- MAN: I haven't been able to find my birth mother. - She was struggling. - It must have been a very hard decision to give away a child. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) - It was quite a big shock. (CHUCKLES) - So the names were... in the family Bible? - It's quite exciting, but also a bit scary ` the unknown out there. (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 (GENTLE MUSIC) (BIRDS TWEET) - I'm David Lomas. Tonight I'm trying to solve two adoption mysteries. (BIRDSONG) First, I'm heading to Tikitapu ` the beautiful Blue Lake near Rotorua. I'm meeting 34-year-old entertainer Cameron Clayton. He has some unanswered questions about where he came from. (GENTLE MUSIC) Lovely spot down here. - Yes, it's one of my favourite places to run away to. - So, what is your story? - I was adopted as a baby, and I've never known my birth family. And I've kind of just got to a point in my life where I feel I need to find them. - And how can I help you? - I haven't been able to find my birth mother, uh, and I would like to find her. - Oh well. We'll go and sit down and have a chat. - Wonderful. - Cameron's an internationally renowned entertainer who, as a teenage country singer, won New Zealand's Gold Guitar Award and Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year, as well as appearing in musical theatre, on a TV talent show, performing internationally at Tamworth and Nashville and in front of 200,000 people at Christmas In The Park. - Hey! - (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - Thank you, Auckland! - In recent years, he has worked as an entertainment director on cruise ships, and he says he owes it all to his adoptive parents, lawyer Peter Clayton and shop demonstrator Jo Clayton. - My childhood was very, very blessed, to be honest. Mum and Dad are the most loving people in my life. They are extremely caring and positive. Mum and Dad have been in the front row, cheering me on, for everything that I've done. It's been an absolute blessing. - So, what do you know of the circumstances of your adoption? - I was told that I was adopted by Mum and Dad at a very young age. My brother was also adopted. I knew that Mum and Dad couldn't have children, which is why they have us. But I've had so many opportunities in my life that I haven't really thought to dig any deeper until I got older. And... now that I'm in my mid-30s, I kind of sit there and go, 'I wonder if I should have done this 'earlier on in life.' - Who are you most looking for? - Mainly my birth mother. I would really like to find her,... mainly... to thank her for doing what she did. I wouldn't have had the life that I've had and the opportunities that I've had without those first steps. And I'd also really like to find my whakapapa and find my tribes, my people, and find where I really fit in... the culture and heritage of this country. - Brothers and sisters ` have you wondered about them? - Yeah, if I did have siblings, that would be amazing. It would mean so much to me to meet them. Absolutely mind-blowing. It would make my life. (EPIC MUSIC) (PLAYS GUITAR) # Grew up in a small town in the biggest city in this place # with nothing much but just what we had in our # country lifestyle and pace. # (CHUCKLES) What is all this? (LAUGHS) - PETER: Look at it all. - Oh my gosh. - Throughout Cameron's glittering entertainment career,... - Look at all the photographs, Cam, of... - Fond memories. - Look at this. - ...Peter and Jo have been his biggest supporters. - ...when you won the Norfolk Island Trans-Tasman. And you didn't even believe us when we called you that night. - Oh, I know. - Yeah. From a phone box in Norfolk Island. - (CHUCKLES) - And we're holding on to the wire to make sure we got through. Yeah. - He started off as a 10-year-old, and he just blossomed through our local club, which was Eastern Districts Country Music. - They said, look, enter him into awards, because he can sing. We travelled extensively with him. He started winning everything that he entered. - So, Cameron, this is my story. - Now Cameron is trying to find his birth mother, and Jo is passing on all the information she has. - READS: 'Your birth mother, Karen, was a healthy, single, '21-year-old young woman of European-Maori ancestry. 'She enjoyed and was active in sport. Played tennis.' Yes! 'Also very musical.' Wonderful. - Not only were Peter and Jo given a lot of detail about Cameron's birth mother,... - Both parents were a quarter Maori. Mother was Ngapuhi. - Mm-hm. - But Jo actually met Carol just before they adopted the baby. - She asked to meet me, just on my own, and we went and had coffee at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington. She was just delightful. I was just so overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was get up on the table and tell everyone, 'This lady, here, has just given me her baby boy.' It was just so exciting. - What did Carol tell you about why she was putting Cameron up for adoption? - Oh, she had a difficult time. She was... 21 then. She had previous children, and she just couldn't offer Cameron` She wanted him to have two parents. She was struggling. - Did you have any further contact? - There was. I think for the first six months we kept in touch with photographs and a letter. - Yeah. - So, this letter here is from Catholic Social Services, and this is what we knew about you. - OK. - Carol was ecstatic. She said seeing