Industrial Histories: a co-collecting project

A co-collecting project exploring how Pacific peoples remember their post-war migration to New Zealand to fill the labour shortages of a rapidly growing economy.

Te Papa Researchers: Sean Mallon, Nina Tonga, Rachel Yates

External researchers: (tbc)

Project description: The post-war migration of Pacific peoples to New Zealand which began in earnest in the 1950s, intensified in the 1960s and 1970s to fill the labour shortages of a rapidly growing economy.

Most of the new Pacific migrants found unskilled and low paid jobs in factories, warehouses and the service sector.

By the 1970s Pacific peoples reflected one third of the factory shop floors in Auckland.

This co-collecting project explores how Pacific peoples remember and reflect on these histories. What relationships do Pacific peoples and their families have with these workplaces today?

Primary outputs: popular articles, collection development, and an exhibition.