Chinese business tycoon Chew Chong and his family around 1900. [Photo/Collection of Puke Ariki]

Strict restrictions on Chinese migrants came into play in 1881, followed by a series of discriminatory laws in the subsequent decades.

"Then, a Chinese migrant was required to pay tax, which roughly equaled two-year's average income of New Zealanders at that time, to stay in the country," says Li.

But, when many Chinese joined the New Zealand military during World War II to fight Japan, they won a great reputation for the whole community, and the restrictions were lifted. One result, the curator says, was that "many photographers began to then take pictures of ordinary Chinese".

Chinese entrepreneurs continued to be pathfinders during that time.