you all as a family and Cameron so safe and loved confirmed for her that her decision to try to give Cameron quality of life with two caring parents was right. Carol has had a rough deal with her family, but her courage and tenacity in these last months has been incredible. She has had her own down times, but at the end says Joanna and Peter must be able to tell Cameron that his birth mother did care enough to give him up and to work for a life for Marnie and Jordan that will one day make you proud of them all. I think Carol is one special lady. (SENTIMENTAL MUSIC) - Well, it's interesting after hearing that letter that she felt that she made the right decision. That's huge to me. - Now, after 34 years of no further contact with Carol, Peter and Jo are right behind Cameron's search for his birth mother. If we can find Carol, what would you want to say to her? - Oh. Thank you so much. It's just been a beautiful journey. Hug her, kiss her. Oh, it'd just be lovely. (BIRDS SQUAWK) - Back in Auckland, I start my search. Cameron has given me a copy of his pre-adoptive birth certificate, which names his birth mother as Carol Paranihi. I do my usual basic searches, including social media, the White Pages and home ownership, but I have no luck. But when I check death notices, I find one for a Joan Paranihi, and I see Joan has a daughter ` Carol. There are two telephone numbers on the death notice, and I try one. (RINGING TONE) - WOMAN: Hello. - Oh, hello. Is Carol there, please? - Here you go. - CAROL: Hello. - Hello, Carol. My name is David Lomas. A young man is trying to find you. - He is, is he? (INTRIGUING MUSIC) - 35-year-old adoptee Cameron Clayton is searching for his birth mother, Carol Paranihi. I've made contact with Carol, whose married name is Tawhiri and she has agreed to meet me. (ENGINE HUMS) I fly to Palmerston North... and drive to Feilding to meet Carol, who is one of about 80,000 mothers who gave up their babies during New Zealand's adoption boom from the 1950s to the 1980s. So, how will she feel about Cameron's attempt to find her? I meet Carol and her daughter, Marnie Paranihi, in a bustling cafe. - Hello. - Hi. - Hello. - Are you Carol? - Yes. - I'm David. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. - You must be Marnie. - Yes. Hi. - Hi. Well,... as I said on the phone, your boy Cameron is looking for you. - Yes. - So, what happened way back then? Uh, I was a single mother with two children, barely getting along, and having a third one just wasn't an option. I knew he could get a better life without me, so I decided to give him up for adoption. You met your son's adoptive mother. - Oh, she was lovely. She was very open about their life. And they already had a son ` Matthew. That's why they changed his name to Cameron. She told me about Matthew's adoption and how they were still involved with the birth mother, and I thought that was just lovely. - So what happened? Why didn't you keep in touch? - Family life just seemed to get on top of me. I was a single mother at the time, and I was 15, turning 16, when I had my first one. So I was still a child at heart. - It must have been a very hard decision to give away a child. - It was, cos nobody in our family had ever done anything like that before. - Carol tells me that she has never told her siblings about the baby she gave up for adoption. - They didn't know until.. you got in touch with me. - When I rang,... how was that? - That was like a weight off my shoulders. I was like, 'Oh, I can finally tell everybody.' Cos I've only told a few select` I told my husband, but he's passed away. And I told my kids, and Marnie just reminded me how I told them. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) - We found out. We found the letters that were between her and the adopted mother. Me and my brother found the letters. And so we approached her and said, 'What are these? Do you have something to tell us?' And so she kind of had to tell us. I must have been 19, about 19 when I found out. So, I was angry that she hadn't told me, but then I was excited I had another brother. - And your family ` what did they think about it? - I come from a family... of seven girls and one brother, so` - They were very excited. - Yeah, very excited. They just accepted it. It was like, 'OK, another one. And...?' - Awesome. - (CHUCKLES) - Yay. - So, would you like to see what he's like now? - I would. - If you were to just... push the button there. - (ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC PLAYS) - Look at his hair. # Grew up in a small town in the # biggest city in this place. - Oh, damn! - # Nothing much but just what we had in our # country lifestyle and pace. # Our parents worked so we could dream. - Oh, he looks like Jord. - # They went without so we could find what life means. # From a small town life... # (GUITAR MUSIC ENDS) - I didn't want to cry. (CHUCKLES) - That song, he wrote it himself. - Damn. Man, that's awesome. - He's amazing. - He's had quite a career, your son. He was New Zealand's top country singer. - You're kidding. - Oh, he didn't get that from me. - Nope. