Journals of the House of Representatives, 1890 Session I, I-06a

No. 25. Do you know of any system that might be of use in smaller places than Edendale—a system whereby the farmers might get their milk into smaller factories?— Small factories ought to be encouraged in such places as I saw in Taranaki, and might be made successful. I believe that the factory of Chew Chong is doing very well. I visited that factory, and had an afternoon's chat with that gentleman: he is very well satisfied with the result of his operations so far. It is really the best conducted-factory I saw on a small scale. He has a remarkably good situation as a site for his factory, alongside of a big river. It is well sheltered, and it seems to be well and properly worked. It seems to me that dairying is about the first purpose that bush-land of that description can be put to, as the ground, after the timber is felled and the grass sown, is so rough and covered with logs that sheep cannot be kept, and it is not very suitable for fattening. It does not suit small farmers to fatten cattle. By-and-by, as the timber rots, it will become available

I.—6a.

for sheep-farming and for a little grain-growing; and I think that all the encouragement possible should be given to small settlers by the Government to enable them to make a start with dairying.

http://www.atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1890-I.2.3.3.11&cl=search&srpos=7&e=-------10--1------0chew+chong--&st=1

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS 1892

5185. 14th September. Chew Chong, of Courtenay Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand, Butter Merchant. —An invention for cooling air to be used in connection with the manufacture of butter or other purposes, the apparatus to be called Chew Chong's Air-cooler."

5186. 14th September. Chew Chong of Courtenay Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand, Butter Merchant. An invention for moulding butter into packages of equal size, to be called Chew Chong's Butter-moulding Machine."

5210. 25th September, Chew Chong of Courtenay Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand, Butter Merchant.—An invention for moulding butter by hand into packages of equal size, the apparatus to be called Chew Chong's Hand Butter-moulder."

http://www.atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1892-I.2.3.3.2&cl=search&srpos=1&e=-------10--1------0chew+chong--&st=1

Chew Chong Plays Leading Role in Dairy Industry

One of Taranaki's most visionary characters was a small Chinese man called Chew Chong.

He was a key figure in helping to develop the region's dairy industry, especially in the

making and refrigeration of butter. He is even responsible for producing one of New Zealand's most recognisable food items – the pound of butter.

In the late 1800s, a time when Chinese gold miners were being attacked in Otago, Chong was a highly successful businessman in Taranaki. He had general stores, butcher shops, and fungus depots dotted around the mountain and even provided poverty-stricken farmers an easy way to earn cash.

http://www.pukeariki.com/Research/TaranakiResearchCentre/TaranakiStories/TaranakiStory/id/350/title/chew-chong-plays-leading-role-in-dairy-industry.aspx

Wood ear fungus

The first commercial sale of edible fungi in New Zealand was in the 1870s, when Taranaki merchant Chew Chong sent bags of dried wood-ear fungus (Auricularia cornea) to his homeland, China. The fungus was in demand for the crunchy, chewy texture it added to food.

Wood ear fungus grows naturally on dead trees in lowland forest. Tonnes were harvested as settlers cleared forest for farming, and exports to China continued until the 1950s

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/mushrooms-and-other-cultivated-fungi/2

Chew Chong

Taranaki entrepreneur - Roadside Stories

For more than a century dairy farming has been the basis of Taranaki's economy. One of New Zealand's first dairy factories was opened near Eltham in 1887 by Chinese entrepreneur Chew Chong, who had been exporting edible fungus to China. Despite anti-Chinese prejudice, Chong was a successful businessman who began an export trade in butter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN67onFk4zw

Chinese entrepreneur

Chinese entrepreneur

Taranaki’s most celebrated Chinese immigrant, the businessman and dairy entrepreneur Chew Chong, married a European woman, Elizabeth Whatton, in 1875 – a time when such an interracial marriage was almost unheard of in New Zealand. Chew Chong became a much-respected member of the Taranaki community. Perhaps because of his status and their relatively low numbers, Chinese people were viewed positively in Taranaki – unlike in many other parts of New Zealand at the time.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/taranaki-region/7

CHONG, Chew (c. 1830–1920) Merchant.

Chew Chong was born in China in 1830. He attended school there and then worked for 10 years as a household servant in Singapore. In 1855 he came to Victoria where he spent 11 years on the goldfields, mining and storekeeping. The Otago gold rush induced Chew Chong to come to New Zealand in 1866. After two years in Dunedin, he began travelling through the country buying up old metal for export to China. During these journeys Chew Chong discovered an edible fungus in Taranaki which was growing profusely on recently burned decaying logs. It was similar in taste to a Chinese plant which was highly prized as a delicacy and used also for medicinal purposes. Chew Chong offered to buy this fungus at 2d. per pound. He made his headquarters in New Plymouth where in 1870 he opened a store. The fungus cost nothing to produce and was easily collected. It was spread out to dry and then packed into flax baskets or jute bags and brought into Chew Chong's store on market days. From New Plymouth it was sent to Dunedin and thence shipped to China by local Chinese merchants. Between 1872 and 1882 more than 1,700 tons of this “Taranaki Wool” were exported from New Zealand, to the value of over £78,000. The sale of fungus saved many Taranaki dairy farmers, for they sold their butter to the local store in exchange for goods, and fungus was their only source of ready cash, apart from bush-felling or road-building contracts.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/chong-chew/1

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2c17/1

How to cite this page: . 'CHONG, Chew', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 8-Nov-11
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/1966/chong-chew/1