Chinese and Māori cultural ties - The SS Ventnor legacy

Join oral history adviser Lynette Shum for a talk titled "Navigating the Narrative: The SS Ventnor Legacy – Shipwrecks, Hungry Ghosts and Cross-Cultural Ties." A third-generation Poon Yue Chinese New Zealander, Lynette will share the remarkable story of the SS Ventnor, which sank off the Hokianga Heads in 1902 while carrying the remains of nearly 500 Chinese men home for burial. She will explore the enduring relationships formed between Chinese New Zealanders and local iwi, who have cared for the lost bones for over a century.

Lynette is the Oral History Adviser at the Alexander Turnbull Library and has long been dedicated to documenting stories through community-based oral history.

While in Gisborne, Lynette will also lead an oral history workshop on 22 May, with a follow-up session one month later.

Please contact us if you’re interested in taking part.

Koha Entry.

Event organised by Heritage Tairāwhiti.