After becoming New Zealand citizens at a ceremony in the Municipal Chambers yesterday, English family Philip and Heidi Newman and their sons, Matthew (12) and Samuel (8), who was born in New Zealand, were quick to show their true colours.
"It's going to be great fun. We've seen a lot of St George crosses hanging around town. But I don't know if England are going to be good enough this year," Mr Newman said yesterday.
The family were looking forward to the arrival of a scrum of English rugby supporters in Dunedin when the competition kicked off this weekend, he said.
"We were in New Zealand when England won the World Cup in Australia in 2003. Then England came over here and got their bums kicked. That was the last time I wore my England shirt to a match," Mr Newman said.
"I'll probably watch the matches in bars in town and soak up the atmosphere. It should be a lot of fun. Although my son, Matt, reliably informs me it's going to be a South Africa-Australia final."
The family emigrated nine years ago from Dorset to Dunedin, where Mr Newman is a nurse at Wakari Hospital and Mrs Newman is a teacher at Green Island School.
"We thought we'd better become citizens to make sure they can't kick us out," Mr Newman joked.
The family lives on a farmlet at Brighton.
"It's great. It's only five minutes to the beach and it's the sort of lifestyle we could never have had in England," Mrs Newman said.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull welcomed 40 new New Zealanders from 13 countries to their new home yesterday.
It was the first citizenship ceremony held in the Skeggs Gallery since last year, when it was closed for renovations. The Glenroy Auditorium has been used for the ceremonies in the interim.
New citizens swearing allegiance yesterday were. -
Elizabeth Maria Beukes (South Africa), Pieter Scott (Netherlands), Nicole Louise (Britain) and Tor Michael Demmers (Britain), Annette Margaret and Thomas Joshua Dreyer (Britain), Linda Anne Duff (Britain), Garrett Friel Evans (United States), Matthew Wen Kai Foo (Malaysia), Johannes, Marianne Susarah, Jahan and Riaan Germishuys (South Africa), Christopher Martyn Hibbert (Britain), Kirk Bryan Hinten (United States), Peter Laszlo (Britain) and Roseline Marie Elisabeth Francoise Kizmus (Belgium), Tenille Jade Claire Lategan (South Africa), Cheng Mee Leong (Malaysia), Alexandre Berbard Hippolyte Leurquin (France), Jiaojiao Li (China), Jennifer Frances Loader (Britain), Adenji, Modupeola Iyabode, Adejumo Oladimeji, Adeniyi Tioluwani and Funoluwa Iyin Ogo Ola Magbagbeola (Nigeria), Adepeju Olatokunbo Shittu (Nigeria), Samantha Alice McCarthy (Britain), Joy Henriet Minnaar (South Africa), Nehan Ruwantha Munasinghe (Sri Lanka), Philip, Heidi and Matthew Newman (Britain), Daniel Schumayer (Hungary), Henderik Gideon and Petronella Johanna Steenkamp (South Africa), Pritam Daniel Sundaresan (India), Kate Nicole Thomas (Ireland) and Di Yin (China).
