A lawyer from New Zealand who moved to Bermuda last year has been given formal approval to practise in the country.

Matthew Rhodes, 30, has joined the Bermuda legal community after he was welcomed to the Bermuda Bar on Friday.

Delivering part of his opening speech in Maori, the native language of his home country, Mr Rhodes said: “It’s a great privilege to now be Called to the Bermuda Bar so that I can advocate for the rights of my clients — those who have entrusted the laws and the courts of this island with their business and their private affairs while defending the rule of law and the integrity of this honourable court.”

Mr Rhodes had his Call to the Bar just moments after his colleague at Carey Olsen, Padraic O’Shaughnessy.

Mr Rhodes, who lives in Paget, said he moved to Bermuda last year in pursuit of more career opportunities.

He said that while he and his wife were initially worried about fitting in, the island had “welcomed us with open arms”.

Mr Rhodes added: “It’s hard not to feel a sense of belonging in Bermuda when you walk into a room and you’re greeted with a flood of ‘good mornings’, ‘good afternoons’ and ‘good days’.

“My identity was somewhat anchored when I was told the national sport of Bermuda was cricket and the national drink was rum — I knew it wouldn’t be hard to find my identity here.”

Mr Rhodes later told The Royal Gazette that there was a bit of a culture shock upon moving to the island.

He said: “I started taking the bus in the first month and it’s amazing because you come on and you get hit with a rush of ‘good days’ and ‘good mornings’.

“Nowhere else in the world will you hear someone say ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ or something like that, so that made me feel at home pretty quickly.”

Mr Rhodes obtained his bachelor of laws degree from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand in 2018.

He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand that same year, and practised general civil litigation with a focus on commercial and contentious trust disputes.

Mr Rhodes appeared in the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal in New Zealand, usually as junior counsel to leading barristers and King’s Counsel.

By the time he left home, he was a senior associate at a top New Zealand law firm.

Mr Rhodes said that he was happy to be able to fully practise on the island.

“It’s been a long year, not being able to appear and only coming along and listening,” he admitted. “I’m excited to get up on my feet.”