Peter Poy

Poy, Peter (also known as Peter Poy Joe)

Passed away peacefully on 24 October 2024, aged 88.

Dearly loved husband of Aimee. Loved father of Teresa & Ray, Steven (dec), Patricia and Richard. Dear Goong Goong to Ella. Brother & brother-in-law to Don (dec) & Marlene, Peggy & Gordon Young, Ray & Hing, Jim & Doris, Norman & Liz, and Jeanette & Dennis Ngan. Brother-in-law to Katherine (dec) & Harry (dec) Moy, Betty & Brian (dec) Hagan, David (dec) & Esther Fung, and Kitty & Allen (dec) Chang. Beloved uncle and great uncle to all his nieces and nephews.

We wish to thank Dr Shane Dunphy, Dr Sam McConville, the marvellous staff at Wellington Hospital, the fabulous staff at Malvina Major Retirement Village and Hospital and Wellington Free Ambulance. We also wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many friends and well-wishers for their kind thoughts and support.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Wellington Free Ambulance would be appreciated and can be made online at wfa.org.nz/donate.

Messages to the Poy family may be made online at www.lychgate.co.nz/upcoming-funerals or posted c/- 306 Willis St, Aro Valley, Wellington, 6011.

A service to celebrate Peter’s life will be held at Lychgate Chapel, 7 Johnsonville Road, Johnsonville, Wellington on Monday 4 November 2024 at 11am, and thereafter a private cremation.

TRIBUTES

Joe Yue Sing Family Rowland Joe

We were saddened to hear of Peter’s passing. Our thoughts are with you in this difficult time. We remember Peter’s family visiting our family farm in Palmerston North many years ago. Please accept our heartfelt condolences for your loss. Peter is fondly remembered by our family.
Garland and Jenny Joe, Pamela Joe, Margaret and Phillip Young,Rowland and Lois Joe.

Roland Sarten

Kindly accept our condolences on Peter’s passing. As the family will know we had a long association with Peter and always found him very pleasant, gracious and sincere.
Roland Sarten and family

Irene Lau

I was sorry to hear of Peter’s passing. He was a quiet man with few words and always smiling. He will be greatly missed.
Deepest sympathy to you Aimee, Teresa, Patricia and all the rest of the family. Thinking of you all.

Keith Joe

Dear Aunty Aimee, family and extended family. Condolences on the passing of Uncle Peter. I remember him from as young as I was going to market with my dad, and him catching up with Uncle Peter about how your family was. He told me more recently that the 20+ years after retirement had been the best years of his life. I’ll always remember him to be a gentle, kind, and loving man of great intelligence, inquisitiveness and integrity, that has influenced and blessed many people in his life and continues to live through you all.

Roger and Megan Chang

I just wanted to let the family know that I am so very sorry that Uncle is no longer with us – but I am so very proud to have been able to call him, and you, family.

You are all very special to me, and I have done my best to impress upon my family, how important it is to have strong familial ties. Uncle Peter left me a part of his legacy and I loved visiting you all growing up. I recognize how important it is to put family together, if only to have them all spread that same legacy and memory across the world.

Love always,
Roger Chang (Megan, Isaac, Miles and Lily)

Susan Zou

In memoriam Peter Poy: his story, as written by Susan Zou (I just heard belatedly about Peter’s passing)

