Early immigrants (1865–1945) Appo Hocton (Chinese name: 王鶴庭) was the first recorded Chinese
emigrant to New Zealand, arriving in
Nelson on 25 October 1842. The first significant immigration to New Zealand took place on the strength of two invitations from New Zealand's Otago goldmining region to potential goldminers from
Guangdong in 1865. These original goldmining communities suffered discrimination due to racist ideology, the economic competition they represented to the Europeans, and because of the implied 'disloyalty' within their transient, sojourner outlook. However, in the 1880s, openly sinophobic political ideology, resulted in the
New Zealand head tax, also known as the 'Poll Tax', aimed specifically at Chinese migrants. Racist violence towards Chinese people in New Zealand followed, such as the
murder of Joe Kum Yung by white supremacist Lionel Terry. This attack occurred in Haining Street in
Te Aro, Wellington, on 24 September 1905, in the centre of what was once was a large
Chinatown. New Zealanders of Chinese descent also fought for New Zealand in World War II. During
World War I,
Cecil Alloo rose from the ranks to become the first commissioned officer of Chinese descent in New Zealand's armed forces.
Chain migration from Guangdong continued until the new Communist Chinese regime stopped emigration. This original group of Cantonese migrants and their descendants are referred to in New Zealand as 'Old Generation' Chinese, and are now a minority within the overall Chinese population. Relationships were fostered by Chinese New Zealanders such as
Nancy Kwok-Goddard. Between 1987 and 1996, a fundamental change in New Zealand's immigration policy led to a substantial influx of ethnic Chinese business, investor, and professional migrants, particularly from Hong Kong and Taiwan. This period saw a spike in overall migration from the Asian region, including other Chinese people from East Asia and Southeast Asia. New Zealand's immigration system increasingly experienced the impact of global events, such as the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the
May 1998 riots of Indonesia in which many Chinese were affected.
Since 2000 and later discrimination Chinese New Zealanders by the turn of the 21st century had become a more established and integral part of New Zealand society, with new waves of immigrants arriving from the 1970s and 1980s onwards integrating into the existing legacy of Chinese who had been in the country since the mid-nineteenth century. Chinese New Zealanders, alongside other
Asian New Zealanders, are now more embraced as a part of the country's cosmopolitan heritage and continue to shape the culture and economy of New Zealand; this has become most notable in
Auckland, wherein New Zealanders of all backgrounds enjoy the material aspects of Asian popular and traditional culture as normalised parts of everyday life; with the likes of
Bubble Tea,
Anime, and
K-Pop having become mainstream parts of youth and urban culture. An increasing number of Chinese New Zealanders since the early 2000s have taken on key positions in government and various political institutions, with the
2020 General Election seeing New Zealand Parliament's share of Asian members rise to an all-time high. Newer Chinese immigrant arrivals are generally well-educated professionals or businesspeople with internationally transferable skills. Many have chosen to come because they want to raise their children in a less competitive educational environment, or because they want a more leisurely lifestyle and new employment opportunities., Auckland. This temple serves the sizeable local Chinese community. In 2002, the New Zealand Government publicly apologised to Chinese New Zealanders for the poll tax that had been levied on their ancestors a century ago. In 2010,
Mainland China for the first time became New Zealand's top source country for family immigration through the Family Sponsored Stream and the Partnership policy in New Zealand, as large numbers of Chinese nationals choose to study abroad in New Zealand and then gain the recognised qualifications to obtain skilled employment in New Zealand. In the
New Zealand's 2018 national census, Asian New Zealanders reached 15.5% of the country's total population an increase from 11.8% in 2013, with Chinese New Zealanders making up 36% of all peoples of Asian heritage. During the
worldwide spike in sinophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic, MP
Raymond Huo was among many politicians who condemned the racial abuse suffered by the country's Chinese community. An
online petition to prevent people from China from entering the country was signed by more than 18,000 people. In Canterbury, an email was sent to a Chinese-origin student's parent, which reportedly said, "our Kiwi kids don't want to be in the same class with your disgusting virus spreaders." Mayor of Auckland
Phil Goff said he was "sickened" by the reports of Asian-origin people being racially targeted at swimming pools, public transport and restaurants. In February 2021, the Chinese consulate in Auckland was affected by a phony
bomb threat made by individuals on an events website
Aucklife that they had hacked. Their motive was reportedly a punitive response against China for allegedly causing the pandemic. ==Politics==