The Marlborough Times ceases publication. It was founded in 1864.[3]
February – The start of the West Coast Gold Rush with rumours of gold being found.
18 February: The Press in Christchurch starts publishing a magazine, The Weekly Press. The magazine ran until 1928.[4]
May – The West Coast Times is founded. It began as a weekly newspaper and became a daily in January 1866. It ceased publishing in 1917.[5]
26 July: Parliament officially sits in Wellington for the first time, in the former Provincial Council chambers. (see also 1862)
30 August: The New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian publishes its last issue. It began in 1844.[6]
November: The Grey River Argus begins publication in Greymouth. It published three times a week until becoming daily in 1871. The paper folded in 1966.[7]