A newly sworn in Justice of the Peace is "excited to give back” to the Ashburton community and he's come a long way to do so.

He's Rohit Ranjit, who was sworn in at the Ashburton District Court in front of family and fellow JPs.

Ranjit, originally from Nepal, was excited to see his training pay off.

"I’m pretty happy,'' he said.

"After two and a half years of my journey to become a JP, I’ve finally formally become a Justice of the Peace for the Ashburton District.”

Ranjit worked as a bank manager in Nepal before moving to Hamilton, Oamaru and eventually Ashburton.

"Because I was a migrant, I was looking for a place where I could settle down.

"I came to Ashburton, and Ashburton is a lovely place.”

He said there were around 80 Nepalese families in the district, which made him, and his whanau, feel at home.

"I always wanted to have a role where I could give back to the community, and now, here I am.”

Alistair Morrison JP, who has held the role for 10 years, was excited to onboard Ranjit.

"Welcome to our family. We've got a big family of JPs in Ashburton.”

Morrison said in Ashburton there were more than 60 JPs, who are judicial officers able to low level legal tasks like certifying documents and handling declarations.

They can also sign affidavits, take oaths, and help with citizenship applications but they don't get paid. It's all part of a community service.

"When I became a JP, I questioned the need for that many JPs in the area, but surprisingly we do need a lot,'' Morrison said.

District Court Judge Dominic Dravitzki said Ranjit’s swearing in was "quite a happy occasion”.

The abundance of JPs in the Ashburton area was "in some ways, the sign of a healthy community,” he said.

"People are prepared to put themselves forward in service of the community.”

By Anisha Satya