Joe Ah Chan, 1882–1959
Born in Guangdong province of China, Joe Ah Chan came to New Zealand in 1905. In 1916 he returned to China to help his wife learn English, so that she was able to pass the reading test and join him in New Zealand. After a number of jobs mainly selling fruit, he developed a market garden at Thames and then a vineyard. He retained a strong interest in Chinese culture and was a supporter of the Chinese nationalist party.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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Van Chu-Lin, 1893/1894?–1946
Born near Canton in China, Van Chu-Lin came to New Zealand in 1915 as the consequence of an arranged marriage. She was one of only about 120 Chinese women in the country, and soon after arriving was convicted for not taking the reading test required of immigrants. In Wellington she committed herself to family duties and was eventually survived by 11 daughters, seven sons, and her husband.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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Alfred Kingcome Newman, 1849–1924
Born in India, Alfred Newman came to New Zealand as a child and trained as a doctor. However, he quickly became a businessman, and was active in scientific circles. Initially he believed that Māori were degenerate and dying out, although subsequently he espoused the view that they were Aryan in origin. He also opposed Asian immigration to New Zealand on racial grounds, and argued these views as a member of the House of Representatives.
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William Pember Reeves, 1857–1932
Born in New Zealand, William Pember Reeves followed his father into journalism and politics. He was a distinguished minister of labour in the Liberal government of the 1890s, before going as the agent general to England, where he spent the rest of his life. A poet and a historian, Reeves was also a supporter of restrictions against Asian immigrants, and as minister sponsored an Immigrants Exclusion Bill, which earned him the nickname ‘Undesirable Bill’ Reeves.
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Marianne Allen Tasker, 1852–1911
Migrating to New Zealand under a Hawke’s Bay provincial assisted passage, Marianne Manchester worked as a domestic servant, married John Tasker and in 1895 established the Women’s Democratic Union. She worked for feminist causes, with a special interest in the labour conditions of domestic workers. She was also a founding member of the Anti-Chinese League, believing that Chinese immigration increased unemployment.
Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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