Far North Dalmatian kauri gum diggers’ descendants are today making their mark in their district’s local government politics – as the area celebrates its first heritage week.

Almost 30 per cent of the Far North District Council (FNDC) politicians are of Dalmatian heritage – the highest percentage of any New Zealand council.

Dalmatians are now a distinctive part of the Far North and its council. Penetaui Kleskovic (Māori/Dalmatian/Welsh), Mate Radich (Māori/Dalmatian) and John Vujcich make up the trio of current councillors with those Eastern European roots.

FNDC’s first mayor, Millie Srhoj, MBE, QSM – who spent almost 50 years in local government – had roots from that part of the world too.

Kleskovic’s great-great-great grandfather Andrija Kleskovic from Dalmatia married Erina Kaaka from Te Hapua in 1892 in the first Dalmatian-Māori wedding in New Zealand.

Far North historian and author Kaye Dragicevich – who has written several books about Far North Dalmatian history – said Dalmatian gum diggers made a huge contribution to the Far North’s heritage. Digging kauri gum was popular for the councillors’ forbears because it offered a way of making money without needing too much other than hard work.

“They could get into it fairly cheaply, without needing too much skill or too many tools. They didn’t have to speak English. Setup costs were pretty low. The gum buyers would provide them with things like spades, digging tools and tents, in turn purchasing their harvested kauri gum with the price of the initial materials gradually paid off,” Dragicevich said.

The first wave of Dalmatians arrived in the Far North in 1892. The Kleskovics started kauri gum digging in the 1890s at Waihopo near Te Kao. Radich’s family started gum digging at Sweetwater after arriving in the 1930s, his father digging gum on the land that is now his son’s farm.

Vucjich’s New Zealand family beginnings started in the early 1900s, his great-grandfather going to Rawene at first, labouring and doing general work such as making stone walls rather than gum digging, eventually heading back there after time elsewhere.

The generations that grew from the early Dalmatians became assimilated into the community, linking closely with Māori in particular.

Far North-based former MP Shane Jones (Māori/Dalmatian/Welsh) said it was only natural some would go on to represent their communities in the local government arena.

Kleskovic and Radich are “Tarara”, meaning of mixed Dalmatian and Māori blood.

Māori coined the word to describe what they heard when Dalmatians talked.

“Dalmatians spoke so quickly. They used the phrase to describe the sound of what they heard when the Dalmatians were speaking,” Dragicevich said.

Radich said there was always tremendous respect between the two cultures, and many Far North residents today have mixed Māori and Dalmatian ancestry.

“We were raised Māori, which meant focusing on communal ways of living. People see me as Māori and they know I also have Dalmatian blood,” Kleskovic, said.

First-generation Kiwi-born Radich grew up speaking only Dalmatian and Māori at home.

“I was lucky, the principal at Pukepoto School taught us English after school,” Radich said.

Other Far North gum digger descendants include Boris Jurlina, 94, a 24-year Mangōnui County Council politician (until 1983), much of that as deputy chairman. His father Loui was a Sweetwater and Lake Ohia gum digger.

Loui came to Sweetwater in 1914 aged 16. He helped his older general storekeeper and gum-buyer brothers. He drove a bullock wagon collecting gum for sorting and grading back at Sweetwater. He later developed drains for the Government across Awanui. In 1929 he bought a Lake Ohia gum company then went farming.

First-generation Dalmatian Kiwi, six-year FNDC deputy mayor and Tarara John Klaricich (1998-2004), QSO, CNZOM, spent 18 years in local government also including as Hokianga County Council chair. Klaricich’s father went gum digging at Aranga near Waipoua Forest in 1902, later settling on Ōmāpere wife Nikki Toi’s family land.

Meanwhile, Jones’ younger brother Peter-Lucas Jones (Māori/Dalmatian/Welsh) is a Northland Regional Council Te Raki Māori constituency councillor.

Vujcich said Dalmatian forebears were passionately interested in fostering their tiny homeland communities. This characteristic came to New Zealand with them and was among the reasons descendants wanted to be in local government.

Radich, a 15-year councillor, said Dalmatians starting out as gum diggers soon bought farms and developed other businesses.

“They played a major part in developing the Far North and its economy,” Radich said.

Dragicevich said the Dalmatian characteristic of working hard to make things happen also contributed to people wanting to stand for the council today.

Kleskovic said having people with Dalmatian heritage on the council meant the breadth of Far North society was represented.

He is former MP Shane Jones’ son and just the second in his family after an almost 100-year absence across five generations, to bear the surname of his gum digging Dalmatian forefather Andrija.

Andrija and Erina Kleskovic had 13 children, whose surnames were changed to Anaru or Andrew. Surname fluidity continued down the generations to become Jones then finally back to Kleskovic.

Andrija’s daughter Raiha asked Shane Jones to give the original Dalmatian surname to his first-born son at baptism. So it was brought to life again after its almost 10-decade absence and prevailed for all his sons.

Dragicevich said there were three things that were important to Dalmatian gum diggers as they moved on in their lives, got married and had children.

“They wanted their children to assimilate, to work hard and to hold on to their culture.”

Vujcich said education was always seen as important. The third-generation Kiwi has a Bachelor of Science (hons) degree in relativity and cosmology plus a Master of Science in computer science. He set up a local computer business and has a deer farm and a forestry block.

Vujcich’s council roles include FNDC’s joint regional economic development portfolio with Kleskovic and an FNDC Northland Chamber of Commerce appointee. He is also closely involved in the council’s social procurement and community wellbeing considerations. All illustrate the Dalmatian heritage of wanting to better communities, he said.

“Dalmatians were extremely resilient. This quality proves valuable in council today where they … in turn build resilience in their community,” Jones said.

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air