Forget Paul Henry’s narrow vision of a New Zealander. People from nearly every country in the world have made Aotearoa their home. Five new New Zealanders tell Shelley Bridgeman how they came here and why they became Kiwis.
"Because I love New Zealand"
Lyzadie Renault 39, from New Caledonia
I'm from New Caledonia and my dad is from France, so I'm a bit of a mixture I suppose. I turned up here when I was 14, in 1986. I didn't realise how much I'd become a New Zealander until I went to England on my OE for six years. For example, when the All Blacks were playing I could see where my heart was lying. And I wasn't doing it to prove to anyone. I was doing it from my heart. It didn't feel right supporting the French because I didn't feel French any more. I'd been in New Zealand for too long, far too long.
I think most people as New Zealanders - even my husband, Michael - take New Zealand and the lifestyle and all that it means, the whole package, for granted. I realised that when I was in England. People would ask me where I was from. I would say New Zealand. I never said anything else but then they would pick up my accent and my last name, so I'd have to explain the whole story.
I think the children - Ashe, 5, Jaden, 3, and baby Aveia - made my wanting to become a citizen more clearcut. Travelling overseas with the children with my French passport and them having a New Zealand passport, psychologically it just meant: "Okay, why do I still...?" If we were going to say France or New Caledonia then I had to fill in all this paperwork for the boys. It almost divides us that there are different rules for them because they're on a different passport. It's like, "well, they're a part of me so why do they have to have different rules?" Something just kind of clicked and I thought, "right, I'm going to do it. That's it."
Being French is part of who I am, but deep down I'm a New Zealander. For me it meant a lot. It's like I've made the last step. I've got my citizenship. So I was pretty proud when I came back from the [citizenship] ceremony and I was harping on about having been the national karate champion in 1988 and qualifying for the international competition in Egypt. Unfortunately I couldn't go but I would have represented New Zealand without any problems, so I think that even back then I was ready to become a New Zealander. I've done lots of things that prove my love for this country and that my heart is set here. I've camped, hiked Waikaremoana, the Routeburn, skiied the back-country ski fields, everything. I love New Zealand. This is my home.
"So I can contribute as a New Zealander"
Mengye Liao 23, China
I came to New Zealand about seven years ago, in 2003. It wasn't my decision. My parents decided to come to New Zealand so I could get a good education. I went to Rangitoto College. The language has been the most difficult thing. English is quite hard to learn. I just picked it up slowly. My parents will speak English to [English-speaking] people but we speak Cantonese at home. I came from Guangzhou. It's a big Cantonese city - quite different to Auckland, especially the environment. It's quite green when you look out and the sky is very blue here. It's not as blue in Guangzhou. That's my first impression. Auckland is quite a beautiful city.
I like the natural environment here - the sunshine, the sky, the beaches - and I've made friends so I didn't think too much [about applying for citizenship]. It's just quite natural to think I want to be a citizen and make some contribution to New Zealand as a New Zealander.
I'm studying for a Bachelor of Design at Massey University's Albany campus. I like my schoolmates; they are quite helpful. I like the people here. I'm proud to be a New Zealand citizen but it doesn't feel much different yet. I'm going to get a New Zealand passport. I think that will be different because I can go to other countries more easily. I like travelling.
I will go back to China for a holiday, I miss my friends. We chat online on QQ, a Chinese instant messaging system like MSN.
"So I can travel with my band"
Metui Finau 24, born in Los Angeles
Both my parents were born in Tonga and migrated to New Zealand. In 1986, my mum was carrying me. It was a family trip to Disneyland to do the whole Los Angeles thing so they planned to have me in the United States. I've been in New Zealand most of my life though, grew up in Waitakere. I was a New Zealand permanent resident. I was in a Kiwi band called Spacifix with six other guys. We're funk, reggae, mixed with pop and a bit of rock - the Jackson Five meets Split Enz. I'm the lead rapper and also do backing vocals. We moved to Australia just to have a base over there, to get a bit more noticed and picked up. We spent the whole of '09 going places, doing tours: London, Dubai, Amsterdam, Brisbane. Because I only had an American passport I could only go to Australia for a year on a work and holiday visa.
Last year I got pulled up at the airport with an expired visa and got detained for about 24 hours just to be asked questions on why I was coming back to Australia. So I had to go back to New Zealand to sort it out. I told the band, "I'm not going to come back until I've got my New Zealand citizenship because that's the only way I can stay in Aussie and do the thing with you guys."
