WI: A More Chinese New Zealand

In 1853, Edward Gibbon Wakefield created a plan to settle Chinese in New Zealand, as coolie labor, before it was shot down by Parliament. Suppose that the idea passed, what would the effects of a larger Chinese population have on the colonization of New Zealand?
 
In 1853, Edward Gibbon Wakefield created a plan to settle Chinese in New Zealand, as coolie labor, before it was shot down by Parliament. Suppose that the idea passed, what would the effects of a larger Chinese population have on the colonization of New Zealand?

Eh, this seems interesting. A large Chinese population probably won't end up like Singapore, though it might.

More interestingly, New Zealand's Chinese minority is going to be pretty vocal about China. I'd expect them to support the Republic when it rolls around.

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any change in New Zealand likely won't affect many butterflies around the world. The world might go as IOTL, with a more pro-China New Zealand possibly changing the course of WWII, sending aid to China against Japan.
 
It seems pretty difficult. Whilst, compared to Australia, New Zealand has been relatively hospitable towards Asian immigration, there's still a pretty potent strain of "yellow peril" sentiment that tends to pop up from time to time. I can only imagine that the discrimination Chinese immigrants faced IOTL would be turnt up to 11 if a greater number arrived.

If you'd like, I can tackle this question with more detail later.
 
Wasn't New Zealand ultimately the most liberal out of the White Dominions? With more Chinese New Zealanders I can see them becoming more conservative as a reaction to the trend.
 
Wasn't New Zealand ultimately the most liberal out of the White Dominions? With more Chinese New Zealanders I can see them becoming more conservative as a reaction to the trend.


Eh, define "liberal". In conventional terms yes, but there was a lot of things that weren't really " liberal". Probably needs a different term to properly explain liberalism in the White Dominions. "Exclusive Liberalism" maybe? "Anglo-Liberalism"?
 

Czar Kaizer

Banned
Wasn't New Zealand ultimately the most liberal out of the White Dominions? With more Chinese New Zealanders I can see them becoming more conservative as a reaction to the trend.
I mean I suppose it was "liberal" compared to the other white dominions, if by liberal you mean not committing genocide against the aborigines like in Australia or racist segregation in South Africa, or forced assimilation of indigenous people in Canada.
 
Eh, NZ was very anti Chinese for a very long time. There is a reason why PM Clark felt it necessary to apologise to the NZ Chinese population a decade ago.

The poll tax for one was in place till ww2.

NZ very much had a white British only policy till the 60s-70s and those who were not such largely got in before the policy hardened or as a consequence of ww2.

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/a-poll-tax-of-10-pounds-on-chinese-arrivals-in-new-zealand-is-introduced
Yeah, that's pretty much how all the other Commonwealth countries went. Speaking of which I would think that the British would tell the Chinese New Zealanders to keep their traps shut about China or else the Anglo-Japanese Treaty would be put in jeopardy. It would get kind of awkward to be part of an empire actively supporting the invaders of one's homeland.
 
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