There's been somewhat of a furore in the past week over the Bay's most prominent international celebrity, the inimitable Richard O'Brien.
As many who follow the news will already be aware, it has been widely reported that Richard has been denied New Zealand citizenship, which turns out to be not exactly accurate.

Fortunately, it's our humble job here at The Weekend Sun to dig below the media hype and tell you what's actually going on. So here's the real story.
In case anyone is still unaware of the fact, Richard O'Brien has been living on and off in the Bay, out towards Katikati, for the past several years. It must be a decade now, and the beautiful house he has been building out there is nearly complete. Richard – at the risk of sounding really redundant – is the man who created the Rocky Horror Show.
His family emigrated to New Zealand when he was five and after growing up here and in Hamilton, he headed back to England in his late teens to pursue a life on stage and screen. During a period of enforced downtime from singing in Jesus Christ Superstar he wrote the little musical which went on to conquer the world.
(Interesting Rocky Horror Show fact – it's the only New Zealand stage production to star both Russell Crowe and Sir Robert Muldoon.)
Fast forward a couple, or three decades, and Richard would appear to have been firmly claimed for New Zealand. Over in Hamilton there is a statue of him dressed as Riff-Raff from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When TVNZ screened its 100 Iconic Moments in Kiwi Pop Culture, there was Richard O'Brien and the Rocky Horror Show.
In the late 90s Richard started spending more time in New Zealand. His brother and sister both live in Tauranga – where their parents lived – and he wants to eventually settle here. (I would say 'retire” but it's hard to imagine Richard ever doing anything so passive.) The plan, which seems to have been working successfully, was to spend a few months here each year, gradually increasing over time. There are still commitments overseas, whether it be production of Rocky around the world or the new musical of Richard's, The Stripper, which did the rounds of England last year and is still being reworked.
So Richard has applied for citizenship, something he'd never quite got round to. Contrary to the news reports, he has not been denied this. Everything you have heard has stemmed from a casual remark he made to a journalist while being interviewed on a different subject; that he was concerned about not fitting the criteria, because, as it turns out, Richard is too old for the usual requirements of citizenship. Despite looking – as Paul Henry so charmingly put it – like a man in his late 40s, he is in fact 68.
But he hasn't been turned down. I got in touch with him as soon as I read the headlines, ready to man the barricades and start the fight, and he was concerned that the publicity could actually jeopardise his application.
But the issue's well and truly out there in the public now. Paul Henry has talked to John Key about it on air and the government have to act in some way. I hope they decide to bend the rules. As Richard says, 'I have no interest in manipulating the system or living off the welfare state, or indeed putting any further strain on an already over pressurised health service. I am a solvent, self-sufficient
individual who is grateful for a continued connection with the country I love.”
Surely this is exactly the sort of 'immigrant” we want in New Zealand? Isn't this the sort of talent the country longs to attract? That he happens to be the kindest, wisest, most generous person you could hope to meet is mere icing on the cake.

I asked him before writing this if he had anything he wanted me to pass on. He said 'You can quote me as saying that I am deeply grateful for the support and good wishes that I have received with regard to this subject. Or, something along those lines.”