Kanakas were brought into the Hemmant and Murarrie areas to help farm sugar. They performed the hard clearing and harvesting work. Workers from a variety of nationalities were employed in the meat industry, particularly during the construction of Swift International's plant.

On 15 August 1863, the Don Juan sailed into Moreton Bay from Sydney and the New Hebrides. On board were sixty-seven indentured servants from the New Hebrides and Loyalty Islands. In 1864 Louis Hope imported fifty-seven Kanakas to work in his sugar fields. Theoretically the South Sea Islanders were employed willingly for a three-year contract. In reality a great number of them were kidnapped, many by the notorious Ross Lewin. In Australia there was growing agitation for the 'blackbirding' to be stopped. However, despite the Polynesian Labourers Act of 1868, the practice continued. In 1891 there were 9,362 Kanakas in Queensland and over the next ten years another 11,000 were imported. Without the Kanaka's labour the sugar industry would not have survived. By 1904 all trading had ceased and in 1906 repatriation began for those who did not want to remain and had no family or property.

According to the 2001 census 18.21% of Cannon Hill residents were born overseas and 8.34% speak a language other than English at home. This compares with 21.03% and 10.03% for Brisbane as a whole. 1.23% were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, compared to 1.67% for Brisbane.