The best part of the New Zealand Citizenship ceremony for new immigrants is at the end when the government presents you with your 7 sheep (or, in more urban centres, just a certificate of ownership). Of course, nowadays (at least in the big cities) people no longer keep their sheep in their own gardens, as it is no longer common to have the 1/4 acre section. Those of us who live in Auckland generally sublet our sheep to the large government collective farms in the South Island, and simply have the certificate of Sheep Ownership on the wall (along with photos of the sheep for those people who are particularly keen).
Many New Zealanders will take short breaks to go and visit their small flock (or, colloquially, 'batch' ) of sheep. Therefore, you may hear a New Zealander saying that they plan to spend a long weekend visting the "family batch" - this is when they are going to visit their sheep. They may come back with bits of wool as mementos.
0
The best part of the New Zealand Citizenship ceremony for new immigrants is at the end when the government presents you with your 7 sheep (or, in more urban centres, just a certificate of ownership). Of course, nowadays (at least in the big cities) people no longer keep their sheep in their own gardens, as it is no longer common to have the 1/4 acre section. Those of us who live in Auckland generally sublet our sheep to the large government collective farms in the South Island, and simply have the certificate of Sheep Ownership on the wall (along with photos of the sheep for those people who are particularly keen).
Many New Zealanders will take short breaks to go and visit their small flock (or, colloquially, 'batch' ) of sheep. Therefore, you may hear a New Zealander saying that they plan to spend a long weekend visting the "family batch" - this is when they are going to visit their sheep. They may come back with bits of wool as mementos.