A special citizenship ceremony was held at Kirikiriroa Marae on 22 June with more than 60 Afghan migrants becoming New Zealanders.
The Afghan group included men who worked as interpreters with the New Zealand Defence Force when it had personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
In a particularly touching ceremony, the Afghan families cheered and waved their citizenship certificates after receiving them from Mayor Andrew King. The venue for the ceremony was particularly significant as many of the migrants were welcomed to Hamilton at the same marae when they first arrived five years ago.
