This week the Coromandel population increased by 27 with the latest New Zealand citizens swearing their Oath of Citizenship this week.

Held at the Thames Council Chambers, the civic ceremony was presided over by Mayor Glenn Leach and council staff.

Thames Coromandel mayor Peter Leach with the De Laborde family during a New Zealand Citizenship Ceremony held this week. Photos: Supplied.

For the ceremony each individual swore the Oath of Citizenship which involves pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II and swearing to observe the laws of the country.

They were then presented with a gift of a native tree and their citizenship certificate.

This latest group of citizens living in the Coromandel is made up of 13 British, two Australian, four South African and one British-South African ex-pats.

The ceremony also featured a performance from Parawai School's kapa haka group who presented several Maori songs to recognise the importance of tangata whenua and Maori culture.

The Thames Coromandel District Council would like to warmly welcome to the Coromandel:

• Roger, Tamryn and Jennifer De Laborde
• Daniel, Melanie, Gabriel and Phoebe Asquith
• Derek and Carol Timmins
• John and Suasan Oxley
• Brett Kilian
• Heather Maule
• Susan Moore
• Leslie Prescott-Haar
• Paul Springall
• Judy Willard
• George Campbell
• Sharon Deane
• David Stephenson
• Susan Gorman

Parawai School's kapa haka group.