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Consultations

We have completed our consultation for the Chinese Community:

On 12 February 2002 at the Chinese New Year celebration at Parliament, the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark formally apologised to Chinese people who had paid the Poll Tax and suffered other discrimination, and to their descendants.

The Office of Ethnic Affairs led a consultation process to find a form of reconciliation that met the needs of the descendants of Poll Tax payers. The community response was that government should celebrate Chinese New Zealander’s cultural heritage, and recognise their contribution to New Zealand society.

The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust Deed was finalised in 2004. This set up a community trust with a government seeding grant of $5 million. The Minister for Ethnic Affairs appointed the first trustees in September 2004. The role of the Trust is to fund projects which encourage understanding of the history of the Chinese in New Zealand and to promote public awareness of ethnic diversity. The trustees are direct descent from Poll Tax payers. Their first meeting was held on the 25th of January 2005.