Overseas Chinese community music in New Zealand: Cultural identity, migration and performance

This study examines the significance of community music practices for the Chinese diaspora in New Zealand. Drawing on participatory ethnographic research conducted across three distinct performance contexts – a private community party, a semi-private/open Chinese celebration and an open multicultural festival – the investigation illuminates the role of music in diasporic life. Specifically, it explores how musical engagement actively constructs individual subjectivities, fosters collective belonging and facilitates the negotiation of multiple cultural identities. The findings reveal that the New Zealand Chinese community actively engages in cultural production through music. These practices serve dual functions: preserving Chinese cultural identity and reinforcing a sense of belonging within the ethnic group, while simultaneously enabling integration into the broader New Zealand society and the formation of complex, hybrid cultural identities. Consequently, community music functions as a vital cultural conduit, strengthening internal cohesion among participants while effectively transmitting Chinese musical traditions to a wider, multicultural society.