Historic HB: Queues formed outside bakery

Gerard cake decorating at the Lilac Continental Patisserie. Credit: Gerard Denijs

Assisted immigration to New Zealand had begun post-World War II with the government's rationale in 1947 that "the generally buoyant prospects of the Dominion's economy all contribute to the conclusion that an expanded flow of immigrants of selected types can profitably be absorbed, with benefit to themselves and ourselves".

While most of the immigrants would be from the United Kingdom, a large number also came from the Netherlands, as it was thought they would easily assimilate into the New Zealand way of life.

As there was an acute housing shortage in New Zealand post-World War II, the preference was for young single men and women who could find accommodation at their employment – such as farming. The first Dutch immigrants were 25 dairy and cropping farm hands aged between 21 and 30, who arrived in 1949.

Europe took many years to rebuild after World War II, and for many this was a chance to build a better life for them and any future family on the other side of the world.

In 1952 it was announced in the New Zealand press that two shiploads of emigrants would be leaving Rotterdam that September and October. The S S Sibajak would leave on September 26 and the S S Waterman, on October 4. Already that year, under the government's assisted immigration scheme nearly 2300 Dutch emigrants had already settled in New Zealand.

The Lilac Continental Patisserie in its lilac colours in Heretaunga St East, Hastings. Credit: Hawke's Bay Knowledge Bank I Grover collection

Aboard the S S Waterman were 21-year-olds Gerard Christian Denijs and his girlfriend Ina Ponsen. They were two of 40 Dutch to settle in Wellington. As only single people were allowed to immigrate at that time, the couple decided to not get married in the Netherlands, but in New Zealand.

When they arrived, Ina, who had worked for the Girl Guides Association in the Netherlands, found work with them as a secretary in New Zealand. She would leave to be a personal assistant for a politician in Parliament. (Gerard, who was a Boy Scout, had met Ina, a Girl Guide, when they were younger at a joint event.)

Gerard was not so lucky to find employment and ended up initially as a cleaner at the immigration camp they stayed at. A trained patisserie baker and chef, Gerard soon found work cooking at Wellington Hospital for special needs patients. After this he was employed by a Dutchman at a bakery in Kilbirnie.

Marriage for Gerard and Ina occurred at the Wellington Registry office. Not long after they had a call from Bill Franssen from Hawke's Bay. They had been in Wellington for about a year.

In 1951, another Dutch immigrant, Bill Franssen, had arrived in Hastings, and he began to introduce "proper coffee" to Hastings people. He became very successful and operated his own coffee shop in Stortford Lodge called the Windmill.

Bill would soon take over the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Tearooms in Market St, Hastings. He needed a chef – and a good one.

Gerard and Ina made their way up to Hastings in May 1953 to take control of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Tearooms and build its excellent reputation for food.

In 1956, Gerard was at the Albert Hotel (now demolished) in Heretaunga St East and was talking to a man called Syd Butters. Gerard mentioned that he would like to start his business but had no money to do so. "I'll lend you the money," said Syd. "Would £4000 ($218,000) be enough?" Gerard replied, "Should be!"

An existing bakery was bought – and Gerard recalls in March 2022 that in his opinion the business was pretty run down. The building, on Heretaunga St East was next to the Methodist Church and was in an Art Deco-style built after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake and initially housed a tailor.

It was the Methodist Church's gardens that would provide the name of the business. Gerard's wife, Ina, while looking at lilac flowers turned to her husband and said – why don't we call it the Lilac Continental Patisserie. Gerard agreed.

Much to the disappointment of Bill Franssen for losing his star chef, arguably, Hawke's Bay's most famous bakery was born. A man baker logo, designed by Gerard, sat at the top of his lilac coloured patisserie.

Gerard had never intended to go into business – much less be involved in baking in New Zealand.

He had worked for his father's patisserie before leaving for New Zealand (who was bitterly saddened to lose his talented son). The recipes from his father's patisseries and new ones he developed himself would soon sit proudly in the Lilac Continental Patisserie's display cabinets – much beyond what he provided at the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Tearooms.

Queues formed. Gerard's food could be classed as "art". For young children greeting the display cabinet at eye level, the choice became almost overwhelming.

A strong work ethic (many Dutch immigrants were surprised at the New Zealander's work ethic) combined with his great skill – and what his daughter Monique describes as "Dad being very well organised", led to the Lilac's immediate success.

Wife Ina handled the finances and office admin in addition to working in the bakery and serving customers.

Gerard points out that Ina and their three children, Viv, Jennifer and Monique (all born in Hastings), "packaged a fair amount of biscuits in the shop". Monique recalls her father as a hard taskmaster: "You couldn't even have two seconds of doing nothing – he was so quick to give you another job."

Favourites in the shop were meatballs, custard squares, cheese straws, green frogs, croquettes, fancy biscuits and his fudge cake – this was his grandfather's recipe handed down the family.

Requests came in for wedding cakes, and despite these being an English creation, Gerard made his own. Trained as a cake decorator, he expertly put the finishing touches to the cakes – especially floral roses.

Ina became restless and on a trip to the South Island in 1970 decided Christchurch would be a better place to live as the "garden city" reminded her more of home. Gerard and Ina also thought there would be better opportunities for their three girls.

The business was sold, and the family shifted to Christchurch with Gerard initially working in a menswear store.

In the Christchurch suburb of Fendalton in 1971, a new shopping centre was being built, and Gerard secured a shop within this. So another patisserie was born – and once again named the Lilac Continental Patisserie which became as successful as the one in Hastings.

Daughter Jennifer would work in the business for nine years as a cake decorator and another daughter, Monique, managed the shop for three years.

Gerard retired and sold the shop around 1998, which was later sold to Peter Bakerman, who was Dutch and a past employee of the Lilac under Gerard's ownership. Peter married one of Gerard's cake decorators. Today the business is called Bakerman's in Fendalton and has carried on the Dutch patisserie tradition of baking.

Like many Dutch immigrants, Gerard Denijs brought a slice of Europe, and the café culture we have today is no small part due to immigrants such as him – and fulfilling the government's wish back in 1947 that their immigration will be "of benefit to them and ourselves".

The Hastings Lilac Continental Patisserie in Hastings had become in the 1990s the Lilac Bakery Hot Bread Shop, which ceased business from the original site around the mid-1990s.

Michael Fowler (mfhistory@gmail.com) is a contract researcher and commercial business writer of Hawke's Bay history. Follow him on facebook.com/michaelfowlerhistory