 1968.[2]
28 February: The Government-sponsored Māori language magazine, The Maori MessengerorTe Karere Maori publishes its final issue and is replaced by Te Manuhiri Tuarangi and Maori Intelligencer, which continues until 1863.[3][4]
21 March: The Auckland Examiner, which started in 1856, ceases publication.[3]
25 May: The Press publishes its first issue. It begins as a weekly newspaper, will move to bi-weekly in 1862, and becomes daily in 1863. It continues today[update].[5]
The first National Rifle Shooting Championships is held. This is the oldest national championships in New Zealand in any sport. The Championships are held in conjunction with various district contests until the first centralised Championships at Trenthamin1902.[9]
The winner receives the Championship Belt (and Pouch). In 1907 the belt is won outright by A. Ballinger and it is renamed the Ballinger Belt. This name has been applied retroactively to the Championship since its inception.[9]
^McIndoe, James. report in the Otago Witness, 29 June 1861. Reprinted in An Eyewitness History of New Zealand (1985) e.g Robin Bromby. ISBN0-85902-306-0
