New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 imposed a poll tax on Chinese immigrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The poll tax was effectively lifted in the 1930s following the invasion of China by Japan, and was finally repealed in 1944. Prime Minister Helen Clark

Helen Clark

Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

 offered New Zealand's Chinese community an official apology for the poll tax on 12 February 2002.

History

Although Chinese immigrants were invited to New Zealand by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, prejudice against them quickly led to calls for restrictions on immigration. Following the example of anti-Chinese poll taxes enacted by California in 1852 and by Australian states in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s, John Hall

John Hall (New Zealand)

Sir John Hall was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, and later became the 12th Prime Minister of New Zealand. He was also Mayor of Christchurch.-Migration to New Zealand:...

's government passed the Chinese Immigration Act 1881. This imposed a £10 tax per Chinese person entering New Zealand, and permitted only one Chinese immigrant for every 10 tons of cargo. Richard Seddon

Richard Seddon

Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, is to date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....

's government increased the tax to £100 per head in 1896, and tightened the other restriction to only one Chinese immigrant for every 200 tons of cargo.

The poll tax was waived in 1934 by the Minister of Customs, following Japan's invasion of Manchuria, and the Act was finally repealed in 1944.

Impact of the head tax

An estimated 4500 people paid the poll tax, raising over £300,000 (worth about NZD28 million in 2001).

Compensation

As compensation, the government spent NZ$5 million in 2005 to establish a Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust to sponsor events that promotes:

• learning and use of the Cantonese language
• awareness and understanding of the history of Chinese in New Zealand
• the recording and preserving of Chinese New Zealand history
• greater public understanding of ethnic diversity with particular emphasis on the contributions of Chinese New Zealanders
• Chinese arts and culture (including Chinese New Zealand creative and cultural expression).

People who paid the poll tax were not personally compensated.

See also

• Chinese New Zealander
  Chinese New Zealander
  A Chinese New Zealander is a New Zealander of Chinese heritage. They are part of the ethnic Chinese diaspora . Chinese New Zealanders are the fifth largest ethnic group in New Zealand....
  
  
• Model Minority
  Model minority
  Model minority refers to a minority ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of success than the population average. It is most commonly used to label one ethnic minority higher achieving than another ethnic minority...
  
  
• Sinophobia
  Sinophobia
  Sinophobia or anti-Chinese sentiment is the fear of or dislike of China, its people, overseas Chinese, or Chinese Culture...
  
  
• White Australia policy
  White Australia policy
  The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
  
  

External links

• Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust