Sir Peter, Lomu and Runga need no introduction, but Mr Chong might. Born in southern China sometime between 1827 and 1844, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1867, earning a living as a scrap metal dealer, a pedlar and a storekeeper, before pioneering the development of the dairy industry.
He built one of the country's first dairy factories, installed the first freezing machine, invented a rotary press and an air cooler and standardised a pound of butter as the unit of sale. Every New Zealander has benefited from his inventiveness and entrepreneurship. Yet if prevailing sentiment had held sway, Mr Chong might never have unlocked the potential of the dairy industry.
Shortly after his arrival, the government of the day introduced a "poll tax" to assuage public concern that European settlers were about to be swamped by the "yellow peril". The tax, which applied only to Chinese immigrants and remained on the statute books until 1944, forced labourers who came to New Zealand to work in goldfields, laundries and market gardens to leave their families behind by requiring them to hand over 100 on arrival.
The case of Mr Chong is a salutary example to New Zealanders who worry about people of different cultures migrating to this country and European leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who recently proclaimed that multiculturalism had failed.
No-one could have predicted what Mr Chong would achieve when he arrived, but every New Zealander has profited from his endeavours, just as thousands are benefiting now from the connections of later arrivals.
Immigration is not an unqualified good. Too many, too fast benefits neither the host country nor the immigrants themselves. New arrivals must be willing to adapt and prepared to accept the social mores of the countries they migrate to. Those offended by the sight of a female ankle should not seek to come here. Equally, New Zealand should not seek to restrict entry to those who look and sound like the majority already here. The terrorists who seek to sow fear and hatred between peoples cannot be allowed to win. One of our nearer neighbours is Indonesia, home to the world's biggest Muslim population. To prosper, New Zealand must engage with the changing world.
A historical accident allowed Mr Chong to pioneer the development of the dairy industry. In recent years more enlightened policies have enabled New Zealand businesses to capitalise on the startling growth of the Chinese economy by taking advantage of the talents and contacts of New Zealand-born Chinese and more recent arrivals.
No-one knows where future opportunities will arise. But one thing is obvious – New Zealand will be better placed to take advantage of them if it has citizens who understand the cultures of those countries and links with them. Despite what some in Europe might wish, locking the doors and hiding under the bedsheets is not an option.
- © Fairfax NZ New Last updated 05:00 01/11/2010
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