Seventy years of newspapers recording the early history of Central Otago and the Queenstown area will be preserved and added to the Papers Past digital archive.
The three-year project is a joint venture between the Central Lakes Trust, which has contributed $113,995, and other funding partners including the National Library of New Zealand, University of Otago Hocken Library and Friends of the Hocken Collections.
Eight early newspaper titles are being microfilmed and digitised to go on the website.
They include the Alexandra Herald, Dunstan Times, Lake County Mail and the Cromwell Argus, dating from the 1880s to 1948, at which time they merged to become the Central Otago News.
That publication became the Lakes District and Central Otago News, a sister paper to the Otago Daily Times.
''This project aligns well to the trust's heritage and environment objective of supporting projects that help preserve the heritage of our region and enhance the environment in which we live,'' trust chief executive Paul Allison said.
Allied Press, the owner of the Central Otago News, had agreed to allow the digitalization of the old newspapers still covered by copyright, he said.
Other early newspapers being added to the digital archive were the Mt Benger Mail, Arrow Observer, Lake Wakatipu Mail and Lake County Press.
National librarian Bill Macnaught said the Papers Past website remained one of the most accessed services of its kind anywhere.
The national library was paying half the costs towards the project and would be responsible for the ongoing costs of preserving the content in the national digital heritage archive and making the content available on the Papers Past website.
The project had expanded to cover more years and more publications.
