Delayed path to citizenship for Fijian health worker
AFTER more than two decades of working in medical labs across the country, Tausia Solomone has finally become a New Zealand citizen. Ms Solomone was a solo mother from Fiji before she moved to New Zealand in the early 2000s.
‘‘Moving to New Zealand, it was different, but not that different.
‘‘It was coming to Dunedin, though, because it's so cold.’’ She lived in Auckland and Wellington, working for Awanui labs before a restructure saw her move once more to Dunedin in 2015.
‘‘I love Dunedin.
‘‘Everyone keeps asking me, ‘why Dunedin? Come back to Auckland’, and I’m like, ‘ no, I actually love Dunedin’.’’ Ms Solomone works in the cervical lab for Dunedin’s Awanui Labs cytology department where she conducts cervical smears.
‘‘I’m a solo mum and I always teach my kids to always give more than you take, to be an asset everywhere you go.’’
She lived in Dunedin with her daughter Sereynah Solomone who was a student at the University of Otago.
‘‘I feel like people here, they're very genuine,’’ Ms Solomone said.
She felt fortunate to be given the opportunity to work in New Zealand.
‘‘I'm from Fiji, but I got picked by the lab here so I've come straight into work — I was very, very lucky.’’
Her son Tesimale Latu flew down from Auckland the night before the ceremony just to surprise her.
Having finally gained citizenship, Ms Solomone planned to spend the night applying for a passport to visit Fiji in June. New citizens are.— Bianca Arlar (South Africa), Muhammad Arslan Akhtar (Pakistan), Donia Daham Al Akla (Syrian Arab Republic), Khaled Mohamad Al Naes (Syrian Arab Republic), Ghasan Khaled Al Naes (Syrian Arab Republic), Khaled Ghasan Al Naes (Syrian Arab Republic), Mamdouh Ghasan Al Naes (Syrian Arab Republic), Ahmad Ghasan Alnaes (Lebanon), Najwa Farhan El Hussein (Syrian Arab Republic), Shokit Reeial Ali (Scotland), Alia Abed Alrahman Askar Almoudallali (Syria), Abed Alrahman Moussa Askar Almoudallali (Syrian Arab Republic), Moussa Abed Alrahman Askar Almoudallali (Syrian Arab Republic), Joseph Gonzales Balfe (United Kingdom), Jemma Natalie Bronkhorst (South Africa), Panvad Chonrom (Thailand), Wallace Armstrong Chase (United States of America), Muhammad Ahmad Cheema (Pakistan), Jessica Emily ChinShong (Ireland), Janeth Baste Crausos (Philippines), Gustavo De Macedo (Brazil), Manikandan Ekambaram (India), Akanksha Gandhi (India), Kavin Manikandan (New Zealand), Oriah Sage Ellis (South Africa), Mario Henrique Farias Santos (Brazil), Giselle Lourenco Marins Santos (Brazil), Davi Marins Santos (Brazil), Charleston Pujalte Grageda (Philippines), Jongmin Han (Korea, Republic of), Anuradha Dinesh Dayananda Hewa Hakmanage (Sri Lanka), John Huyser (South Africa), Ana Valeti Ikahihifo (Tonga), Ofa Tongatua Ikahihifo (Tonga), Preeti Kadam (India), Kajal (India), Narayani Kandasamy (Malaysia), Harpreet Kaur (India), Komal (India), Abhishek Kumar (India), Sweta Kumari (India), Nirmala Kuppuswami (India), Mekaela Kate Geonzon Laurio (Philippines), Julia Zhe Ching Loo (Malaysia), Chenyi Ma (China), Marcia Aparecida Magno Botafogo (Brazil), Birk Mammitzsch (Germany), Christine Claire Melo (Philippines), Joy Anne Salud Napalan (Philippines), Lysiane Marie Nieuwinckel (Belgium), Nahla Lily Nightingale (United Kingdom), Caoimhe Peony Kearney Nightingale (United Kingdom), Karen Elizabeth Nightingale (Ireland), Joel Nathaniel Papak (United States of America), Nadia Kinsella Prasetyo (Indonesia), Tylee Rochelle Pratt (Canada), Harry John George Rowley Westwood (United Kingdom), Onolima Salevana Afemata (Samoa), Rupinder Sharma (India), Tausia Mere Solomone (Fiji), Jimly Sunny (India), Tareq Issa Mahmoud Talahma (Palestine), Milena Maria Vargas Campos (Costa Rica), Ayesha Rani Verma (United Kingdom), Sirjiwan Kumar Verma (England), Narinder Kaur Verma (United Kingdom).