A full chapter is given to each family which is explored in depth, often in the voices of the protagonists themselves. This detailed and personal approach shows how in the 19th and early 20th century, Maori and Chinese – both relegated to the fringes of society – often had warm and congenial  bonds, with intermarriage and large Maori-Chinese families. However, in recent times the relationship between these two rapidly growing groups has shown tension as Maori have gained confidence in their identity and as increased Asian immigration has become a political issue.

Being Maori-Chinese provides a unique, fascinating insight into cross-cultural alliances between Asian and indigenous peoples, revealing a  resilience which has endured persecution, ridicule and neglect, and offering a picture of New Zealand society which challenges the usual Pakeha-dominated perspective. Today’s Maori-Chinese, especially younger members, are increasingly reaffirming their multiple roots and, with a growing confidence in the cultural advantages they possess, are playing important roles in a social scene that is becoming increasingly multicultural.

Dr Manying Ip, associate professor of Chinese at The University of Auckland, is a social historian who has been researching Chinese New Zealanders and more recent immigrants from Asia since the 1980s. Her major research interests are Chinese New Zealanders: history, society, and identity; Chinese women, Asian migration, transnationalism, racism and multiculturalism. She is the well-known and respected author of several critically acclaimed books on the Chinese in New Zealand, including Unfolding History Evolving Identity: The Chinese in New Zealand (AUP). A highly respected public advocate for the Chinese communities, she was awarded the Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993 and the ONZM (Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit) in 1996.

_{Dr Manying Ip's book is available online from www.amazon.co.uk, www.nzbooksabroad.co.nz or www.fishpond.co.nz
Also in all good bookshops and from Auckland University Press.
Available in North America from IPG Books.
Available in Europe from Eurospan.
Available in Australia from Unireps.}