Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A controversial remark in Parliament becomes the starting point for a deeper story. Subscribe: youtube.com/RNZVideo?sub_confirmation=1
In this episode of Context, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace the history of Chinese migration to New Zealand, from the Otago gold rush and the Chinese poll tax to modern trade, diplomacy and geopolitics.
Today, China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, buying billions of dollars' worth of our exports every year. Yet the relationship has often been marked by tension, suspicion and political controversy.
How did New Zealand become so economically dependent on China? Why have Chinese New Zealanders so often found themselves at the centre of national debates about identity and belonging? And what can a diplomatic row today tell us about our shared history?
A controversial remark in Parliament becomes the starting point for a deeper story. Subscribe: youtube.com/RNZVideo?sub_confirmation=1
In this episode of Context, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann trace the history of Chinese migration to New Zealand, from the Otago gold rush and the Chinese poll tax to modern trade, diplomacy and geopolitics.
Today, China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, buying billions of dollars' worth of our exports every year. Yet the relationship has often been marked by tension, suspicion and political controversy.
How did New Zealand become so economically dependent on China? Why have Chinese New Zealanders so often found themselves at the centre of national debates about identity and belonging? And what can a diplomatic row today tell us about our shared history?