Old Chinese New Zealander Peter Poy
By Susan Zou
Published on 26 January 2018 in Chinese in Home Voice, the Chinese newspaper in Wellington Region.
Mr. Peter Poy is an old Chinese New Zealander whom I recently met. I got to know him through three people.
In order to let more people understand the history of Chinese in New Zealand, I made the “Stories of Chinese New Zealanders” program broadcast on Wellington Access Radio. To do it, I needed to interview more than a dozen descendants of Chinese New Zealanders with different backgrounds, experiences, and age and gender. But I didn’t know even one of this kind of person. I was truly at a loss, feeling quite helpless.
What should I do? I thought of president Kevin Zeng of the Home Voice newspaper. Yes, I could ask him, he knows many people. Through Kevin, I got to know Mr. Gordon Wu, the president of the Tung Jung Association of NZ. Gordon is a fourth-generation Chinese New Zealander born and raised in Wellington. He is extremely active in Chinese community and is a warm-hearted and straightforward person. When I asked for his help, he immediately recommended me a few descendants of Chinese New Zealanders and quickly got in touch with them. One of them was Ms. Aimee Poy.
That day, Gordon drove me to Aimee’s house for an initial interview to gather information.
Gordon rang the doorbell. Soon, the door opened, and a lady stood inside, smiling and greeting us. Gordon introduced us to each other. She was Aimee Poy, the person I was to interview. Behind her stood a man, smiling broadly, with his back straight, looking in his 70s. He greeted us warmly and invited us in. I assumed he must be her husband. His name was Peter Poy.
The walls of their foyer were covered with calligraphy scrolls and paintings. Two long calligraphy scrolls read, “A true friend is never far, even if they are on the other side of the world.”, written in bold, vigorous strokes. Six or seven Chinese paintings of landscapes and flowers displayed the owner’s love for nature. “It seems like they both really like Chinese calligraphy and paintings. Whose works are these?” I thought to myself as I followed the hosts into the living room.
After sitting down, we began our conversation. After a while, Peter enthusiastically asked me and Gordon, “Would you like some coffee?”
I politely declined, saying, “No need to trouble yourself.”
“Why don’t we have some tea then? It’s easier to serve,” Gordon suggested.
Peter, with a bright smile, recommended, “You should try the coffee from our new coffee machine. Let me make it for you.”
“Okay, we’ll go with the host’s suggestion,” Gordon readily agreed.
Peter went into the kitchen to prepare. Soon, he returned with four cups of coffee, placing one in front of each of us, along with some snacks, milk, and sugar in the middle of the table. The dark brown coffee emitted an inviting aroma from the crystal-clear glass cups, and the light brown milk foam on top made me eager to take a sip.
I picked up the coffee cup and thought, “Oh, why is the cup cold?” I didn’t ask, but took a sip of the coffee, and it was hot! It turned out the shiny, transparent glass cups were double-layered for insulation. Aha, Peter was quite stylish, even the coffee cups were so trendy!
After Aimee finished introducing her family history, Peter opened a packet of documents and took out a yellowed photocopy, with tape marks at the fold, and began telling us about his family history. Peter was born in China, in the town of Nancun, Longgui, Baiyun District, Guangzhou. In 1920, his father, who was under 18 years old, came to New Zealand to make a living. Later, he returned to China twice, with the last time being in 1937. His father opened two fruit and vegetable shops on Lambton Quay. The first shop was at No. 182, and the second was at No. 360. The photocopy was a certificate of the 100-pound “head tax” his father paid to the New Zealand government when he first entered New Zealand.
“In 1939, my mother and I came to New Zealand as war refugees to reunite with my father. I was four years old then, and I still remember how my mother carried me on her back when we boarded the ship,” Peter said as he took out a photo for us to see. He said with deep emotion, “This was taken before my mother and I left China.” In the photo, a young and elegant woman in a beautiful Chinese cheongsam sat gracefully in a chair, while a little boy with a round face stood next to her. Seeing this photo made us reflect on that distant era.
At that time, the New Zealand government only granted Chinese women and children, as war refugees, a temporary two-year permit to reunite with their husbands or fathers. To allow Peter and his mother to leave their war-torn homeland and reunite in New Zealand, Peter’s father had to pay a 200-pound deposit to the government.
Peter took out a photocopy of the 200-pound deposit certificate his father paid and said, somewhat excitedly, “200 pounds was a lot of money in 1939.”
Due to the ongoing war in their hometown, the New Zealand government later allowed refugees like Peter and his mother to stay. The 200 pounds was eventually refunded. Peter had four brothers and two sisters, and all the original tax payment certificates were kept by his brother.
Looking at the 100-pound of “head tax” and “200-pound” certificate his father paid, Gordon was lost in thought. I imagined he must have been reflecting on the difficult years of his ancestors and grandfather in New Zealand. I couldn’t help but feel moved as I thought, “Those two documents, preserved for nearly 80 to 100 years, tell the story of the struggles of ancestors of Chinese in New Zealand!”
