Ceremony to welcome new citizens

Published on 23 April 2014

23 April 2014

A group of new citizens were officially welcomed today by Mayor Annette Main, who hosted a ceremony in the Council Chamber.

Mayor Main thanked the new citizens for choosing “our place as your new place.”

“Being able to welcome so many new people from around the world to our community is one of my favourite jobs as Mayor. We think our district is a fantastic place and we hope you will agree.”

The new citizens were presented with their certificate of New Zealand Citizenship and gifts to commemorate the occasion.

The Mayor said the new citizens “bring a new dimension to our community and we love the multiculturalism in our district.”

The ceremony was followed by afternoon tea for the new citizens and their guests.

The new citizens and their original nationalities are:

Mrs Caroline Jeanette Mary Adams (South African), Mr Andre Adams, (South African), Miss Tara Adams (South African), Mrs Linda Barry, (British), Miss Jessica Emily Mitchell Boden (British), Mrs Deborah Sharon Halkett (British), Mr Samson Mar (Fijian), Mr Vave Tauamo Taito (Samoan), Mr Jorge Andres Araque Touron (Chilean), Mr Ousaphea Hean (Cambodian), Mr Jake McKie Loggie (British), Mr Roger Edward Willison (British) and Mrs Nga Kieu Thi Willison (Vietnamese).