Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust now open for applications
Media Release 19 June 2009
Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust now open for applications
The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust is currently receiving applications for funding.
The Trust aims to create a greater understanding of the Chinese community within New Zealand and strengthen the unique identity of Chinese New Zealanders.
The Trust was established in 2002, following a government apology for the historic actions of past governments which imposed a poll tax on Chinese persons entering New Zealand, and enacted other discriminatory legislation.
The Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust provides recognition of the hardship caused by the poll tax, and is a gesture of goodwill to poll tax payers, their descendants, and future generations.
In the last funding round, the Trust granted $47,800 in total to projects and activities across the country.
The Nelson Provincial Museum / Tasman Bays Heritage Trust was granted $5000 towards the research and publication of a book about one of Nelson’s earliest settlers, Appo Hocton, the first migrant of Chinese origin in Nelson.
Chinese Lifeline was granted $2000 to redesign and upgrade their existing website. Chinese Lifeline provides telephone and face-to-face counselling services to New Zealand’s Chinese community.
$1000 was granted to the Cantonese Opera Society of New Zealand to support the 2009 Waitakere Moon Festival.
The Trust holds two funding rounds each year. Applications for the current funding round close on 30 September 2009. Successful grants will be announced in December 2009.
To obtain an application form, or to learn more about the Trust, visit the Department of Internal Affairs’ website: www.dia.govt.nz or phone 0800 824 824.
ENDS
Media contact
Iona Wassilieff, Communications Assistant, Department of Internal Affairs, Local Government and Community Branch, phone (04) 495 7299 or email iona.wassilieff@dia.govt.nz
