The 1956 Chatham Cup was the 29th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
Teams taking part in the final rounds are known to have included Eastern Suburbs (Auckland), Rangers (Bay of Plenty), Hamilton Wanderers, Eastern Union (Gisborne), Moturoa (New Plymouth), Colenso Athletic (Hawkes Bay), Wanganui New Settlers, Kiwi United (Manawatu), Masterton Athletic (Wairarapa), Stop Out (Lower Hutt), Shamrock (Christchurch), West End (South Canterbury) and Northern (Dunedin).
The Brigadiers team of Invercargill, which met Shamrock in the 1956 South Island final, was coached by George Roberts.
Roberts, a Canterbury representative, had played in five previous Chatham Cup finals.
[1] Lower Hutt's Stop Out celebrated its jubilee year with a solid win in the final.