Can anyone tell me if there is a register of names for these refugees to New Zealand during 1939-1940? .
Celebrating the arrival of refugee women and children from Guangdong 75 years ago
Seventy-five years ago Chinese women and children arrived in New Zealand as refugees from a war-torn homeland. By the end of 1937, Beijing, Shanghai and a large part of the north of China were occupied by the Japanese. In 1938, the Japanese forces moved into the Pearl River Delta region, home to the Chinese in New Zealand, and began invading the villages and torturing the villagers.
The New Zealand Chinese Association and the Chinese Consulate appealed to the New Zealand government to allow Chinese men to bring their families here during this time of crisis. In February 1939, the government agreed, and as a humanitarian gesture allowed the wives and children to join their husbands in New Zealand, on a temporary permit, for a period of two years.
There were various conditions including the payment of a £500 bond to ensure that wives and children returned to China at the end of the two years and took with them any children born during their time in New Zealand. In addition, £200 was payable for the maintenance of the family and possible repatriation after the war. It was a huge financial burden but the leaving your loved ones to the mercy of the Japanese was unthinkable.
Between August 1939 and 1941, a total of 249 wives and 244 children came to New Zealand. Many walked for several days from their village along the Kowloon-Canton railway line down to Hong Kong. The journey was dangerous and having reached Hong Kong there was no guarantee of a passage; some had to make the journey back to the village and certain misery.
The situation in China only worsened and World War Two was in full swing. It was impossible to send families back to their villages in Guangdong. Again, the Chinese Consulate and the New Zealand Chinese Association, with support from the New Zealand Presbyterian Church and the Inter-Church Council, urged the government to allow the families to stay.
In late 1947, the refugee wives and children, the other children born in New Zealand to refugee wives, 93 Chinese men who had been admitted on the business replacement scheme and Chinese students and a few others – 1408 in all who had been in New Zealand for five years or more – were all granted permanent residency.
The arrival of the refugee families was a watershed in Chinese New Zealand history. With a stable family structure, Chinese businesses thrived and expanded. Market gardeners increased the size of their gardens and the amount of crops grown. Fruiterers had instantly their increased labour force and were able to provide better service at keener prices. The Chinese were well-placed to take advantage of the post-war economic boom.
As families grew and businesses prospered, the younger generation took advantage of the opportunities living in New Zealand offered them. They received a good education from an early age and many chose to pursue professional careers instead of traditional Chinese occupations. Seventy-five years have now passed since the government’s decision to allow families to be reunited, and two or three generations have now reaped the benefit. As we reflect on this, we realise that New Zealand, in return, has also benefitted – it has gained high-achieving, well-respected and valued members of its society.
