Nine adults swore allegiance to this country and became New Zealand citizens at a recent ceremony in the Central Otago District Council chambers.
Central Otago Mayor and Mayoress Tony and Bernie Lepper took part in the ceremony and the Alexandra Primary School choir sang the national anthem. Mr Lepper said all New Zealanders shared a common heritage.
‘‘We, or our predecessors, chose to come here.''
Becoming New Zealanders was a big step, he said.
‘‘It's a symbolic cutting of ties that can have deep emotional significance. Becoming one of us is an important watershed.''
Mary Palacio Calvo grew up in the Philippines and said she loved living in Cromwell now. ‘‘... it is a very beautiful place, it is peaceful, a good sense of community and a very family-oriented place to live.''
Napoleon and Anna Ferreira moved here from South Africa and said they loved the cleanliness and low crime rate in this country.
They said the first time they were asked to ‘‘bring a plate'' they packed a picnic basket with cutlery like they would in South Africa when asked to a barbecue.
Krisztina Hansen-Szabo, of Slovakia, said Central Otago was a great place to raise a family. Juan Williams, of South Africa, migrated to New Zealand in 2006 ‘‘as I could not see myself raising a family in South Africa''.
British-born Stephen Maund said his family loved it so much when they holidayed in this country, they decided to make the move permanent. Julie Rusbatch came to New Zealand on her six-month ‘‘OE'' from Ireland, met a handsome firefighter, got married and stayed here.
Derek Whelan, of England, said he enjoyed the different pace of life, different values and openness of the people here. He had been welcomed into the ‘‘RSA and Rotary families ... and, before I knew it, I was part of a community.''