“This is our family’s genealogy,” Peter said as he opened a thick genealogy book titled Zhou Suilu Clan Genealogy and pointed to his name, saying, “My name is here. Zhou Shaopeng is my Chinese name, and I am the 26th generation.”
“Wait, why are there only five names? Aren’t there seven of you siblings?” I asked in confusion.
Peter smiled and said, “Girls don’t appear in the genealogy.”
I knew that due to the influence of the preference for boys over girls, the names of many girls in families do not use the generational characters from the family genealogy. But for a girl to not even be included in the genealogy records at all was really sad! In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote. Having lived in New Zealand for 20 years, I was astonished when I looked at the Zhou Suilu Clan Genealogy.
Next, Peter told a story about his name: “In China, the surname comes first, followed by the given name, but in New Zealand, the given name comes first, followed by the surname. My father’s name was Zhou Houpei. When he came to New Zealand, at customs, the officer saw the name on my father’s travel certificate as Joe How Poy (the Cantonese pronunciation of Zhou Houpei) and assumed that ‘Poy’ was my father’s surname. So, following New Zealand’s customs, the officer took the last character of my father’s name ‘Pei’ (which sounds like ‘Poy’ in Cantonese) and used it as my father’s surname on the entry card. From then on, ‘POY’ became my father’s official surname in New Zealand.”
“Really?” I asked, confused.
Peter paused and continued, “After I came to New Zealand, of course, I also took the surname POY. My younger brothers and sisters also all have the surname POY.” He glanced at his wife and humorously added, “Her Chinese name is Feng Yuyi, and her English name is Aimee. According to New Zealand customs, a wife takes her husband’s surname. After marrying me, she changed her surname to POY and became Aimee POY. Our children also have the surname POY. In our big Zhou family in New Zealand, there are nearly 40 people, but not a single one has the surname ‘Zhou’.” He finished with a hearty laugh, “Ha, ha, ha.”
Seeing that I was still confused, Aimee smiled and asked, “Have you heard of Xu Zhaokai?”
“I’ve heard of him,” I nodded. Xu Zhaokai was a well-known old Chinese entrepreneur in New Zealand. Could it be that his name was also changed?
According to Aimee, Xu Zhaokai’s Cantonese pronunciation was CHOIE Sew Hoy. CHOIE was his surname, and his English name was Charles. However, no one in New Zealand called him Charles CHOIE (Charles Zhou), they all called him Charles Sew Hoy (Charles Zhaokai). Later, Xu Zhaokai simply adopted Sew Hoy (Zhaokai) as his surname. Many of his descendants in New Zealand now carry the surname SEW HOY.
Peter added, “My father’s fellow villager, Zhou Caijin, also had his surname changed. He came to New Zealand in 1925. At customs, his surname was changed to the last character of his name, KUM (the Cantonese pronunciation of Jin).”
“Oh, I see.” After a pause, I cautiously asked Peter, “Don’t you want to change your surname back?”
“Of course, I’d like to! But it’s too troublesome. All our documents, including pensions, bank accounts, our children’s school certificates, etc., have the surname POY. How can I change it back?” he said with a helpless expression.
“This is my business card,” he said, handing me a card and pointing proudly at the three characters 周绍彭 on it. Beneath them, in English, was PETER POY JOE.
JOE was the Cantonese pronunciation of Zhou. How did he end up with the surname Zhou again? I was completely confused about Peter’s name!
Previously, Peter’s English name was Peter POY. Since the 1980s, he had returned to his hometown three times to visit. At the Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall, he saw his father Zhou Houpei’s name on the wall, but his surname was POY (the Cantonese pronunciation of Pei). How could this be?! So, Peter changed his passport name to Peter Poy JOE, reverting to the original Zhou surname. Changing a name he had used officially for nearly 60 years must have been a long and difficult process, but it was also a testament to Peter’s deep affection for his ancestral homeland, China.
Dong, dong, dong… The clock struck twelve. Unknowingly, we had talked for two hours!
As I stood up to say goodbye, I asked about the paintings on the wall. Seeing that I was interested in them, Peter immediately became animated and pointed to a few of the paintings, saying, “These paintings were all done by me.”
“All of these are your paintings?” I asked in surprise. From our conversation earlier, I knew that Peter, who was in his 80s, had retired after running a fruit and vegetable shop. When did he learn Chinese watercolour painting? Who did he learn from?
He noticed my astonished expression and said gently and calmly, “I started learning Chinese painting in 1978, and it was because of my daughter. Back then, my daughter went to learn Chinese painting every Thursday evening at 7 o’clock. I would drive her there. While she was in class, I’d sit in the car and wait for her. After two or three times, I thought I’d go see how she was learning. To my surprise, I ended up falling in love with Chinese painting. From then on, I also learned from that teacher.”
