Minnie Dronke, 1904–1987
Fleeing Nazi Germany, Dronke and her Jewish family landed in New Zealand in 1939, when Maria was 35. Formerly an actress, she had a significant impact in theatre as a producer and director.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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Ilse von Randow, 1901–1998
German-born Ilse von Randow arrived in New Zealand from China in 1952, after the communists took over Shanghai. She became a central figure in the development of modernist craft weaving in the 1950s.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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George von Zedlitz, 1871–1949
Widely known in Wellington as 'Von' or 'Old Von', Zedlitz was an influential figure in the academic life of the capital. He had renounced his German citizenship in England and was unswervingly loyal to his new country. However, the New Zealand government still treated him as an enemy during the First World War.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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