General copyright and disclaimer - ResearchSpace@Auckland ...

Conclusion
As emigration gradually became a feasible and more affordable solution to particularly economic
distress in Germany during the middle periods of the nineteenth century, a new German
readership was found, one that was more interested in information useful to emigrant workers
which outlined the pros and cons of living and working in more prosperous foreign colonies.
Being a new immigrant himself, Friedrich Krull could very well appreciate the need to advise
those in his homeland on the suitability of the colony for immigrant workers and specifically
merchants and labourers. While New Zealand initially appeared too competitive for setting up a
business and more expensive than he imagined in relation to wages and the number of workers, it
in fact offered a much freer and more certain lifestyle than in Germany on account of the relative
ease in finding a well-paid profession for the hardworking labourer in particular. The only
requirements in this ‘worker’s paradise’ are hard work and perseverance, whereby those with
sufficient capital who are able or willing to exert themselves as labourers can be guaranteed better
prospects and a more comfortable and independent way of life. Thus, he captures the image of a
fledgling British colony, which is well on its way towards the full realisation of the ‘worker’s
paradise’ and is progressing along the path that Dieffenbach outlined. Fittingly, as German
Consul, Krull is also able to witness fellow Mecklenburgers leading by example through their
sober and industrious ways in New Zealand’s healthy and paradisical, albeit temperamental,
climate. Naturally this type of contribution does not conform to the German scientific tradition in
material or style. Coming from a non-scientific middle-class background, there is little emphasis
on philosophical reflection, theories and possible solutions. Compared with Dieffenbach, there is
also little social critique or criticisms directed at the Government due to the fact that, in his mind
at least, the positives clearly outweighed the negatives, he did not pretend to be as knowledgeable
as earlier German scholars and scientists, and the format of his letters also prevented further
expansion on these ideas. The main purpose was instead to relate relevant facts and information
regarding his experiences to a more general readership, as well as those interested in natural
history. Consequently, hotly debated and ambivalent themes such as colonisation take on a more
positive role, whereby the sight of progress no longer produces a conservationist mentality, and
actions are viewed according to the best interests of the colony and immigration. And while he
clearly saw a need for land to be provided for immigrants, that did not mean it should be at the
145