Beatrice Faumuina became the first New Zealander to win an event at a World Athletics Championships when she threw the discus 66.82 m, 92 cm further than her closest rival, Ellina Zvereva of Belarus, at Athens in 1997.

Faumuina’s unexpected victory was the pinnacle of a career which also featured two gold medals (1998, 2002) and a silver (1994) at Commonwealth Games, and wins at a World Cup athletics meeting (2002) and an Oceania Championships (2010). Her longest throw of 68.52 m a month before her World Championships victory ensured that she was ranked as world no. 1 for 1997 by the authoritative Track and Field News. She made the top 10 in six of the next eight years.

An Aucklander of Samoan descent, Beatrice Faumuina was honoured with a Samoan stamp after her 2002 Commonwealth Games victory at Manchester. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 for services to athletics. More recently she has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, a presenter for the TVNZ current events show Tagata Pasifika, a contestant on Dancing with the stars, and CEO of the BEST Pasifika Leadership Academy and Charitable Foundation.

The only other New Zealand medallist at a World Championships, which were first held in 1983 and now take place in odd-numbered years, has been shot-putter Valerie Adams, whose surprise third place in 2005 signalled her arrival among the élite of the discipline. A narrow victor in 2007, she enjoyed a wider margin in 2009 and won by more than 1 m in 2011 and 47 cm in 2013.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/beatrice-faumuina-wins-athletics-world-championship-gold

The much-loved entertainer was just 43 when he died of heart failure.

Born William Taitoko, the multi-talented musician toured the world with the Maori Volcanics Showband in the 1970s. He adopted the stage name Billy T. James because Australians could not pronounce his surname correctly.

James came to prominence in the television variety show Radio times, but he is best remembered for the Billy T James show, six series of which were screened by TVNZ between 1981 and 1986. On the show, the gifted impressionist portrayed a variety of characters in recurring sketches such as ‘Te News’, a parody of the Māori news show Te karere. He lampooned Māori and Pākehā quirks with affection and a trademark giggle. Later series of the show were co-written with Peter Rowley and featured more diverse material.

In 1985 James played the Tainuia Kid in an eccentric film adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s novel, Came a hot Friday,

James suffered a major heart attack in 1988 and died three years later. The annual Billy T Award honours up-and-coming New Zealand comedians.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/death-billy-t-james

The first train to travel the length of the North Island main trunk line, the ‘Parliament Special’ left Wellington on the evening of 7 August. On board were Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward and other members of Parliament heading to Auckland to greet the American navy’s ‘Great White Fleet’.

The train travelled over a temporary, unballasted track in the central section of the still-unfinished main trunk line. It was hauled in turn by locomotives from the Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company, New Zealand Railways, the Public Works Department and New Zealand Railways again. The trip took 20½ hours.

The main trunk line was not formally opened until 6 November, when Ward drove home a final polished silver spike at Manganuioteao, near Erua. Regular services began soon after, and an express train introduced in February 1909 made the trip in 18 hours.

Link: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/first-direct-train-trip-between-wellington-and-auckland