Herbert Otto Roth, 1917–1994
Bert Roth spent his early life in Austria, where he was involved in left-wing politics. The annexation of Austria by the Nazis in 1938 forced him to flee to Switzerland, from where he emigrated to New Zealand. Although he regarded himself as a socialist refugee, he was classed as an ‘enemy alien’, which placed restrictions on his activities. He was eager to change this status, applying for naturalisation in 1944 and becoming a citizen in 1946.
Ara anō he whānuitanga kei Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau
(Ka tuwhera anc mai te pae tukutuku nei ki te matapihi hōu)
Ivan Tomasevic, 1897–1988
Croatian-born Ivan Tomasevic arrived in New Zealand in the early 1920s and was naturalised in 1926. When he became involved in left-wing Yugoslav politics and joined the Communist party he came to the attention of the police, who thought his activities were disloyal and encouraged lawlessness. In the face of protests from various organisations, his naturalisation was revoked in 1933, but restored after an application by him in 1936.
Ara anō he whānuitanga kei Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau
(Ka tuwhera anc mai te pae tukutuku nei ki te matapihi hōu)
George William Edward Ernest von Zedlitz, 1871–1949
G. W. von Zedlitz, first professor of modern languages at Victoria College, Wellington, was the victim of his nationality during the First World War. Born in Germany, he had been educated in other countries and had made New Zealand his home in 1902. With the advent of the First World War, however, he was deemed an ‘enemy alien’ and hounded from his university job.
Ara anō he whānuitanga kei Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau
(Ka tuwhera anc mai te pae tukutuku nei ki te matapihi hōu)
