(TENSE MUSIC) MAN: We have no information whatsoever. WOMAN: Finding villages in China is quite hard, you know. (INTENSE, INTRIGUING MUSIC) So, he thinks he might have found something? So, what's the big secret? MAN: He had a wallet full of money ` 'Can you go and deliver the opium?' And that is our only memory of our grandfather. I can't go forward, because I don't know who I am. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) I'm David Lomas. I'm in Manawatu and heading south to Levin to meet 58-year-old digger operator Perry Hakaraia. Perry is proudly Maori, but there is a big part of his heritage, his whakapapa, that is missing. My mum was Ngati Porou. And my dad was Ngati Maotaki, Ngati Raukawa ki te Tonga. But on my dad's side... is the Chinese heritage. We actually know nothing of it. It's like my grandfather's in the back room somewhere, and then the shelves are empty of books of any information on him. Perry and his siblings were raised by parents Horiana and Rawiri Hakaraia. Rawiri was half-Chinese and half-Maori. We were unique, and we stood out as kids, especially me. I'm more Chinese-looking than all of my siblings. The family lived in Ruatoria, where nine out of 10 of the locals were Maori. I mean, I got my... teasing and name-calling and that. And that's OK. I took that on. It hurt me at the time, and I think of the times and that` I was embarrassed to be that... that Chinese kid, Maori. I wasn't quite sure who I was, so I stood strongly with two legs on my Maori side. But it would be wonderful to know my Chinese heritage. I'm so proud of it. Perry's grandfather was Ru Nam Young, who was said to be a kind-hearted man who, the family believe, came to New Zealand when he was in his late teens. For a start, he lived in Otaki, where he had a short relationship with Eno Hakaraia. Their son ` Perry's father, Rawiri ` was born in 1940. But soon after, Nam moved to Hawke's Bay to establish a market garden. Rawiri told his children he had sometimes stayed with Nam when he was a schoolboy. But Rawiri never explained why, in later life, Nam was not part of his or his children's lives. Did you ever meet him? Once. I was 6, and my sister was 5, who's a year younger than me. It was 1966, and our mum and dad had travelled down from the East Coast to meet our grandfather. And I remember... (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) ...parking out at the front gate and looking at his, um... his shed, the shack that he lived in. He didn't speak English, so he had an interpreter there. Perry was intrigued by his Chinese grandfather and curious to know more about him, but Nam passed away when Perry was 11, before he had a chance to get to know him better. And that is our only... (MUSIC STOPS) memory of our grandfather, that one meeting. (MEDITATIVE MUSIC) Perry is fluent in te reo and heavily involved with traditional sailing waka. Understanding his heritage on both sides is very important to him. I know that on my mother's side, I can travel back to Maui. And it's the same with my Tainui connection too, with my dad's side. And for your paternal grandfather? The Ru Nam Young side? Zero. We have a picture of his headstone where he's buried. And then there's a big void. There's a big valley in between, dark space, and then there's the mainland China. And that's it. That's all we've got. Perry's father passed away 10 years ago. Nam's descendants now number 74, including Perry's eight children and 15 grandchildren. Perry wants them to know their Chinese heritage. And all our grandchildren look very Chinese. Yeah, so the gene is very strong. The Young family is very strong within the Hakaraia, yeah. If we can get some answers,... what would that mean to you? Personally, it'd be a great journey ` to fill the gap up that I've sort of shunned to one side all my life. I've taken up my taha Maori side strongly,... and that Chinese side, I can't, because I don't know who I am. (INTENSE, INTRIGUING MUSIC) I quickly discover Ru Nam Young was officially almost an invisible man. On the electoral roll and in marriage records, there is no mention of him, and his death certificate does not show where or when he was born. Perry believes Nam arrived in New Zealand sometime between 1910 and 1920, a period when anti-Chinese feeling was widespread. (TENSE MUSIC) Chinese first arrived in New Zealand to work on the gold fields, and by the 1880s, there were almost 5000 Chinese men here but just nine Chinese women. (TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES) Reacting to public pressure, the government tried to stop more Chinese arriving by introducing an entry tax. (MUSIC FADES) (INTRIGUING, EXPECTANT MUSIC) (ENGINES WHOOSH) I head to the