The 1997 Chatham Cup was the 70th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
Up to the last 16 of the competition, the cup was run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with an open draw from the quarter-finals on.
In all, 135 teams took part in the competition, which consisted of five rounds followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.
Central United won the final, beating Napier City Rovers 3–2.
The winner of the 1997 Jack Batty Memorial Cup was Ivan Vicelich of Central United.