Nineteen people were conferred citizenship by Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley as friends and family watched and captured the moment on their cameras.
From Russia to the United Kingdom, South Africa to Samoa, Central’s newest New Zealanders came from all around the globe.
Many had come for a holiday only to fall in love with New Zealand, and often a New Zealander, and decide to make their adopted country their permanent home.
Scottish-born Nicola Riordan met her New Zealander husband in 2013 and came to New Zealand with him.
A jewellery designer and maker in Scotland, she had become involved in the wine industry since moving to Central Otago.
"I was homesick for a long time but never had any regrets [about coming to New Zealand]," Mrs Riordan said.
Navya Arakkal, now of Cromwell, came to New Zealand from Southern India.
She had completed a master’s degree in nursing, specialising in medical surgical nursing, in India and was lecturing in nursing before coming to New Zealand.
Her arrival on a partnership visa came just as the borders closed in March 2020.
Now working at Ripponburn Hospital and Home, Mrs Arakkal and her husband have two New Zealand-born sons.
Bruce Allen was the son of English partners who had emigrated to Canada before returning to the United Kingdom when he was 4 years old.
He continued the family tradition and came to New Zealand 22 years ago.
His outdoor work in viticulture was the opposite of his working life in the UK and he enjoyed following his interest in conservation during his spare time.
"My daughter’s 18th birthday this year was a coming of age for her and she is very much a Kiwi girl and is seemed like it was also a milestone for me too.
"My river now is the Mata-Au.
"Like the Fraser river in Vancouver [Canada], the Mata-au flows to the Pacific, a living link between Aotearoa and my place of origin."
Each new citizen was given a kowhai tree seedling and invited to a traditional morning tea with cheese rolls and pikelets and cream.
New citizens were:
Bruce Allen, Canada
Navya Arakkal, India
Lucy Britton, United Kingdom
Robert Cox, Ireland
Alexandra Davis, United States of America
Colm Doherty, Ireland
Jana Kruyshaar, South Africa
Peter Legget, United Kingdom
Johanna Legget, United Kingdom
Kinisi Levi Titi Lamosi, Samoa
Anna Lomonossoff, United Kingdom
Michael Lomonossoff, United Kingdom
Hannah Parker, England
Hardikkumar Patel, India
Priyankaben Patel, India
Nicola Riordan, Scotland
Clement Rowe, United Kingdom
Alexander Shcherbin, Russia
Byron Wolkers, South Africa
