Wellington's Indian story: beyond a century is a book that will be released mid this year Photo: Jacqueline Leckie
There is more to the Indian community than stories of migrant exploitation and overstaying - and a new book opens the lid on its history.
The Wellington Indian Association is celebrating its centenary today, and halfway through this year a new book will lift the lid on the community's long history with the city.
That history goes back much further than 100 years, with the first Indian migrants jumping ship in the late 1700s.
Jaqueline Leckie said that was something that was still little-known to most Kiwis, but she had spent most of her career researching the Indian diaspora, and how they landed in white settler colonies like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
"I think it was about 1769, [where] there's records of some Indian sailors on ships, one was with the French East India company. And then later, Indian men were working on ships that were run by the British East India companies," Leckie explained.
Leckie had written multiple books about the history of Indian migration, and her latest focused on the Wellington region. It detailed how Indians settled and developed into the community that existed there today.
"So looking more at the importance of place, and connection which you would find in other parts of Aotearoa," she said.
A picture of a newspaper article about the arrival of Bhavani (later renamed Kamala), an elephant who was a gift from Indian women to New Zealand women Photo: Jacqueline Leckie
Leckie said in the early days the city's Indian population was small, but their presence still caused a disruption.
"The issue of colour and race was at the forefront of a lot of people's perceptions... especially during the early 20th century just after World War I, when times were pretty tough economically, we start to get outcry by white people about the fact that these Indian people were taking over their businesses or competing with them," she says.
That did not deter Indian migrants, who were incredibly ambitious and keen to start businesses, Leckie said.
Initially they went for jobs that did not require knowing much English, she said.
Hawking - selling produce from a basket on the street - was popular. Many also worked in factories, or as bottle collectors.
Indian migrants really valued education and so by the late 60s they began getting more academic jobs in the civil service or becoming teachers, Leckie said.
"That emphasis on education and trying to do better ... it's very strong within a lot of migrant families to try and make sure that the following generations have a lot more opportunities," she said.
The history of Indian migration was complex and included both stories of success and struggle, Leckie said.
"I don't treat migrant history as a 'rags to riches' story, I think that's a bit too superficial. It's really important to look at some of the nuances. Not everybody is a successful migrant ... I think you need to look at the richness and look more at the complexities in these stories."
The Detail also speaks to RNZ Asia journalist Blessen Tom about how news headlines featuring Indians, centring on issues of migrant exploitation and visa overstayers, give us a false perception of New Zealand's Indian community.
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