When and why did the chinese immigrants come to new zealand?
The Chinese originally arrived in NZ in the 1860s during the Otago Gold Rush (began 1861) but also settled on the West Coast when gold was discovered there in larger quantities a few years later. The Chinese who came were almost exclusively young single men looking to make their fortune. China was still in the throws of a violent civil war begun by a radical pseudo-Christian self-proclaimed prophet. Going to Australia and NZ in search of gold was a way to escape a war-ravages and impoverished nation. Chinese faced many difficulties in staying in NZ though. Fears of Asian hordes overwhelming the British populace led to racist laws being passed. The Chinese were considered diseased and corrupt despite all evidence to the contrary. They had to pay a heavy tax to enter NZ and even for children of Chinese migrants born in NZ. Since it was very difficult for women to emigrate to NZ the number of families was small. The gold rush ended in the late 1870s and in the next decade NZ went into a l
