Story: Chinese

Two Chinese gold miners, Otago, about 1900

Chinese gold miners often lived a lonely bachelor existence, creating a makeshift home while they eked a living from the goldfields. Presbyterian minister Alexander Don, who was missionary to the Chinese in Otago and Southland, took this photograph of fellow minister George McNeur with two such men outside their stone hut near Arrow Falls.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, McNeur Collection (PAColl-5135)

Reference: 1/2-019153

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Manying Ip, Chinese – The first immigrants, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/504/two-chinese-gold-miners-otago-about-1900 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Manying Ip, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.

Comments

Josh
31 July 2015

The central otago/southland Chinese miners are huge contributors to NZ's gold boom. I love walking around St Bathans and Arrowtown and seeing their legacy - the Chinese huts that sit there today are national heritage. Thank you for including these photos.