Representing Haining Street: Wellington's Chinatown 1920-1960

Abstract

Haining Street in the middle of Te Aro Flat, Wellington's former 'Chinatown', continues to loom large in the popular imagination, and has done so since the late-nineteenth century. This thesis, for the first time and making use of the methodologies of oral history, seeks to uncover some of the 'reality' of a life lived in and around Tongyan Gaai, as Chinese themselves referred to the street, with a particular focus upon the four decades between 1920-1960. Activities, events, institutions and relationships are examined through the memories of various members of the community, and these representations are contrasted with the exoticized and sensationalised images promoted by the print media of these years as part of discourses of race and slum. It is argued here that these competing notions are not just reflections of the contemporary needs and desires of the narrators, but that they have a continuing relevance to an understanding of how both Chinese and other New Zealanders see themselves and the Other. This thesis also assembles in one place references to Haining Street, as a resource for further research.