national archive in Wellington. I search through old entry ` or poll tax ` records. There are hundreds of photos of young men who each paid �100 ` about $19,000 in today's money ` to enter New Zealand. They came desperate to earn money to send to their struggling families back in China. As I look for the name Ru Nam Young, I compare photos, and none seem to match. (INTRIGUING MUSIC CONTINUES) I also check passenger lists. Again, I can find no name resembling Ru Nam Young. Just who was this mystery man? (PENSIVE MUSIC) Back in Auckland, I've arranged to meet an author who might be able to help me. Lily Lee is an expert on early Chinese in New Zealand. Her father was a market gardener sent here to provide for his family back in China. You've looked at a photograph of Ru Nam Young's grave, and it's got the Chinese writing there. Does that tell you where he came from in China? Yes, it does. It's not specific enough, though, because there were so many Youngs. And, so, you've got Hong Panyu, which is the county, and that's north of Guangzhou. And then you have Pong Woo, which is his village. It's actually quite a big village, and there could be a number of different dialects, even, are spoken in that village. So when a person comes from such a large area, it is quite difficult to trace their actual family. 'Before I leave, Lily tells me something interesting about the young men from the area.' They did betroth them to their wives very early, in Panyu ` I know, like... sometimes from the age of 6 or 7... or 10. So he may have been betrothed, and he may have had a wife there. I` I don't know. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) The possibility that Nam may have been married back in China opens up a whole lot of new options. Did Nam leave behind a wife and children? And if so, can I find any living relatives for Perry to meet? So, he thinks he might have found something? Perry Hakaraia is trying to trace his Chinese heritage. But all my searching for information about his grandfather, market gardener Ru Nam Young, has proved unsuccessful. (TENSE MUSIC) I've discovered a woman in Auckland who is an expert in researching family history in China. ON PHONE: Hello? Hello. Is that Janet Joe? Yes, it's Janet. Janet Joe has helped hundreds of New Zealanders with Chinese heritage to find their roots. But she warns this one won't be easy. Finding villages in China is quite hard. Most of them have different names now. But send it to me, and I'll do some searching. (TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES) While Janet does her research, I head south to Hawke's Bay to find out more about Nam's life in New Zealand. For more than 30 years, he worked a small market garden on land leased from the Kohupatiki Marae on the outskirts of Clive. (WISTFUL PIANO MUSIC) I'm here to meet marae elders James and Api Robin. Even though we may not talk about Nam for a few years, as soon as his name comes up, my God, you know, all the lights go on. So that's how close he was, you know? He was part of the whanau of this marae. Nam lived in a one-room shack on his market garden. I'm told he was a generous man, often donating vegetables for tangi and other marae gatherings. He employed local teenagers at harvest time, and they nicknamed him 'Nim'. We whangaied Nim. It's like what you call adopted, eh. And... we actually loved Nim. He was a great guy. He was a real kind, gentle, loving Asian man. I thought of him as a grandfather. (BRIGHT PIANO MUSIC) Not only was Nam loved here, but I'm stunned to hear the marae are planning a Maori ritual so Nam's spirit can be returned to his homeland. It's part of our tikanga. It's part of our culture. When someone passes, and they come from another area, whether to somewhere in New Zealand or overseas, well, then, uh, his memories need to go back to his... his place of birth. It's known as a kawe mate. Yeah. You know, I think it's just to rest him at peace too. Just to do something wonderful like that for a wonderful, dear old friend ` like I said, grandfather ` that's really special, and that's wonderful. Just glad to be a part of it. (PENSIVE MUSIC) For Perry and his family, my discovery that another whanau loved their grandfather and want to send his spirit back to China will be a stunning and moving surprise. But I need to find where and hopefully to whom Nam's spirit can be returned. 'Later that day, there is another person I need to meet. 'Hemi Robin is to be the marae representative when Nam's spirit is taken home to China.' Good to meet you. 'Hemi has an interesting story to tell me. 'It relates to what Nam requested of Hemi's father, Skip, in the days just before Nam died.' He said, 'Skip, 'can you do a favour for me?' 