From 1881 to 1934, Chinese migrants entering New Zealand were subject to a “poll tax,” an entry fee that started at £10 and in 1896 increased to £100 ($20,000 today). Only one Chinese passenger was allowed for every 10 tons of cargo, and the Chinese were the only ethnic group subject to such fees at the time.

In 2001, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark issued an apology to those affected by the poll tax in both English and Mandarin — but those affected by the poll tax were mostly Cantonese, who did not consider either language as their native tongue. It wasn't until 2023 that a Cantonese version of the apology was finally redelivered by an official translator.

Of those subject to the poll tax, Chinese market gardeners were a prominent group. This poster transcribes the 2023 apology in Cantonese alongside photographs of Chinese market gardeners. Receded into the background is an entry certificate, the document used to record the identities of each Chinese immigrant entering New Zealand.