Ambassador opens exhibition celebrating 150 years of Polish people in New Zealand

Polish ambassador Grzegorz Kowal welcomes attendees to the opening of an exhibition celebrating 150 years of Polish people in New Zealand, at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery last night.

A large group of Polish descendants and dignitaries sang the Polish and New Zealand national anthems during the event, which was organised by Poles Down South.

The exhibition focuses on Poles who arrived in Port Chalmers aboard the ship Palmerston, on December 6, 1872, and where their descendants are now.

They were among many Norwegians and Danes who immigrated to New Zealand to help with the Great Public Works Policy, initiated by New Zealand premier Julius Vogel.

It aimed to speed up the building of roads, telegraph lines and railways across the country and is responsible for much of the infrastructure the country now has.

The exhibition itself is in the Dunedin Community Gallery, in Princes St, and is open to the public until December 8.