'Well, what's that, Nim?' 'Can you go and deliver... 'the... the opium?' Nam, like many old Chinese, regularly smoked opium to relax. So by the time Dad came home, he had a wallet full of money and a car full of vegetables from the local Chinese community. Opium smoking had been introduced to China by British merchants who brought the drug in from India. In New Zealand in the late 1800s, opium was smoked by both European and Chinese settlers. But it was a petition signed by 500 Chinese men that finally prompted Parliament, in the early 1900s, to control the drug's use. However, the law that was passed actually discriminated against Chinese. It gave police the right to enter any Chinese-occupied property to search for opium. Many homes were raided, including Nam's shed. But Nam was never found in possession of opium, because a local policeman, sympathetic to the needs of the Chinese opium users, always alerted the marae to any raid. While a lot of money appeared to pass through Nam's hands selling opium, he continued to live extremely modestly. That money never sat around his house. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) We used to wonder, 'Where is he putting this money? Is he putting it in his mattress? 'Where's he... Where's he putting it?' I also wonder what Nam did with all that cash. His market garden ` now a nursery ` was profitable. So was this money going back to family in China? For the people of the Kohupatiki Marae, sending Nam's spirit home is important, and they're paying for Hemi to represent them in China. My bucket list was to... do this, take his... wairua, his mauri, back to China, or follow his footsteps ` just knowing where he came from. (PENSIVE MUSIC) As I head back to Auckland, I reflect on the good news I've just told Perry on the phone. He was ecstatic to hear that the people at the Kohupatiki Marae fondly remember Nam, the man from China who, for many years, ran a market garden on marae land. I've arranged for Perry to come to Hawke's Bay next week to hear about his grandfather, the man people here also consider a grandfather. (CELL PHONE RINGS) (INTRIGUING MUSIC) Hello, Janet. Hi, David. 'That evening, it is Janet with more good news.' Look, I didn't think I would ever find anything about Ru Nam Young, because you gave me so little information, but I think I've found the village he's from. There's a teacher in the village, and he's found something really exciting. from Domino's. I can't go forward, because I don't know who I am. Today, I'm back in Hawke's Bay, heading to the Wharerangi Cemetery, where Ru Nam Young is buried. Perry Hakaraia is here with his sisters, Nancy and Destine. I've told them that a special ceremony is about to take place. But first, I update them on my search. When we started looking into your grandfather and talking about stuff here, the Kohupatiki Marae, where he had his market garden ` the people there have a very close bond with your grandfather, and he was, sort of, almost like a grandfather to a lot of the people there, and, uh, one of them is Hemi up there, who's come to meet you today. Tena koe, Hemi. Tena koe. Nga mihi. We've actually found, in China,... where your grandfather comes from, the actual village. And we know it's right, because his name's written on the school house there. Wow. And so... the idea is, if you guys are all happy, we will go to that village... Yip. Wow. Very happy. Can't wait. ...and go and see what we` what more we can find, because once we get there, we hope we can find a whole lot more. So, Hemi is going to come with us, and he's going to be the representative of the marae to take... Nim, or Nam's, spirit back there, and so that's... the background to this ceremony today, to transfer the spirit back to China. Yeah. That is wonderful. That's so amazing, yeah. I'm going to present this to one of the girls. Nga mihi. Nga mihi. ALL SING: # Ehara # i te mea... # No naianei... Then the two whanau, who have just met, join together to uplift the spirit of the man they both call grandfather. Today, we are... gathered to celebrate... this journey of Nam Young... and the whanau, Robin and Hakaraia,... to discover the connections of past, bringing them to the present... so we're able to... move... and take that journey, spiritually, to the homeland of this tupuna. This is the beginning of a journey for the whanau. (SPEAKS MAORI) (UPLIFTING MUSIC) Ki reira. (MUSIC FADES) Then, a few kilometres away at the Kohupatiki Marae ` a ceremony to transfer Nam's spirit to stones dug from the earth where Nam had his market garden. (WHANAU SING WAIATA) Quite overwhelming to come here, to find out that our papa, our Papa Nam, was looked after and loved by the