Four welcomed as NZ citizens

Masterton has gained four new citizens after a ceremony held in the Frank Cody Lounge yesterday.

Isobel McGregor became a Kiwi even though she has lived in Masterton for 50 years, having arrived from her native Scotland as a pre-schooler. She is yet to return to holiday in the country of her birth.

Ms McGregor joined fellow British-born applicants Nathan Fieldhouse and Finn Hawkes along with Samoan Toafitu Memea in taking the oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and therefore officially become New Zealanders.

Masterton mayor Garry Daniell welcomed the four and their families to the ceremony and, prior to it starting, gave them an impromptu history lesson using the photographs displayed in the Frank Cody Lounge.

Two new photographs were recently added to the wall display being one of a meeting house at Te Ore Ore and the other of Maori shearers on a coastal Wairarapa sheep station.

District councillors Judith Callaghan, Chris Peterson and Jonathan Hooker also spoke.

Mrs Callaghan is to retire from council at the end of this term after serving nine years and has regularly attended citizenship ceremonies even though she lives 20 kilometres from the venue.

Finn Hawkes,16, undertook the ceremony having been born in England and coming to New Zealand when he was a year old.

His mother Annabell Hawkes said Finn wanted to get his driver's licence and that task would be his first after becoming a Kiwi.