Chinese footprints: A Lunar New Year walking tour of Wellington

Name: Chinese footprints: A Lunar New Year walking tour of Wellington
Start: 2026-02-24T04:00:00+13:00
End: 2026-02-24T06:30:00+13:00
Location: Wellington Trades' Hall, 124-128 Vivian Street, Wellington

Schedule

Tue Feb 24 2026 at 04:00 am to 06:30 am

UTC+13:00

Location

Wellington Trades' Hall, 124-128 Vivian Street, Wellington | Wellington, WG

Join Oral History Advisor Lynette Shum and historian Nigel Murphy on a walking tour exploring the rich history of the Chinese in Wellington. The tour will also draw on images, ephemera, and oral history from the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Celebrate Lunar New Year exploring Wellington’s Chinese heritage
Celebrate Lunar New Year with Chinese footprints, a walking tour led by Lynette Shum (Oral History Advisor, Archives Library New Zealand) and historian Nigel Murphy. The tour will draw on images, ephemera, and oral history from the Alexander Turnbull Library's collections.
Meet at the Wellington Trades’ Hall Building for a brief introduction, before heading out to explore sites of significance for Wellington’s early Chinese community. These include businesses, eateries, and Haining Street’s ‘Chinatown’ — heritage largely erased and now invisible to passers-by. The tour concludes back at the Trades’ Hall Building with a pot of Chinese tea.
A koha of $10 is suggested to help cover the cost of running the tours.
RSVP now for your spot
Spots are limited, so book your place now by emailing [email protected].
Can’t make this date? We’re also running the tour on Saturday 21 March 2026.
About the speakers
Lynette Shum, third-generation Poon Yue Chinese New Zealander, is Oral History Advisor for Archives Library of New Zealand. Her first home was on the fringes of Chinatown, yet she was unaware of its existence until researching what would become the Haining Street Oral History Project. She has completed an MA on the topic.
Nigel Murphy has been researching, writing, and lecturing on Chinese New Zealand history for almost 40 years. His interests include the politics of Chinese New Zealanders, their organisations and associations, social and cultural lives, home villages, and transnational connections with other Chinese overseas communities.