New Zealand’s Chinese gold-mining heritage: (re) telling their stories

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed a burgeoning interest in the Chinese heritage of New Zealand, particularly as it relates to gold-mining sites of the nineteenth century. This is apparent in a range of initiatives, including the addition of ten Chinese gold rush-era sites to the Register of Historic Places Trust in 2003, the recently opened Chinese garden in Dunedin and the plans to reconstruct the Lawrence Chinese camp in Lawrence, Otago. Most recently, in July 2008, a Chinese heritage trail for Otago has been proposed. This paper focuses on two sites at different stages of development in Otago (South Island, New Zealand) with Chinese heritage components - the Lawrence Chinese Camp and Arrowtown. Specifically, the paper explores the rationale for the (re)development of these Chinese heritage sites, the stories of Chinese settlement being told at these sites, and some of the challenges faced in connecting these stories and sites to potential audiences, including local residents, domestic visitors and international tourists.