Whoops, cheers and tears as citizenship gained in Rotorua ceremony

Losana (left) and Viliame Baleinasuva, of Fiji, were two of those gaining their citizenship, pictured with Mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Andrew Warner

There were whoops, cheers and tears as families and friends came together to celebrate loved ones getting their Kiwi citizenship.

The latest citizenship ceremony was held at Rotorua Lakes Council on Tuesday, when 29 people became Kiwi citizens, with 11 countries of origin.

These were Lebanon, England, Fiji, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Scotland, Thailand, United States of America, France, and Belgium.

Westbrook School pupils performed passionate waiata and haka to welcome all the candidates.

During the ceremony, Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said having 29 people from 11 countries gaining their citizenship showed how diverse the city was becoming.

"This is a time we really enjoy being together. Many of you, when I look around, have been here for some time."

Westbrook School kapa haka group performs at the ceremony. Photo / Andrew Warner

Losana and Viliame Baleinasuva, of Fiji, were two of those gaining their citizenship.

Viliame says he came over to New Zealand in 2006 to study at Auckland University, and then his family moved over before going back to Fiji.

However, in 2013 they decided to move to New Zealand again after he got a job with Unison.

He says Rotorua is beautiful and they love it here, which is why they decided to make it their home.

David Hodge, of England, met his Kiwi wife while she was on her OE in England.

He first came to New Zealand in 1992 to get married at Ōhinemutu.

He says they then went back to England, and were back and forth between the two, before committing to moving to New Zealand in 2006.

"I love all the lakes and the environment. There's a sense of freedom here."

Many of the new citizens revealed they loved the landscape and community in Rotorua.

Covid-19 was also a topic people brought up in their stories, and during the ceremony Mayor Steve Chadwick said things had definitely changed after Covid, and she thought it had made us value New Zealand citizenship more.

"But you can never take your birth country out of your heart."

She said we had had more than a year without citizenship ceremonies and people had to have their certificates mailed to them, so it was great to be back together for ceremonies again.

She thanked the family and friends who had been able to support the candidates on the day, because nowadays it was so hard for loved ones to travel internationally to see one another.