New Zealand

For purely political reasons, New Zealand is often neglected in discussions of Chinese-Australian history. In reality, however, New Zealand also had its own significant Chinese heritage population. Like Australia, it experienced gold rushes in which Chinese miners actively participated, and it implemented similar exclusionary measures.

New Zealand introduced its own version of the dictation test—although, unlike the Australian version, it was not entirely a sham. In New Zealand the test could genuinely be used to assess English proficiency, even as a poll tax remained in force as part of the government’s efforts to maintain a “White New Zealand.”

Because many migrants travelled via Australia, there were strong logistical links between the two colonies. Chinese travellers to or from New Zealand often had to trans-ship through Sydney, where Cummins’ Boarding House became well known as a stopover point for passengers moving between ships. These movements were, of course, shaped by the machinery of the White Australia Policy, which complicated travel even for those merely in transit.

An interesting footnote to this history is that the New Zealand government successfully negotiated specific exemptions from the White Australia Policy for Māori people, ensuring they would not be subjected to the same racial restrictions when travelling through or to Australia.