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Story: Chinese

Poll tax certificate stub

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Poll tax certificate

This is the receipt stub of the poll tax certificate issued to Yee Nam on his arrival at Wellington in 1904. The poll tax, introduced in 1881, was imposed on Chinese only and was intended to deter them from coming to New Zealand. Originally the tax was £10, but by 1904 it had been raised to £100.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: L, 24-8, Box 1

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Manying Ip, Chinese – Later settlement, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/506/poll-tax-certificate-stub (accessed 4 June 2026).

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