By Emily Norman
It was a “magical” day for Carterton’s library services manager Anne Jackson as she and her husband became Kiwi citizens at the Carterton Events Centre yesterday.
After working in UK prison services, the couple found themselves a very different home five and a half years ago when they moved to the daffodil capital of New Zealand.
Mrs Jackson, originally from North Wales, had met her husband Neil when working at a prison library in the UK.
He was the prison industries manager.
She began working at the Carterton Library when it first reopened with the Events Centre and “just ended up as the library services manager… I just love it,” she said.
“Today is hugely special to me and Neil.
“I feel like it means we belong.
“Everybody is just so welcoming, and today… it’s just magic… just magic.”
Mrs Jackson said she was so keen to become a citizen that she had sent the citizenship papers off too early.
The couple were joined by many other Wairarapa residents including Anna Bergstrom, Karen Chalmers, Rebecca Clark, Kirsten Earnshaw, Andrew Earnshaw, Hannah Kennish, Alison Norris-Baber, Mavis Saxton, Josephine Stanbury, Robin Weaver, Valerie Weaver, and Lucia Zanmonti.
Carterton School pupils welcomed the new citizens with song, dance and haka.
