New Zealand Chinese Heritage Research Charitable Trust

12/05/2026

Join us in person or on Zoom for the 2026 NZCHRCT AGM.

Thursday 28 May
In person at the Seminar Room of Knox College.
Light refreshments from 5.15pm
Speaker starts 5.45pm

On Zoom from 5.45pm, see our FB Event for the link:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CnUPXtyaT/

05/05/2026

Here is a selection of some of the photographs from the collections of Dr James and Eva Ng which were recently digitised as part of a grant from the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust. These images are hosted online at https://pcanzarchives.recollect.co.nz/. Many thanks to Brent Whear for all his work digitising and describing these images; .

29/04/2026

We thank Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust for their grant this past year, which enabled initial processing of a huge uplift of archival materials from the Dr James Ng estate, received in March 2025. We were able to upload the trove of photographs received in albums then, as well as to begin work on cataloguing background archival research materials relating to Dr Ng's seminal work, "Windows on a Chinese Past." The grant covered labour and material costs, for this project.
This is all by way of bolstering the Ng Collection, a UNESCO Memory of the World collection held by PRC on behalf of the New Zealand Chinese Heritage Research Charitable Trust.

07/04/2026

In this new article from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Alison Breese explores the story of Amelia Peacock, who married Sam Chew Lain, a well respected Lawrence businessman who ran the Chinese Empire Hotel;

When our Otago/Southland Heritage Assessment Advisor Alison Breese researched a Chinese tomb in Lawrence for the new heritage listing report, she came across previously unknown information about the European Australian women connected with the Chew Lain family.

25/03/2026

We were delighted to be able to attend the launch of Eva Wong Ng's new book, "Daughter of Two Cultures" on Friday night.

Eva Wong Ng was the featured guest at the Dunedin book launch of her latest book, Daughter of Two Cultures. Last Friday evening 20 March, the Dunningham Suite of Dunedin City Library was packed out with friends and readers, to hear her reading from the book and to be first to purchase it.
Hewitson Library is happy to have this title now in our collection. This and three other books containing her works are held in our RM England Collection of Asian Theology and Culture. Check it out:
https://hewitson.mykoha.co.nz/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=347&sortfield=title

01/03/2026

Just a reminder that Ruth Lam and Melissa Chan-Green are looking for information on Chinese servicepeople in World War II. Read this post from the Air Force Museum of New Zealand to find out more.

31/10/2025

We are excited to receive our copy of Adrienne Shaw's new book, "Tuapeka Chows". This is now available to borrow from the Hewitson Library (https://hewitson.mykoha.co.nz/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=101456).

In her book Adrienne provides a detailed history of the inhabitants of the Lawrence Chinese Camp and follows the stories of their descendants. In her introduction to the book she says, "May the legacy of the Lawrence Chinese Camp, with all its complexities and triumphs, resonate with you, reminding us all of the power of understanding our roots and honouring the struggles of those who came before us."

28/08/2025

All four volumes of Windows on a Chinese Past, by Dr James Ng, are now available as both ebooks and print books at Hewitson Library:

https://hewitson.mykoha.co.nz/cgi-bin/koha/opac-search.pl?idx=kw&q=james+ng+windows+past&sort_by=pubdate_asc

21/05/2025

📌 Our AGM is coming up - check out the poster for details!

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

20/04/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who visited the heritage displays at the Edgar Centre over Easter! It was wonderful to see so many people connecting with history - recognising faces, names, and stories from the past, and building connections with each other in the present.

The Windows on a Chinese Past panels from Otago Southland Chinese Association were especially popular, and many enjoyed browsing through past Easter Tournament programme books from the NZCHRCT collection held by the Knox Archive. A special way to celebrate our heritage and community during the NZCA Dunedin Easter Tournament 2025!