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Story: South Pacific peoples

Flax worker from the New Hebrides

Flax worker from the New Hebrides

In 1870, 23 men from the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) were bought to New Zealand to work in North Island flax mills. This is one of the workers at a mill in the Hokianga district.

Using this item

Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

Reference: PH-ALB-86

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

Carl Walrond, South Pacific peoples – Early migration, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/46778/flax-worker-from-the-new-hebrides (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 5 April 2016, updated 1 July 2024.