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Pacific Foodways in New Zealand

Diaspora

⚠ AUCKLAND IS THE LARGEST POLYNESIAN CITY IN THE WORLD, which is the single most important fact about food in New Zealand after the Māori one. Migration from the 1950s and 60s, much of it recruited for industrial labour: SAMOANS in the largest numbers, then COOK ISLANDERS and NIUEANS and TOKELAUANS — who are New Zealand citizens or in free association, so their movement was not immigration in the ordinary sense — and TONGANS, FIJIANS and Tuvaluans. ⚠ AND THE DAWN RAIDS of the 1970s, in which Pacific people were targeted for immigration enforcement, are part of that history and were formally apologised for by the New Zealand government in 2021. The food: taro, green banana, cassava and palusami at the markets of Ōtara and Māngere; the umu; corned beef and mutton flaps, which are a documented and much-criticised trade in low-grade fatty cuts exported to the Pacific; coconut cream; and the church and family feast as the organising occasion. Plus the very large Chinese, Indian, Korean and Filipino communities, and a documented Indian presence dating from the nineteenth century.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Samoans community documented
  • Cook Islanders community documented
  • Niueans community documented
  • Tokelauans community documented
  • Tongans community documented

Languages: Samoan, Niuean, Tokelauan, English, Māori

What is recorded

  • Auckland is documented as the largest Polynesian city in the world. Pacific migration to New Zealand from the 1950s and 1960s was substantially recruited for industrial labour, with Samoans the largest group, and Cook Islanders, Niueans and Tokelauans moving as citizens or under free association rather than as immigrants. The Dawn Raids of the 1970s targeted Pacific people for immigration enforcement and were formally apologised for by the New Zealand government in 2021. The export of mutton flaps to Pacific markets is documented and has been widely criticised. documented
  • The Dawn Raids: Pacific people in New Zealand are targeted for immigration enforcement. The New Zealand government formally apologises in 2021. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

  • part of New Zealand Foodways documented

    ⚠ Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world.

  • related to Polynesian Foodways documented
  • related to Samoan Foodways documented

    Samoans are the largest Pacific community in New Zealand. The Dawn Raids of the 1970s were formally apologised for in 2021.

Recipes

No recipes are filed under this cuisine yet.