Wellington Chinese History Wiki
Advertisement
Iw-1872017131843639

Joe Kum Yung memorial, Haining Street.

New Zealand Chinese communities have a long history in Wellington, New Zealand, with the earliest Chinese settling in Wellington around the 1860s[1] when John Ah Tong set up a carpentry business in Willis Street[1][2]. Chinese didn't arrive in significant numbers until the 1880s[3], some 40 years after Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting (aka Appo Hocton) jumped ship in Nelson to become the first Chinese migrant to New Zealand[4][5][6], and only a few years after the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce invited Chinese miners to Otago[7]

Early Chinese activity in Wellington historically centred around Haining Street and Frederick Street, and Sage's Lane, which was unofficially known as Wellington's Chinatown, or 'Tong Yan Gaai' (Chinese People's Street).

This wiki maps locations of significance to this community, and some of the history, organisations, businesses and people associated with them.

Although this wiki focuses on the greater Wellington area, there will be some content from further afield, which has a connection with the history of Chinese in Wellington, or may just be snippets of information that are of interest.

Help support the Wellington Chinese History project:
Buy me a coffee

  1. 1.0 1.1 Timespanner. (2018, December 11). Timespanner: Early Chinese in Wellington. Retrieved 10 December 2018, from https://timespanner.blogspot.com/2018/12/early-chinese-in-wellington.html
  2. Early Chinese Settlers in New Zealand. (2020, January 31). BEACON. http://www.bhb.nz/63/post/2020/01/early-chinese-settlers-in-new-zealand.html
  3. Wellington City Council. (2013). Thematic Heritage Study of Wellington. Retrieved 8 November 2017, from https://wellington.govt.nz/~/media/services/community-and-culture/heritage/files/thematic-heritage-study.pdf?la=en
  4. The Prow, & Stade, K. (2008). Appo Hocton – Jumped ship to become first Chinese Immigrant to New Zealand. Retrieved August 31, 2017, from http://www.theprow.org.nz/people/appo-hocton/#.Waht38ig-Uk
  5. HO, D. K. T. (2016). Appo HOCTON. Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.objectaffection.com/appohocton/
  6. Appo Hocton panel unveiling. (2020, August 19). Our Nelson. https://our.nelson.govt.nz/stories/appo-hocton-panel-unveiling/
  7. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga, & Spoonley, P. (2017, August 1). Welcoming Chinese miners, 1865 [Web page]. Retrieved 25 September 2017, from https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/28172/welcoming-chinese-miners-1865

Categories[]

All Locations News
Iw-1872017131843639

All

Tasman Street - Section 715 - 1892 Survery Map WCC

Locations

A chinese Wedding-0

News

Organisations Businesses Advertisements
1-2-174498-F

Organisations

29887605231 e6565bdbff o

Businesses

Eph-A-HORTICULTURE-TeAro-1949-01-front

Advertisements

People
Iw-295201711574464

People

Help support the Wellington Chinese History project:
Buy me a coffee


Map[]

Scroll and zoom on the map to explore locations in Wellington of significance to the Wellington Chinese community.


Loading map...

Facebook[]


Mastodon[]

- - 2024/04/18 23:46

This 2006 episode of community-made show "Open Door" focuses on #Chinese #NewZealanders who are dealing with two identities: the Chinese values of their parents, and the country they live in.https://...

- - 2024/04/16 23:45

AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. A CHINESE STOWAWAY. ON BOAT AT WELLINGTON. On the arrival of the R.M.S. Maunganui from San Francisco, via way ports, yesterday morning, a young Chinese stowaway, named Li Pak Shi...

- - 2024/04/15 20:17

The Friends of Karori Cemetery would like to invite you to the ANZAC Day commemoration for Chinese ANZAC Victor Low (Lo Keong), a WWI New Zealand Tunneller.Join us to recognise Victor and other New Ze...

- - 2024/04/14 21:00

Chinese immigrant Ham Sing Tong was, in 1905, found dead in his Tapanui house, bludgeoned, shot and set on fire.Today, 119 years later, his murder is still unsolved despite two men going to trial for...

- - 2024/04/14 20:44

There’s a world of knowledge to be found in the recipes passed between generations. Nina Finigan talks with local artist Bev Moon about her knitted versions of family recipes.Moon is a Chinese poll ta...
Advertisement