

A desire for a new life brought Scott Ammerman to our shores over eight years ago and on June 20, the US citizen officially became a Kiwi.
Scott, who is the Processing Supervisor at Luisetti Seeds Ashburton, says he sold his home in Northern Indiana, along with his possessions and arrived in Auckland with a suitcase and a dream of new beginnings.
While he had never been to New Zealand before, he had contacts who offered him a job in their Central Otago business.
As soon as Scott arrived, circumstances changed but, through these contacts, Scott was invited to spend a couple of weeks in Ashburton – and he has never left.
A keen fisherman, Scott says he found the mountains, lakes and ocean were all within easy reach and the climate was moderate, unlike the extremes of cold and heat he had been living and working in.
In summer, temperatures in Indiana could reach 40 degrees, while in winter, 30 degrees below zero was not uncommon. It was also a 14-hour drive from the ocean and 22 hours from the Wyoming mountains where he was raised.
Now from his Ashburton home, Scott can be at ocean in 10 minutes and fishing in a mountain lake in just over an hour. For Scott, fishing is a release from the daily grind and he doesn’t care whether he catches a fish or not, it is just about getting away from it all.
While Lake Heron is a favourite fishing spot, he also enjoys fishing in the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers and in the ocean.
“Wherever I can cast a line.”
Scott’s citizenship ceremony was held in Ashburton and a desire to formalise his decision to make New Zealand home was a natural one.
“Once I got here, I knew I would never leave so I decided to make it home.”
Welcome home Scott!
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