On Friday Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan presided over his self-declared favourite part of being mayor, the creation of 15 new Kiwis at a citizenship ceremony in the council chamber.
Several became emotional as they made their pledge after Mr Cadogan read out their reasons for moving to New Zealand and then deciding they wanted to take the step of taking on a new nationality.
They came from the former USSR, the Philippines, South America, England, Ireland, Scotland and South Africa.
Emma Thomas and her three children — Adrianne, Julio and Errie Barbonio — moved from the Philippines after Emma fell in love while here on holiday. Her children had embraced New Zealand with Adrianne graduating from Otago University and Julio studying in Dunedin.
Wentzel Bresler, of South Africa, said his family had become New Zealanders "not to tick a box but because this is our home".
Sarah Manlangit moved to Auckland within weeks of graduating in the Philippines as her parents believed there would be greater opportunities for her here.
When she first arrived in Central Otago she walked everywhere as "public transport isn’t a thing in small communities". People were kind and would give her rides, she said.
Since then she had furthered her career and was to be married in three weeks.
Miss Manlangit said she sometimes still walked to work to remind herself how far she had come.
Paloma Vaz Da Silveira, of Brazil, took the opportunity to remind her Kiwi fiancee that while she had been in New Zealand nine years and they had been engaged for five years, no wedding date was set.
