Citizenship ceremonies

Overview

Citizenship ceremonies are held by Upper Hutt City Council on behalf of the Department of Internal Affairs to welcome new citizens to New Zealand and confirm their citizenship.

Candidates are required to attend a ceremony to declare publicly their commitment to New Zealand and recite an oath or affirmation of allegiance before becoming a New Zealand citizen. Candidates only become New Zealand citizens once the oath or affirmation has been sworn and the Certificate of Citizenship has been presented.

While these ceremonies are hosted by Upper Hutt City Council, we are not responsible for allocating candidates to ceremony dates. This is the decision of the Department of Internal Affairs and you will be notified by them which date your ceremony will take place. Ceremonies are by invitation only.

The ceremony

Upper Hutt City Council recognises the importance of New Zealand citizenship and tries to make the ceremony an enjoyable experience for the candidates and their guests. 

The ceremony typically follows the below order of service:

• Opening address by the Mayor of Upper Hutt
• Candidates to take either the oath or affirmation
• Presentation of Certificates of Citizenship
• Concluding address
• National anthem in English and te reo Māori
• Light refreshments served with the Mayor

Ceremony venue

The citizenship ceremony is held at Whirinaki Whare Taonga, 836 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt.

Dates for upcoming ceremonies

We work with the Department of Internal Affairs to arrange a ceremony once we have approximately 60 candidates available. You will be notified by the Department of Internal Affairs when your ceremony will take place via a personal invitation and all the details you require to attend.

The following dates are tentatively set for 2025:

• 4 March
• 13 March
• 12 June
• 22 July
• 2 September
• 16 December

What to bring

Candidates are not required to bring anything along for the purpose of the ceremony itself.  

If candidates wish to use a camera to take photographs or a video camera to record the event, they are welcome to do so. 

Depending on how many people are receiving their certificate of citizenship, each candidate will be able to invite one person to attend.

Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance

Candidates must recite the Oath of Allegiance or Affirmation of Allegiance before becoming a New Zealand citizen. Below are the wordings for either. 

• Oath of Allegiance:
  I (your name) swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of New Zealand, his heirs and successors according to the 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.
• Affirmation of Allegiance
  I (your name) solemnly and sincerely affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of New Zealand,

  his heirs and successors according to the law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of New Zealand and fulfil my duties as a New Zealand citizen.

Citizenship applications fees and forms

For further information, including details of fees or to get an application form, please contact:

New Zealand Citizenship Office
Freephone: 0800 22 51 51 (New Zealand only)
Phone: (+64 4) 463 9361 (from outside New Zealand)
E-mail: citizenship@dia.govt.nz
Website: citizenship.govt.nz