Of 37 candidates, almost half were from the United Kingdom.
While many of the former British citizens came to New Zealand for employment opportunities, some said "a more laid-back lifestyle" was also a factor, and one remarked they "wouldn't miss the traffic".
Simon Kingsley-Holmes (19) moved to New Zealand from Wales with his parents several years ago.
He joked about a recent newspaper article outlining a stand-off between vehicles on the Edith Cavell bridge over the Shotover River which caused traffic delays; congestion on a much larger scale was common-place on arterial roads around England.
The family, which was originally from the Isle of Wight, emigrated several years ago after his father, Captain Craig Holmes, was employed as a tug pilot.
Former British citizen Dr Jill Rubython said while employment with the Otago District Health Board had brought her to the area, she would stay because people had been "very welcoming".
She also did not miss the "hustle and bustle" of English cities.
Those to gain citizenship yesterday were: Miss Kavita Anilkumar Agrawal (Indian), Dr Michael Henry Albert (Canadian), Mr Jin Hong Bae, Mrs Min Jeong Bae, Master Antonio Youngsang Bae, Miss Monica Soo-Jin Bae (Korean), Mr Stefan Thomas Caderas (Swiss), Miss Inge Carstens (South African), Ms Rebecca Jean Everdon (American), Mr Arthur Michael Leslie Foster (Australian), Miss Viva Rose Foster (Australian), Mrs Parvathi Gokaraju (Indian), Mrs Richard Drew Gordon-Davis (South African), Mrs Teresa Ann Gordon-Davis (British South-African), Mrs Mary Patricia Hamlin (Irish), Mrs Elizabeth Holmes, Captain Craig William Kingsley Holmes, Mr Simon David Kingsley-Holmes (British), Dr David Robert Kent, Mrs Joanne Elizabeth Kent, Miss Lucy Hannah Kent, Miss Helen Victoria Kent, Master Cameron David Kent (British), Mr Kai Lun Lee (Malaysian), Miss Ting Lu (Chinese), Miss Janine Richardson (British), Dr Edith Jill Rubython, Mr Martin Simon Spinks (British), Miss Apoorva Saboo (Indian), Mr Reza Shahmiri (Iranian), Mr Dmitry Sharomov, Master Ivan Sharomov (Russian), Ms Monica Singh (American).
