A newly-wed Chinese couple in 1975 by Ronald D Wolf. [Photo/Collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]

Large groups of Chinese from southern Guangdong province followed in the 1860s, prompted by a gold rush in the Otago region.

"After the gold rush faded, the green grocery became a common business for Chinese migrants," says Li. "These groceries not only sold vegetables and fruit, but also functioned as job agencies and banks, which helped people remit money to China."

Some Chinese tycoons were nurturing when it came to Chinese migrants. For instance, Choie Sew Hoy in Dunedin, a principal city in Otago, first offered immigration information and sold instruments to gold miners, and gradually established a business empire.

His family, now in its sixth generation in New Zealand, still plays an important role today.