Almost 66 years after moving to New Zealand from Northern Ireland, Alan Brady — considered the "godfather" of Central Otago wine — finally received his New Zealand citizenship on November 14.
The 89-year-old former Queesntown resident — who planted the first grapes in Gibbston in 1981 then established Gibbston Valley Wines, then later Mt Edward Wines, then his current label Wild Irishman — said he arrived in NZ in December, 1959, to take up a journalism job with the Manawatu Evening Standard.
"It was love at first sight, I never wanted to live anywhere else."
Mr Brady said he even supports the All Blacks when they play Ireland.
"‘This is my home and this is where I’ve raised my children, and I became a great-granddad ... [this month] as well."
His response when asked why it had taken him so long to become a fully-fledged Kiwi was "I just say, ‘well, I never got around to it"’.
He admits he was cajoled into changing his nationality — "some of my nearest and dearest were determined I was going to die a Kiwi citizen".
Having shifted from Gibbston to Clyde in 2016, then last year to his vineyard between Alexandra and Clyde, Mr Brady’s NZ citizenship was conferred in Alexandra by Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley.
In a blurb for the mayor’s office he wrote: "I live in the middle of a vineyard surrounded by thousands of vines which, like me, have migrated from the other side of the planet.
"At close range I watch nature at work through the season from bud-burst to the bounty of harvest.
"These fellow migrants tell me they love it here as much as I do.
"We’ve put our roots deep into NZ’s fertile soils and we’ve been productive, hopefully adding diversity and subtle new layers to the cultural life of our adopted country."
Along with a certificate, Mr Brady was also gifted a kōwhai which he planted with three other kōwhai around his cottage.
