Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

New site chosen for Northland's Ventnor memorial to Chinese miners lost at sea

By Peter de Graaf
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
11 May, 2020 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Artist's impression of the Ventnor monument, which was to have been built near the entrance to Rawene cemetery. IMAGE / SUPPLIED

Artist's impression of the Ventnor monument, which was to have been built near the entrance to Rawene cemetery. IMAGE / SUPPLIED

A memorial to a ship which sank off Northland's west coast with the remains of 499 Chinese miners on board will be built at Ōpononi instead of Rawene cemetery as originally planned.

The SS Ventnor was on its way to China in 1902 with the remains of miners who had died in the South Island goldfields when it sank with the loss of 13 crew.

The dead miners were to have been buried in their home villages in accordance with Chinese tradition.

Some of the remains washed up along the west coast where they were found by Māori and buried alongside their own dead.

Rescuers, crew members and lifeboats from the Ventnor on the beach at Ōmāpere in 1902. Photo / file
Rescuers, crew members and lifeboats from the Ventnor on the beach at Ōmāpere in 1902. Photo / file
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The wreck was found in 2013 in almost 150m of water.

The New Zealand Chinese Association raised money for a memorial to the miners, the crew and the people of Te Roroa and Te Rarawa who cared for the remains.

Earthworks for the monument started near the entrance to Rawene cemetery in 2018 but caused a grave to collapse in heavy rain. The grave belonged to Rawene identity Bill Tuckey, who had died three months earlier aged 105.

The resulting outcry forced a rethink of the monument's location, which will now be built at the Manea Footprints of Kupe Centre under construction in Ōpononi.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The project was this week granted $100,000 by the Provincial Growth Fund, with Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones saying it would be a key feature of the Wandering with Ancestors Trail.

The trail will connect places related to the Ventnor and is a cornerstone project in Northland's Economic Action Plan. It is expected to be a major drawcard for Chinese visitors.

The Ventnor sank off Hokianga Heads in 1902 with the loss of 13 crew and the remains of 499 Chinese gold miners. IMAGE / SUPPLIED
The Ventnor sank off Hokianga Heads in 1902 with the loss of 13 crew and the remains of 499 Chinese gold miners. IMAGE / SUPPLIED

Ventnor Committee chairman Meng Foon, a former Gisborne mayor who is now Race Relations Conciliator, said after the grave collapse another site was considered at the back of the cemetery but community concerns remained.

The committee approached the Far North District Council which offered alternative sites on a council reserve in Ōpononi township or at the new Manea Footprints of Kupe Centre.

Discover more

Memorial planned for Ventnor's victims

12 Apr 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Memorial to be shifted after grave collapse

30 Mar 10:00 PM

Gifting of Surville anchor 'huge honour' for Te Ahu

12 Nov 08:04 PM

PGF cash to boost Māori farming in Motatau, Bay of Islands

14 May 03:28 AM

The committee had opted for the ''wonderful'' Manea site, Foon said.

The site's geology was more suitable than at the cemetery, which would reduce construction costs, and the two projects and their stories would complement each other.

Foon hoped work could begin once Covid-19 alert level 3 was lifted. He expected the memorial and Manea would open at the same time.

''It has been an interesting journey for us. Our ancestors didn't have an easy journey and I think they are testing us, to see if we have the resolve.''

The memorial, which takes the shape of a ship, dragon's scales, whale bones or a Chinese fan, was designed by Richard Tam and Robert Tse, both of whom are descended from early Chinese-New Zealand settlers.

Information panels will commemorate the lost miners and crew and thank the people of Te Roroa and Te Rarawa in English, Māori and Chinese.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'Surreal intelligence': Orcas seen sharing prey with humans

Northern Advocate

Teen nails turning backyard studio into a thriving business

Northern Advocate

'End my suffering': Mum's grief after toddler's fall from moving ute


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'Surreal intelligence': Orcas seen sharing prey with humans
Northern Advocate

'Surreal intelligence': Orcas seen sharing prey with humans

The study highlights orcas’ potential to form bonds with other species.

16 Jul 01:00 AM
Teen nails turning backyard studio into a thriving business
Northern Advocate

Teen nails turning backyard studio into a thriving business

15 Jul 11:00 PM
'End my suffering': Mum's grief after toddler's fall from moving ute
Northern Advocate

'End my suffering': Mum's grief after toddler's fall from moving ute

15 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP