Thirty people became New Zealand citizens during a heartfelt ceremony at the Rotorua District Council yesterday.
People from as far away as Sweden, Germany and Egypt were presented with their citizenship certificates by Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick.
Each of the men received a Rotorua District Council tie, the women a corsage and the children a pen. They also took home a kowhai seedling to symbolise planting their roots in New Zealand.
For some the ceremony celebrated dual-citizenship, but many renounced their citizenship in their birth countries to create a home in New Zealand as Kiwis.
Tina Jarmey has lived in New Zealand for 40 years and said it was "about time" she became a citizen.