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Last modified: 04 May 2021 8:30am

Alistair Kerr with Mayor Sam Broughton at the citizenship ceremony

A trip to go skiing turned into a new life and a new home for one proud Kiwi, welcomed at last week’s citizenship ceremony.

Originally from England, Alistair Kerr was among 25 people from 10 different countries including Ukraine, the Philippines and Namibia who became citizens of Aotearoa at the latest Council citizenship ceremony.

Mr Kerr, who co-owns Gnomes Alpine Sports in Darfield, says he fell in love with New Zealand and Darfield in particular when he came on a visit to go skiing in 2001.

Fortunately, when he returned to Europe for the next ski season he met and fell in love with a woman from Darfield, Leith, who shared his passion for the snow. After a few years of going back and forth, taking in the winters in both hemispheres and working on ski fields, the pair decided to settle back in Darfield.

“Her father started the ski shop here in 1982 and in 2005 we agreed to buy the business. We were still going back to Europe for winters at the start, but we settled back permanently in 2007. I have always enjoyed it here, halfway between the city and the mountains. I like to go that way, up into the mountains, to go mountain biking or skiing. It’s a really nice community with a local feel. People are really down to earth and everyone knows each other.”

With the area being firmly home, the business booming despite the global pandemic and with a five year old son Brockton here he decided last year that it was time to finally officially become a Kiwi.

“It’s home, I love it and I wasn’t going to go anywhere else.”