Robin whanau and many others here in the village. Finally, we get to finish off the journey for him. The family now has the spirit of their grandfather ready for return to China. And while we now know the village Nam came from, we still don't know whether there is family living there. I'm especially keen to find out if Nam led a double life in New Zealand. Had he married before he left China? And did he leave children behind? (DETERMINED MUSIC) I head to China. I land in Hong Kong, then, by high-speed train, I travel to Guangzhou, the city once known as Canton, 142km northwest. It's one of China's three largest cities and home to 14 million people. Researcher Janet Joe's at the train station. She's been here a few days. Hi, David. Good to see you. Good to see you. Welcome to Guangzhou. Janet takes me 30km north of Guangzhou to Pong Woo, the village named on Nam's headstone. These are the same alleyways that Nam would have once walked. So, this all feels very run down and deserted. Yes. This used to be the old marketplace for this Pong Woo area, but, um, everyone's gone overseas, and it's just left all these homes here. In the extra days Janet's been here, she's researched this town's history. She tells me that eight of the 13 villages that make up Pong Woo were occupied by people with the name Young. While it means we're in the right place, it still doesn't help us with our search. Young is as common here as the name Singh or Jones is back in New Zealand. Janet's caught up with the local schoolteacher, and he's busy following up some leads. He'll meet me tomorrow. In this semi-deserted town, I wonder ` can we find family before Perry and his sisters arrive in two days' time? (INTENSE, DRAMATIC MUSIC) So, he thinks he might have found something? (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) Guangzhou, with its stunning skyline, is China's third-largest city. I'm on the outskirts of the city, in an area called Pong Woo, trying to find the family of Perry Hakaraia's Chinese grandfather. It's the height of summer, and this morning, the 35-plus-degree temperature is accompanied by a torrential downpour. Thank goodness the rain's eased off a bit, eh? Yeah. I'm with researcher Janet Joe, and we are heading to meet schoolteacher Mr Young in the small village of Dong Ming Li. Mr Young rang Janet earlier, saying he has exciting news. Hello. (SPEAKS CHINESE) (SPEAKS CHINESE) So, what's the big secret? What have you found? (SPEAKS CHINESE) Oh. He's found, um, Ru Nam's ancestral house over on the 12th lane. Just here? Just further down. How did you find that? (SPEAKS CHINESE) (SPEAKS CHINESE) So, he's been asking people around this area, and because he's only just down the road there, he's found out. Can we go and have a look? (SPEAKS CHINESE) (SPEAKS CHINESE) (RAIN PATTERS) Lead the way. The Hakaraia family arrive tomorrow, so this amazing find comes at just the right time. The houses here, I'm told, are all around 140 years old. So where we are walking looks just the same as when Nam left. So, he's sure this is the house? This is the house here. (MOODY MUSIC) The house is derelict, but it is where Nam would have been born and lived until he left for New Zealand. (CURIOUS MUSIC) We are still trying to find relatives of Nam. But with so many of the houses in the old village now abandoned, will any of the families still live there? And if not, can we find them in this new and highly urbanised Guangzhou? (MUSIC BUILDS) (MUSIC FADES) (SHIP HORN BLARES) The next day, Perry Hakaraia and his sisters, Nancy and Destine ` who bought tickets to accompany their brother ` arrive. It's their first time in Guangzhou, and they are delighted to be in their ancestral hometown. It's amazing, eh? Guangzhou. Guangzhou. What was this city like when our grandfather left? Hemi Robin, the Kohupatiki Marae representative, also arrived this morning on an earlier flight. I ask them all to meet me at the old schoolhouse where, back in New Zealand, I'd told them we'd found their grandfather listed on some records. So,... we've got you here, because this is the school... which, um,... your family... helped build. I mean, it's the one where your grandfather contributed. So it's this building here. (CURIOUS MUSIC) His hard work that was obviously in the market gardens back over in... ...in Hemi's market garden. ...in Hemi's whenua,... (CHUCKLES) ...all those times he went to the market to help our` our grandfather offload all those tomatoes, this is where the proceeds were coming. But come inside. You can see the` the story of it. All that hard work. Come on. All that hard work, brother. All that puha patch. You've done the deed. Come on up, and we'll meet Mr Young. 