Chinese gardener, Pukekohe (1st of 3)

Chinese gardener, Pukekohe (1st of 3)

In the 19th century the lure of gold encouraged Chinese migration to New Zealand. When the gold was exhausted, many Chinese people drifted to cities looking for work. Others established market gardens in areas like Pukekohe, supplying Auckland with fresh produce. Although labour intensive and requiring long hours, growing vegetables required comparatively little capital outlay. This photograph of an unknown Pukekohe Chinese gardener was taken around the 1970s.