The Gordon Howitt West Coast Historic Photograph Collection, c1900, Chinese in procession in Greymouth. (MB 1072, Ref 6881). Macmillan Brown Library, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Chinese musical ensemble in the photo are taking part in a procession. The person on the side of the waggon is playing a suŏnà and the instrument behind him looks like a yueqin.
On 5 July 1881, a poll tax was imposed on Chinese migrants to New Zealand. The poll tax was ₤10, around $1700 today, and only 1 Chinese passenger was allowed for every 10 tons of cargo. It was repealed in 1944, and in 2002 the NZ government officially apologised to the Chinese community for the injustice of the tax.
“Poll tax imposed on Chinese”, (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/poll-tax-imposed-on-chinese
Bradshaw, J. (c2009). Golden prospects : Chinese on the West Coast of New Zealand. Greymouth, N.Z. : Shantytown (West Coast Historical & Mechanical Society).
See this item in our Archives Catalogue, Kā Kohika.