by Theresa Sawicka
Since the 19th century, harsh conditions in their homeland have driven small groups of Polish people to emigrate to New Zealand. The pioneering settlers of the 1870s, the Jewish refugees and orphans of the 1940s, those fleeing the Soviet regime in the 1980s – all were pushed out by political turmoil and oppression in Poland. Not until the 21st century could Poles and Polish New Zealanders move freely between the two countries, and choose where to live.
Main image: Polish dancers help commemorate the 60th anniversary of the arrival of Polish orphans
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