May 2019 | Read a plain text version of this newsletter

Including Māori elements in citizenship ceremonies

The Department strongly encourages the appropriate inclusion of Māori elements in citizenship ceremonies.

One way to do this is to invite a representative of the local iwi to welcome the candidates to the ceremony or provide a short address to the new citizens.

The following may also be considered:

• presentations or performances by a Māori culture group from tangata whenua, local schools or community
• displays presenting information on Māori history and culture, or featuring Māori arts and crafts

• if giving new citizens a gift, that could be an item reflecting Māori culture

Swearing allegiance in English and te reo Māori

The law requires that all candidates 14 years of age and over swear the oath or affirmation of allegiance. The oath is a holy vow, and the affirmation is secular. Candidates indicate their preference when applying for citizenship. Applicants under 14 years may take the oath or affirmation of allegiance if they wish.

The oath or affirmation can be made individually, in family groups or en masse, depending on the size of the ceremony group.

The candidates can be asked to repeat the oath or the affirmation, or answer 'I do'.

It is not essential for candidates to use a holy book when taking the oath, nor to open the book or to hold up their hand. Candidates who wish to take the oath on their own religious book should be advised that they may, if they wish, bring the holy book of their choice.

The oath or affirmation can be made in English or in te reo Māori. Both versions are below:

Oath of Allegiance

Text of Oath of Allegiance - English

The Oath of Allegiance is in the following form:

I, .......................................
(say your full name)
of .......................................
(place where you live)

swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of New Zealand, her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of New Zealand and fulfil my duties as a New Zealand citizen.

So help me God.

Text of Oath of Allegiance - Māori

Raraunga ki Aotearoa Te Kupu Taurangi o te Noho Pūmau

Ko ahau, ko ....................................... 
(āta whakahuatia te katoa o tō ingoa)
o ....................................... 
(te wāhi kei reira koe e noho ana)

ēnei e ki taurangi ana ka noho pirihonga, ka noho pūmau ahau ki a Kuini Erihāpeti te Tuarua, Kuini o Aotearoa, ā, e ai ki te ture ki ōna uri aki, ki ōna uri tuku iho, ā, me pono tonu mau ki ngā ture o Aotearoa me te whakatutuki i ōku mahi i te mea he kirirarau ahau o Aotearoa.

Nā reira āwhinatia mai ahau e Te Atua.

Affirmation of Allegiance

Text of Affirmation of Allegiance - English

The Affirmation of Allegiance is in the following form:

I, .......................................
(say your full name)
of .......................................
(place where you live)

solemnly, and sincerely affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of New Zealand, her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of New Zealand and fulfil my duties as a New Zealand citizen.

Text of Affirmation of Allegiance - Māori

Raraunga ki Aotearoa Te Whakaū Pono o te Noho Pūmau

Ko ahau, ko ....................................... 
(āta whakahuatia te katoa o tō ingoa)
o ....................................... 
(te wāhi kei reira koe e noho ana)

tēnei e whakataū tūturu ana, e whakaū pono ana i tōku pirihonga, i tōku noho pūmau ki a Erihāpeti te Tuarua, Kuini o Aotearoa, ā, e ai ki te ture ki ōna uri aki, ki ōna uri tuku iho, ā, me pono tonu tōku mau ki ngā ture o Aotearoa me te whakatutuki i ōku mahi i te mea he kirirarau ahau o Aotearoa.

Understanding citizenship ceremonies

As part of our efforts to re-imagine the way we deliver citizenship services to our customers, it is important that we look at the whole experience and the people we work with to deliver our customers’ desired service experience. This includes citizenship ceremonies and the local authorities who host them on our behalf.

To broaden our understanding of what local authorities currently do, Beth Davies (Senior Service Designer) has been travelling the country meeting with people who organise ceremonies in Auckland, Waikato, New Plymouth via Valerie Poort, Wairarapa, Wellington and Christchurch. Beth’s set out to find if there is a “typical” way of preparing for ceremonies, what the differences are between smaller and larger ceremonies, and to help identify opportunities for improving the experience.

Beth is only early in her analysis, but has already found that there are opportunities to improve the way we provide information to local authorities in a way that is easy for them to use. She’s also observed that the size of the local authority does affect the experience for the customer, and it’s more challenging for larger local authorities to personalise the experience in the same way that smaller centres can do.

A highlight for Beth during her travels was meeting Wanda who organises Citizenship ceremonies in Ngaruawahia. Wanda was a migrant herself from South Africa and, as such, is passionate about giving new citizens a really special experience.

Another highlight was being able to observe a citizenship ceremony in Masterton. “It was actually a really emotional experience, thinking about how much people may have sacrificed or been through personally to get here, and how proud they were to become citizens.”

Gaining insights through face-to-face work like this is a key tool in helping us improve the experience for our customers and our partners. We can guess how a person will use or react to something, or we can find out directly from them and challenge any assumptions that we might have in the process.

Through her experience, Beth says that involving our customers in co-designing what we’re creating gives us confidence that we’re on the right track, and helps ensure that what we’re doing is useful and usable. “Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up and forget that a person is at the other end of what we’re doing.”