A prominent Lawrence gold rush figure would be proud to see his tomb enshrined as a heritage landmark, a project leader says.
Adrienne Shaw, a fourth-generation descendant of the Lawrence Chinese Camp, raised about $45,000 to restore Sam Chew Lain’s 122-year-old tomb in 2021, as it was a "unique symbol" of the integration of the area’s Chinese and European communities.
Ms Shaw said she was optimistic an application for Category-1 heritage listing for the striking Gothic tomb would be approved this month.
The tomb was the only Gothic edifice worldwide housing a Chinese and European husband and wife side-by-side.
"Sam was a tall, industrious, imposing man, and worked hard to bring the Chinese and European sides of the community together.
"He ran the Chinese Empire Hotel, and left an estate of £3000, some of which was used to build the Gothic tomb we see today, for him and his wife.
She said she was seeking the listing to formally identify the tomb’s historic importance as part of the area’s wider Chinese immigrant and gold rush history.
Heritage NZ was now seeking submissions to the listing.
"The tomb satisfies all the necessary criteria for a Cat 1 listing, and we’ve had a lot of funding and other support during the whole process of research and restoration, so we’re looking forward to marking this unique monument with an appropriate status."
Submissions close on October 21, and can be made online at www.heritage.org.nz
