Citizenship ceremony on marae

Picot-Daste family at the Citizenship Ceremony at Raukawa Marae, Ōtaki, 29 January 2020.

This is a partnership event that occurs annually on one of the tangata whenua marae.

The inaugural citizenship ceremony on a local marae was held 5 November 2008 at Raukawa Marae in Ōtaki. There were over 140 people in attendance, with 22 candidates receiving their certificate of New Zealand citizenship.

This has become a regular partnership event.

The evening begins with a pōwhiri and includes the usual kawa (marae protocol) you would experience at local marae. Hosted inside the wharenui (meeting house), the whaikōrero (formal speeches) are held with each one concluding with a waiata (sung poetry). When the formal proceedings of the pōwhiri are concluded, the citizenship ceremony begins.

This part of the programme is where each candidate is called forward to say either the oath or affirmation of allegience to His Majesty the King to make effective the Grants of Naturalisation approved by the honourable Minister of Internal Affairs.

Some of the new citizens have chosen to say their oath or affirmation of allegiance in Te Reo Māori.