'For Perry, it's his first tangible connection here in China to his grandfather, 'the man he's wondered about since their only meeting when Perry was 6.' (READS IN CHINESE) Your grandfather donated money to help build this school. So, he donated twice to help build this school. The school. Mm. Wow. That's awesome. Then Perry gets his moment ` a chance to learn his Chinese whakapapa. So, how long were our family residing in this area? The first generation that actually settled down here was in 1207, so your grandfather would be the 22nd generation of that Young family. Knowing now that our grandfather goes back 22 generations... And that is... Quite amazing. Well, it's... it's great for our children... Yes. and our grandchildren to carry that line on, his line on. Yes, yes. Thank you, sir. (SPEAKS MAORI) (TRANSLATES IN CHINESE) (CHUCKLES) Thank you. Xiexie. So, Mr Young is also related to you. So, yeah, you're village cousins. All Youngs. We're cousins, you and I. (LAUGHS) (JANET TRANSLATES IN CHINESE) Here, give me five. Here, bro. (LAUGHTER) While the family are delighted to see their grandfather's name recorded here, and I am yet to tell them that we have found their grandfather's house, I still want to find close family for them to meet. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) As we leave, Mr Young requests a private chat. He has big news. He's found out that, um,... Ru Nam had a wife here. So he had a wife? He was married before he went over. Blimey. Perry Hakaraia and his sisters are in the small Chinese village of Dong Ming Li. It is where their grandfather Ru Nam Young lived before he moved to New Zealand more than 100 years ago. Local schoolteacher Mr Young has just revealed that Nam actually married before moving to New Zealand. So he had a wife? He was married before he went over. She'd be dead, obviously. (SPEAKS CHINESE) Oh. She passed away about 1985. (SPEAKS CHINESE) Oh. No children, um, but... he's heard that she actually had an adopted daughter. We have only two days left in China before we fly back to New Zealand. Now that Mr Young has made this amazing breakthrough, he's determined to track down Nam's wife's adopted daughter and any other family. In the meantime, the Hakaraia family take in the sights of Pong Woo, the village their grandfather came from. Our walk takes us to Dong Ming Li, the small village within the village, where I have a big surprise for Perry and his sisters. If you just come down here a bit... (BIRD CHIRPS) So, Perry, you were saying you really wanted to know where your grandfather came from. Well, if you walk down there to number 8 ` you'll see number 8 on the right hand side. That's your ancestral home, or what's left of it. Take him down ` number 8. It's on the right hand side. (GENTLE, CAUTIOUS MUSIC) It's right here. This is it here, on our right. (INTONES IN MAORI) Whakamaua tina! Tina! Hui e, taiki e! (SOFT, CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) (SIGHS SOFTLY) This is our koro's whare. Actually at our grandfather's house, his parents' home, where he ate... as a young man. This would be the kitchen,... where his mum cooked. Ohh. (SIGHS) This is over 100 years ago. Kia ora, Papa. Kia ora, Nan. Kia ora na matua tipuna. (PERRY SPEAKS MAORI) 'Being in the ruin of their grandfather's home 'is emotional for the Hakaraias.' (SNIFFS) Kia ora, Nan. 'And I have more news.' So,... we've been trying to find relatives... to see if there's anyone who is still around, and we haven't found any yet. But what we do know is your grandfather was married, and he was married and lived in this house, and his wife lived here for the rest of her life. She lived here until the 1980s, and, uh, it's been derelict since then. 'To discover that Nam left, leaving behind a wife, leaves the family unsettled.' She would've had to stay here and wait for him to come home, which he never did. Um, whether he had no money to come back, whether he didn't want to come back,... we don't know. But she, um, was lonely, so she went and adopted a daughter from a nearby village. The daughter has since married and moved on, and we don't seem to know where she's gone. Yes. That is sad. Very sad. Now to know the story ` that he had a betrothed wife he left here, and she lived a lonely life ` it's mixed with joy,... and also, we're quite aware that it's mixed with sadness of her being left here. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) That night, back in Guangzhou, the family, now feeling more of a connection with their ancestral land, go exploring. This was the gateway, yeah. To the seventh century. That's us. That's who we belong to. Tomorrow, I will take the family back to Dong Ming Li, to the ancestral hall in the village. It is, I have been advised, the most appropriate place to return Nam's spirit. Meanwhile, I'm waiting anxiously to hear if Mr Young has had any success in finding relatives for the Hakaraias to meet. (CELL PHONE RINGS) Hello ` David. 