Peter studied under the painter Guo Pingching. She was the founder of the Wellington Oriental Painting Society, spoke several languages, and had a rich knowledge of Chinese art and culture. The Oriental Painting Society was thriving, with an increasing number of students, and it held several art exhibitions in Wellington. Additionally, it was invited by the Australian Chinese Painting Association to participate in an exhibition in Sydney. At the Oriental Painting Society, Peter learned to use the Chinese brush, ink, paint colours, and Xuan paper, while also gaining knowledge of Chinese culture and history. Several of his paintings were selected for these exhibitions. Through these events, he met many friends in the art world, which made him very happy. After moving to Sydney with his wife, Aimee, in 1996, he immediately joined the Australian Chinese Friendship Association.
Peter, with a joyful expression, recalled: “In 1997, I participated in an art tour organized by the association and went to Shanghai Foreign Trade University to study Chinese painting. I stayed there for a month and received a certificate for the ‘Painting and Language Class.’ Later, I organized three more painting tours and one painting and language tour to Shanghai Foreign Trade University, with participants from Wellington, Sydney, and Singapore. The teachers at the university were very caring, and they organized trips to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Huangshan, encouraging us to paint Huangshan. We were also invited to watch a cultural performance for the university’s 40th anniversary. The success of these painting tours was largely due to Professor Xu Yaqin’s efforts in making connections and carefully arranging the painting lessons. Professor Xu had studied at the University of Sydney. Look, those two long calligraphy scrolls were written by my painting teacher in Shanghai, Professor Fang Zhonghua, and he gave them to me.”
“That time, when I visited my hometown with my family, I also stopped by Shanghai for a visit. It’s such a coincidence, I ran into you at a restaurant in Shanghai,” Gordon said excitedly.
“Yes, it was really unexpected to meet you all in Shanghai,” Peter said, then sincerely added: “The painting tours gave us Chinese in overseas the chance to experience Chinese culture, and it felt just like returning home. I used to not understand my parents’ stories about their lives and experiences in China, but now, after the painting tours, I completely understand.”
As I listened to Peter’s explanation, I felt a deep respect for him. He grew up in New Zealand and received a Western education. As the eldest son, he worked at the family-run fruit and vegetable store from the age of 16 to help his family. His love and pursuit of Chinese culture led him, at over 40 years old, to pick up a brush and learn Chinese painting. For over 40 years, he has diligently studied and painted, producing numerous Chinese paintings. Ten years ago, he even tutored children at the Wellington Chinese School in Chinese painting.
Our conversation was very enjoyable. Peter happily said, “Let me give you a painting.” With that, he turned and went into the living room to fetch a scroll tied with blue and white cotton thread, wrapped in Xuan paper. Unrolling the scroll, it revealed a detailed, vibrant painting of peonies he had created. The bright, intense colours brought the red flowers and green leaves of the peonies to life, making them appear radiant and beautiful. His seal, “Peter Yin,” was neatly stamped at the bottom of the painting. Since he did not know how to write in Chinese, there was no inscription on the painting.
I couldn’t refuse his kind offer. I took the precious painting, rich with the story of the Chinese in New Zealand, from Peter’s hands. I deeply bowed to this elder who loved his homeland, to this man who had a special fondness for Chinese painting and had been tirelessly promoting it.
Leaving Peter’s home, I felt very happy. Not only had I completed the preliminary interview with Aimee, but I had also learned Peter’s story. At the same time, I couldn’t help but reflect. Since Appo Hocton (Chinese name is Huang Heting), a crew member from Guangdong, became the first Chinese immigrant to arrive in New Zealand in 1842, 175 years have passed. From the early days when the first Chinese immigrants came to New Zealand’s South Island to mine for gold, to the descendants of these immigrants becoming doctors, lawyers, mayors, and parliamentarians—what a long history of hard struggles! Although many articles, books, television programs, and documentaries have recorded the history of Chinese people in New Zealand, there are still many untold stories of the old Chinese immigrants. Unearthing these stories and letting more people know about the difficult entrepreneurial and survival history of the old Chinese immigrants in New Zealand, as well as their efforts to contribute to society and promote Chinese culture, is something very worth doing.
Only by reviewing the past can we understand the present. Learning about the history of the old Chinese immigrants in New Zealand will help us deepen our understanding of New Zealand society, and for those of us living, studying, working, or settling in New Zealand, it will undoubtedly be a great help in better integrating into New Zealand society.

Note: Special thanks to Mr. Nigel Murphy for providing information about the Chinese women and children who were war refugees.
I visited Peter again. During my second visit, he showed me his collection of paintings and told me that the story of their family’s fruit and vegetable store was included in the book “The Fruits of Hard Work: Chinese Fruit and Vegetable Shops in New Zealand.” This book was officially released in Wellington on 9 March 2018.

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