A chance for a better life brought a Uruguayan family to New Zealand 13 years ago, and their son's enrolment at the University of Otago brought them to Dunedin to become New Zealanders.
Fernando Montado Naglieri, Maria Rocha, and their children Fernando, Maria and Kaitlyn travelled to Dunedin to become citizens.
The trip, the Wellington-based family said, was due to Fernando junior taking a commerce degree at the university.
Maria senior did not get her citizenship but would do so soon.
The family said they had found New Zealand both a beautiful and a safe place to be.
''I feel like part of it now,'' Maria junior said.
Others who became New Zealand citizens at the ceremony at the Municipal Chambers were: Derrith Bartley (United States), Stephen Bourne (United Kingdom), Susan Bourne, (United Kingdom), Imogen Corbett (United Kingdom) Adam Devlin, (Ireland), Zoe Evans (Australia/United Kingdom), Aldo Cortesi (Australia/Italy/South Africa), Shirley Fitzgerald (Australia), Claress Gladding (South Africa), Babu Gopal (India), Tobias Heitland (Austria/Germany), Gregory Hil (United Kingdom), Dr Bryndl Hohmann-Marriott (United States), Amalya Hohmann-Marriott (United States/Germany), Toonyawit Ing-Aram (Thailand), Dawoo Jeong (Korea), Kenneth Kernaghan (United Kingdom), Sak Lee (Korea), Ha Lee (Korea), Christeena Mary Punnen (India), Tomasi Polelei (Tonga), Ana Taungapeau (Tonga), Ruangsag Posae (Thailand), Jayne Pritchard (United Kingdom), Manyue Qiyang (China), Dr Lindsay Robertson (United Kingdom), Jose Santos (Philippines), Hema Sharma (India), Martine Shaw (United Kingdom), Ilona Weekley (United Kingdom), Mark Weekley (United Kingdom), Autumn Weekley (United Kingdom), Acacia Weekley (United Kingdom), Tristan Weekley (United Kingdom), Avinda Weerakoon (Sri Lanka), Taylor Eddy (Australia) and Kako Sete (Tonga).