'It's Janet, and she has good news.' So he thinks he might have found someone? He's saying he might have found a relative? (PENSIVE MUSIC) That's fantastic. OK, I'll see you in the morning. Cheers. 'Mr Young has pulled off the impossible.' (EXPECTANT MUSIC) The next morning, when the family arrive back in Don Ming Li, a surprise awaits them. As you know, this is your village. Your grandfather's house was just down there. And, uh, this building over here, which we're just gonna go to, is what they call the ancestral hall. It's... It's the closest thing, I suppose, in China to what you would call the marae. It's where the people gather. It's where you respect your ancestors. So, today,... in here,... you can finish... the returning of Nam... to China. But also inside there, there's a few people waiting. There is, um,... a relative of yours ` another Mr Young ` and there's a lady in there waiting for you, and she is... the daughter who was adopted by Nam's wife. Wow. Wow. That is just... uncomprehensible. Even emotion can't even... That is just amazing. Wow. And one of the things she will tell you is that... your grandfather actually sent money back to his wife all his life. So... Anyway, Perry, I'll get you to go and knock on the door, and Mr Young will meet you. Janet's in there to help interpret, and we'll all go in and... see it. (EMOTIONAL MUSIC BUILDS) Come on. Come on, sis. (KNOCK ON DOOR) (DOOR CREAKS) YOUNG: Hello. Hemi? (INTONES IN MAORI) (SIGHS) (INTONES EMOTIONALLY IN MAORI) (EMOTIONAL MUSIC RISES) (EMOTIONAL MUSIC CONTINUES) Hi, Perry. (KISSES) Welcome home, welcome home. This is the Young family ancestral hall. This is Ru Nam's adopted daughter here in China. (SPEAKS CHINESE) It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for Su Ching, who has come with her husband. She has no children, so meeting family on her adopted mother's side is a special and bewildering moment. Also here is Yang Kam Tong, whose great grandfather was Nam's father's brother. Neither of them ever met Nam but heard stories about his time in New Zealand from other relatives. To begin with, the family follow Chinese tradition and pay respect to their ancestors. Yes, one bow at a time. Up straight. Bow again. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) Up straight and bow again. Three times. And then put the sticks into the urn. OK. (MUSIC CONTINUES) And this is to tell your relatives that you have finally come home. (MUSIC RISES) Then Perry begins the ceremony to return Nam's spirit back to his homeland. (INTONES IN MAORI) Quite emotional, actually. Quite emotional knowing that we didn't expect anything, and I wasn't expecting anything, but walking through and seeing that we had whanau on the other side was quite tearful. I was quite emotional, just seeing them. Ru Nam Young. Anei te whakapapa... We've brought our grandfather's kawe mate back, his spirit, and that he can be at peace too. (WHANAU SING WAIATA) HEMI: I think this brings closure... to his journey; in a sense, he is home,... even though he... lies in New Zealand. Connecting with whanau has been the icing on the cake for this trip. To discover Nam sent money back to his wife has made it all the more sweeter. An emotional wreck ` coming through these exact doors... that my grandfather had stepped through and left for the last time, and we had retraced his tracks ` probably about 115 years ago. I don't think there's a lot of words that can express that emotion of connecting to an unknown family that we've never known about. It's great. It's... actually damn awesome. It's a definitely big O for awesome, Dave. (LAUGHS) It's great. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) Perry's journey to China allowed him to finally stand with his feet in two cultures ` Maori and Chinese. Since returning to New Zealand, the extended Hakaraia family has made plans to return to Guangzhou with the younger generation so they too can learn about their Chinese heritage. WOMAN: Who would leave a baby in the outside washhouse of an empty house? Lorraine's mother died, never knowing who abandoned her as a baby. She had congealed blood on her. Lorraine's now desperate for answers. I'm gonna do something about it. My search uncovers family she never knew existed. Oh my goodness. (INTENSE MUSIC) You're not gonna believe what I've just found. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020 Supporting local content so you can see more of New Zealand on air.