The Lawrence Chinese Camp will have a series of information kiosks installed at the historic site with the support of the local community board.
At a recent inaugural Lawrence Tuapeka Community Board meeting board members agreed to help fund information kiosks at the site of the old Chinese camp west of Lawrence. The camp was formed during the Otago gold rush after local Chinese were given a block of land to live on as they had been prohibited from living in Lawrence.
The land became a well-known Chinese settlement and small township.
The last resident died in 1945 and the land was bought by the Lawrence Chinese Camp Charitable Trust (LCCCT) in the 1990s.
Lawrence Tuapeka ward councillor Geoff Blackmore and community board member Geoff Davidson excluded themselves from the discussion with the board as they are both members of the LCCCT. LCCCT chairman Dr James Ng wrote to Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan asking the Clutha District Council to help erect shelters for some information panels produced for the former town site. Eight information panels, in both English and Chinese, have been commissioned and were paid for by a private donation to the trust.
Mr Davidson said the trust planned to re-create as much of the Chinese camp as possible.
"This is the starting point."
Dr Ng said the trust had also obtained the final permit necessary to move a remaining joss house in Maryport St in Lawrence to its former location at the Chinese camp.
The trust was only asking for assistance with shelters for the signs.
The board approved a budget of up to $1500 from the projects fund for the LCCCT to go towards its information kiosks.