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Story: Taranaki region

Polish timber-workers, Inglewood

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Polish timber-workers, Inglewood

The township of Inglewood was being established in the mid-1870s when dozens of impoverished Polish families arrived in Taranaki. A number of the men ended up labouring on road-making and bush-felling contracts. Many were eventually able to buy farms in the area, and Polish surnames remain common in the district.

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Puke Ariki - Taranaki Museum & Library

Reference: N.7.16

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How to cite this page

Ron Lambert, Taranaki region – Pākehā settlement, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25304/polish-timber-workers-inglewood (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ron Lambert, published 23 February 2010, updated 1 August 2015.