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Story: Dalmatians

‘Vila Auckland’, Vrgorac

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‘Vila Auckland’, Vrgorac

Men working the gum fields sent money home to their villages. While this was mainly visible as a repaired or new house, in the village of Vrgorac ‘Vila Auckland’, built in 1928, also paid homage to New Zealand. In the village of Porat the biggest building had the inscription ‘God helps New Zealand’. Those with relatives in New Zealand could afford new tiles on a roof, new fields or expanded vineyards. Other villagers could readily see that the families of emigrants lived easier lives.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Dalmatians – Leaving Dalmatia, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/2263/vila-auckland-vrgorac (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.