Not all citizenship ceremonies are the same - one held in the Balclutha last week was especially poignant as two of the new citizens were welcomed in the very place they are employed.
In a packed Clutha District Council chamber room, 10 new citizens were welcomed to the district in a ceremony last Thursday.
Ruth Ratcliffe, formerly of England, and Nicola Hawkins, formerly of Scotland, are both employed by the Clutha District Council.
An emotional Mrs Ratcliffe said she and her husband, Scott, ''absolutely'' loved New Zealand. They came here in 2011 and first settled in Roxburgh before moving to Milton, their home now.
Even though they enjoyed returning to England to visit family and friends, Mrs Ratcliffe said they always looked forward to returning to New Zealand.
Mrs Hawkins also addressed the chamber rooms and spoke of her journey to New Zealand.
She arrived in 2007 with ''little more than my sense of adventure''.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan, who welcomed the new citizens, said he had not seen the council chambers so full before.
In addition to the usual friends and family who joined the new citizens, other employees of the council lined the walls to see their colleagues receive their citizenship.
It was the last such ceremony to be held in Balclutha this year.
