A fortnightly series about those moving here to call Central Home.

An anxious six month wait is over for Reno’s Emily Schmith after her visa was approved this month.

The 32-year-old US citizen met partner Dunedin’s Gareth Williams in early 2024 while she was travelling around New Zealand. 

After staying in touch for a few months, Emily moved in with Gareth on an orchard in Central last April.

She’s jumped into community life here, while working remotely as a faculty led coordinator at University Studies Abroad Consortium, recruiting US students to go overseas for a portion of their university studies.

She has taken on a volunteer event organising role (the "social bitch") for the charity Good Bitches Baking’s Queenstown Central Otago chapter.

Emily stumbled across a volunteer role at Otago Community Hospice’s biography service, applied for it, got selected, and completed a weekend’s training to be a transcriber.

“I get to listen to this person’s story. They’ve lived a life, that’s what they’re doing. It’s a privilege.”

So far she’s transcribed interviews for two people, calling it “mostly interesting” but more time consuming than initially expected.

Whenever she can she helps at planting days for Haehaeata Heritage Trust and other not for profit groups, and said missing “the social life of a big city” means she says yes to anything and everything she can get involved in.

She’s become the striker of the Alexandra United Football Club’s women’s team, making new friendships across the district through sport.

Her ‘up for anything' attitude has led her to orienteering, quiz nights, art workshops, gigs, bowling, book clubs, and more.

“I love running into people randomly here… and I’ve always said I’d like a small town life.”

Hockey player Gareth and footballer Emily. PHOTO: Supplied

Washoe Valley (30 minutes from Reno where Emily grew up) is small with lakes and mountains, but it doesn’t have wineries and orchards of Central. 

Before she left on her travels Emily lived in Reno, a city of 400,000, also known for its proximity to the mountains (Sierra Nevada) and as the birthplace of the first riveted blue jeans, created by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1871. 

The future for Kiwi drain layer Gareth and Emily isn’t laid out yet, but presenting evidence to immigration of their genuine partnership, and figuring out all the tax implications of her US employment, has given them three more years to build their life together. 

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