The (re)development of New Zealand’s Chinese heritage sites and the potential for the Chinese visitor market

There has been increasing interest in (re)developing Chinese heritage sites in New Zealand over the past five years. 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. The research reported in this paper explores the rationale for the (re)development of Chinese heritage and the form it is taking. It focuses on three sites with a Chinese heritage components: Shantytown on the West Coast of the South Island, Lawrence Chinese Camp and Arrowtown in Otago. These sites are at different stages of development and have differing management foci (eg. commercial vs. conservational). Particular focus has been given to exploring the tourism potential of these Chinese heritage sites to domestic and international tourists, including the growing Chinese visitor market. We will report on preliminary findings of the research from interviews conducted with people involved in these sites and with Chinese tour operators and will outline the potential and challenges faced in developing these sites for tourism, and particularly for the Chinese visitor market