Everyone in Australia - a lot of friends, a lot of fans, a lot of church members - everyone asks: "Are you coming back? What's happening? Can you make it out for this and that, for these events?" And here I am telling them: "As soon as I get my New Zealand passport." I can apply for it now. I think everyone thought it could happen just like that. I spent most of this year staying here and just trying to get the paperwork sorted.
It's been one trip to hell and back but it's awesome. For me [becoming a citizen] was a moment, a true significant moment, in my life. I just was so happy. It meant so much to me. For the ceremony I dressed in my Tongan traditional clothes, a tupenu and jandals, the full shebang, even though you don't normally wear it in winter. It's been a long time coming. I've lived here most of my life. I've gone to school here. I've told everybody I'm a Kiwi but they knew I wasn't. They keep calling me an American and I know I'm a true Kiwi. I know the anthem inside out. I know so many Maori songs. I always do the haka at weddings.
I'm proud, proud to be a Kiwi from the Land of the Long White Cloud.
"Because I will always live here"
Mohamed Bigirimana 23, from Burundi
I came here in 2005. My sister was here. She applied for me, my mother and brother to come through the New Zealand Refugee Services. In Burundi there was war going on and my family ran away to Tanzania.
I actually went to Rwanda but after one year I joined them in Tanzania, where they were in a camp, a refugee camp with about 500,000 people, mainly from Burundi. I think I was 11 years old. I was there for about five years. We lived in little houses made of mud walls and plastic sheeting. My mum had about 250 chickens so we sold eggs in the camp and she sewed clothes. That's how we survived. It was really hard but, you know, you get used to it. The worst thing was not sleeping at night because there were street gangs coming to steal money and food. They had guns too. That was the worst part.
You ask me what I think about New Zealand: it's great. Life is easier here and it's easy to get what you want - easy to get work and get money if you want to buy something or study.
I'm doing a Bachelor of Health Science at AUT university. I'm transferring to nursing next semester. In the refugee camp in Africa I used to see many people sick and dying because of lack of medication so that's why I want to be a nurse. And it's amazing. When I was in the camp I could see some white people coming through the [aid] organisations but here [there are] white people everywhere, so it was quite different for me.
Why did I become a citizen? It's because I decided to live here forever. Then I decided, to live here forever I should become one of the Kiwis. I am feeling I'm a New Zealander. I don't see the difference but I feel different. I like the people. When I joined Glenfield College the teacher was so nice and supportive. They made me feel more welcome, feel at home. I like Auckland especially because it's diverse - culturally diverse, lots of people from different countries. I'm in a Burundian community. We call it the Burundian Promotion Inc, BPI. We celebrate our Burundi National Day. We do cultural performances. I am a drummer. I really miss Africa, the traditional dance and food. That's why I joined the BPI because when I'm doing the dancing I feel like I'm in Africa again.
"So there's no looking back"
Jacolize Becker 46, from South Africa
I came out with my husband, Anro, and our two boys: Dante, 9, and Luca, 6. It will be six years in December. We were living in Centurion, which was halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and feeling like - this is going to sound very harsh but it's the reality - we needed to bring our children up with a basic fear of other human beings. It was always having to be on your guard, always watching over your shoulder, having to always think: "How can I safeguard my family physically?" in every single situation. We came to Auckland and we weren't blown away immediately. We kept very open minds and we thought: "Let's just check it out." And the more we saw the more we thought: "Man, we could live like this." What really, really struck us about Auckland was the fact that kids were playing outside. There were no fences, no burglar bars, no security gates. And when it started getting dark the bicycles were lying outside, some kids were still running around, the front doors were open, we could see inside people's homes and their curtains weren't even drawn.
We felt the freedom, the security - just being able to breathe and live. It was just amazing.
I think getting citizenship was about not turning back, not looking back. It's sort of a closure on a chapter, a final step towards saying: "This is home and we're not going back." There's a real joy and also a peace about becoming a citizen - and just knowing we've done the right thing. For me, it was a huge thing. I close my eyes when I sing the [New Zealand] national anthem, because I just feel it so much.
I have been a 100 per cent All Blacks supporter since the day we landed. Before we left South Africa I said, "When we get there I will be supporting the All Blacks because my boys will be too when they grow older." My husband still supports the Springboks.
I miss the African wilderness. I miss the smell of the soil after a thunderstorm. A good African thunderstorm is just amazing. There's nothing that gets close to it. But I have no desire to go back whatsoever, not even for a holiday. I just feel that we brought our children here for a safer home and safer upbringing and everything. And I'm just thinking: "Why do we want to go and expose them to everything that we walked away from?"
