Thor embraces Kiwi life as NZ citizen
Reporter chats to Thor about becoming a Kiwi, for our latest series
Among the 124 people becoming new Kiwis at a Citizenship Ceremony in March, was an Icelandic man not wearing a cape, but a taonga.
Though Thor Hilmarsson shares a name with his country’s Nordic god of thunder, he’s taken up a different role as architect.
The now-Hamilton man became a New Zealand citizen on March 12.
He attended the ceremony wearing the taonga around his neck and with intentions to speak the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance in Ma¯ori.
Thor came to New Zealand as an exchange student in 2009 to study architectural technology at Wintec.
That same year, he met his now-partner Vera MacDonald at Hamilton’s annual outdoor event Round the Bridges, turning what was intended to be a 3-6 month trip into a love affair between Thor and New Zealand.
MacDonald isn’t originally from Hamilton either. She was based in Wellington before making the trip to Hamilton.
‘‘We just happened to be in town the same time,’’ she said.
Before his arrival, Thor had never seen a feijoa.
In his first few weeks, he was living in a backpackers, and left the green fruit in his room for the day while he went off to study.
When he returned, the room smelled wonderfully of feijoas, and Thor’s loved them ever since.
For more than 20 years, he lived in Denmark. But there, they expected him to give up his Icelandic citizenship.
‘‘I didn’t want to do that,’’ he said.
‘‘If I had to give up my Icelandic connection here, I wouldn’t have.’’
Instead, he’s taken Kiwi living in his stride. He even voted for the first time as a citizen in the 2017 September General Election.
He is also the president of the New Zealand Icelandic Society, who reconnect every year.
‘‘The day I came here, I felt at home,’’ he said.
‘‘I had never felt so good about
any country.’’
Thor now works at Stiles and Hooker Architects and Engineers, based in the suburb of Hamilton Lake.