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Story: Auckland places

Chinese gardener, Pukekohe

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Chinese gardener, Pukekohe

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.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Reference: Puk4

Permission of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Margaret McClure, Auckland places – Pukekohe and the rural south-west, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/16255/chinese-gardener-pukekohe (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Margaret McClure, published 2 March 2009, updated 5 August 2016.