Each new citizen had written a brief account of their journey to New Zealand, which Mayor Tim Cadogan read out.
Mr Cadogan said it was an honour for the region to be chosen as their new home.
"You have chosen our country as yours and that is a great honour you have bestowed on us — because literally, you did have a world of choice."
New citizens came from Malaysia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the Philippines, England, Ireland and China.
Among the newly minted New Zealanders were doctors Gurmeet Saini and Elizabeth Precious, living in Cromwell, who had come from the United Kingdom.
They moved to Dunedin in 2017, and got married in Wānaka in August 2020.
Receiving their citizenship was special, as their daughter Bethan, 1, was born in New Zealand.
"Without her we probably wouldn’t have felt so inclined to have done it at this time," Dr Precious said. "We recognised that this was home so quickly."
Dr Saini agreed and said it brought the couple closer to friends, who had become their New Zealand family.
"To be able to become the same nationality as them, in the place we call home, is really special to us."
The pair, who are both hospital doctors, could now be "Kiwis providing to Kiwis," he said.
Dr Saini’s mother, Ravinder Saini, had travelled from the UK to celebrate the couple’s citizenship with them.
She had missed their wedding in New Zealand due to Covid and the citizenship ceremony was a good chance to "dress-up and have an occasion", Ms Precious said.
