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Welcoming Our New Citizens

Friday 30 September 2011, 2:01AM

By Marlborough District Council

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MARLBOROUGH

Citizenship ceremonies are held regularly at the Marlborough District Council chambers. At each ceremony, anywhere from ten to thirty people become new citizens of this country.

Numbers are increasing and five ceremonies are scheduled for this year.

Attending a public ceremony is an important step in the citizenship process; it’s an opportunity for new New Zealanders to publicly declare their loyalty to this country and to be welcomed into our local community.

Mayor Alistair Sowman and Deputy Mayor Jenny Andrews officiate and candidates affirm their allegiance to the Crown, promise to obey the laws of the land and to be good citizens.

Candidates are able to invite family and friends to attend the ceremony to witness their change of citizenship.

Although half of Marlborough’s new citizens still come from Britain, a long-running trend, the region is also the new home of a remarkably diverse range of nationalities ranging from Argentineans to Indians, Romanians and Zimbabweans.