Norwegian and Danes Now Dinkum Kiwis

edmondsallan - Hello . In my life time I have met ( just like many others ) some fine people . One of the great things I think I'll remember when I move to Higher Ancestry office is how great we assimulate into the " Kiwi " way of life , and yet, all, usually respect, other races culture , that many times has been handed down from their original ancesters that settled our lands. I guess we better look further into the make up of our country " God's own " so I have heard it called .

To be fair in allocating land , the NZ Government set up a ballot system , simular to the one we used after both wars when our boys returned home to settle down again. Norwegians were mostly in " Norsewood " And the Danes , mostly in " Dannevirk " No matter what the mix was including marriages to Maories / Pakeha -settlers who were near by , the peoples often shared many things cause times were so hard and tough . Even when a stranger arrived in the early evenings , he was offered food and a place to sleep . Even tho ' their shanty homes were constructed from Punga and Totara Bark roofs and roughly sawn slabs for walls and many other crude materials they never lost their manners to complete strangers or neighbours. The men laboured on roads and railways , paying their debts . Women and children remained in their rough forest homes growing cabbages , potatoes , and carrots and other food among the tree stumps . Gradually the land was cleared , The timber taken to the saw mills , farms started to develope . and these hard working Scandinavian settlers began to have a better life . In 1871 to 1876 we settled 3,327 arrivals from Scandinavia . In 1878 they were only 1 % of our total population . I am still doing research on the ancestry of these people who I have found to be even in this day , hard working / money saving / great citizens . By the way - I hope you haven't forgotten the " Hansens " who came from Scandinavia and married into our extended family - Till we meet again - Regards -edmondsallan