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - He was Australasia's top country singer. - Wow. - You're kidding. - That's amazing. - And he's sung in all the big country places ` Gore, Tamworth and Nashville. - Wow. - The big question is, would you be happy to meet him? - I really would. I'm scared, but I really would. Got a lot to catch up on. I'd like to meet his parents. Is that possible? - Well, they would like to meet you too. - Oh. - That's part of the deal. They come with him. - They come with him. Of course. Not a problem. - That's awesome. - That's great. (LAUGHS) (BIRDSONG) - I return to Rotorua with news for Cameron and his adoptive parents, Jo and Peter. - (CHUCKLES) David, hello! - Hello! Good to see you again. - Nice to see you. - Cameron, we talked about this last time, but what is it that you are hoping for? - I'm hoping to... find my birth mother, and finding out her Maori tribes and finding my whakapapa would be another huge thing for me. - And Jo and Peter, for Cameron to meet his birth mother, Carol, and his brother and sister, what would that mean? - Oh, a complete family and beyond and... - Yeah. - ...other people that will love him, and he will love them. - Mm. - Exactly. - Well,... I have met Carol. - Oh. - What? - (CHUCKLES) (SENTIMENTAL MUSIC) - And she is just... overjoyed that you are looking for her. (SENTIMENTAL MUSIC CONTINUES) - (SNIFFS, BREATHES SHAKILY) - She and your brother and sister, Jordan and Marnie, they just want to meet you too. - Aw. How cool is that? - (SNIFFLES) - Of course they want to see ya. (LAUGHS) Of course they do. - (SIGHS HEAVILY) - That's amazing. - It is, eh? - Mm. - Yeah. - So, the obvious question ` would you like to meet her? - Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, without a doubt. - And you two? - Can't wait. Look forward to it. - Yep. Yep. - (SIGHS) Oh, wow. - Yep. What's your favourite sub of the day at Subway? SONG: # Good day # Today might be a good day... # Every day has a different, delicious Subway Six Inch Sub for just $5.50. Every day is a good day at Subway. VOICEOVER: Hey, New Zealand, it's Aus here. This is hard to admit but you're pretty good at coming first. I mean, you did conquer the world's biggest mountain, so we reckon you can handle the world's biggest reef. And the sun may hit you guys first, but it really warms up by the time it gets over here. And if that's not enough, you adrenaline junkies showed us the bungee jump but how about this to get your blood pumping? Or this? Or this? Or this? Ahhh! Or even just this. So, New Zealand, isn't it time you added another first to your list? (GENTLE MUSIC) - Entertainer Cameron Clayton was adopted and raised by Rotorua couple Jo and Peter Clayton. Today, on his 35th birthday, Cameron will meet his birth mother, Carol Tawhiri, and sister Marnie Paranihi for the first time. But before she meets her son, Carol wants to meet and thank Jo and Peter. They've just driven down from Rotorua to Marnie's home in Feilding. - Morning. - Good morning, David. - You found it OK? - I did, indeed. Thank you. - Good to see you again. - Yeah, nice to see you again. - Hello, Jo. - Hi, David. - Nice to see you. - All excited, I am. - (CHUCKLES) You are? - Likely same as you. - Yeah. - Hmm. Hey. You OK? - No. - (CHUCKLES) - I'm panicking. - That's OK. - Well, it's all about to happen. Carol's just around the corner there. You'll remember her. - I do. Clearly. - Yeah. And she's with her daughter, Marnie. I'm just going to stay here and leave you to it. I hope it all goes well. - Thank you, David. Thank you. - Cheers. - Thank you. Looking forward. - OK. - You're all right? - Yep. - I'll be fine. - Breathe. Yeah. - OK. Let's do this. - You good? OK. - Hello. - Hello. Hi. - Hi. - How are`? - Hello. - Oh, wow. - How exciting is this? Carol! (GIGGLES EXCITEDLY) You look exactly the same. - Oh, you're kidding me. - Oh, no. - Aw. How are you doing? - Very, very well. Yeah. - You look fabulous. - So do you. - OK, go on, let's go inside. - Let's go. It just seems like yesterday, doesn't it? - I know, I was thinking that. - 'Carol has 35 years of news to catch up on.' - 35 years to the day. - I know! - How cool is that? - Yeah. She reminded me this morning. - 35. - Today. They've been a great 35 years. - Yes, absolutely. - So, I've got some lovely photos here to share with you, Carol. So, this is Pete and I flying back... - Yes. - ...from Wellington with Cameron. - This is` Yes. Oh my gosh. - He's got curls for Africa. - Yay. Someone finally takes after me. (CHUCKLES) - Through primary,... - Mm-hm. - ...we joined him up with our local country music club, and he just grew huge from there. He's won everything there is to win in New Zealand. He's absolutely talented and gifted. You've got some fantastic genes, I might say. - Where did that come from? - And it's all just so natural. - Yeah. - Born to entertain. - Yeah. - That's amazing. - Yeah. - Yeah. - While the parents talk, I catch up with Cameron in the town centre. Your Mum and your Dad have gone and met your other Mum. - Yes. - And now it's your turn. I mean, how are you feeling? - Uh, nervously excited, but I think more excited than anything. I've processed a lot of thoughts recently, and... I think I'm ready. I think I'm ready. I'm fine. Are you OK? - JO: I'm doing good. - (CHUCKLES) - I'm so proud of you. - (SIGHS) All right, here we go. - There's your birth mother down there,... Cam. - Off you go. You're gonna be OK. - I know. (SNIFFLES) (POIGNANT MUSIC) (SNIFFLES) - Love you. - (SNIFFLES) (SNIFFLES) Hi. - Hi. - (BOTH SNIFFLE) (POIGNANT MUSIC CRESCENDOES) - (BREATHES DEEPLY) I'm sorry I took so long. - (CHUCKLES) Oh, don't be. Don't worry. You're here now. That's all that counts. (CHUCKLES) As soon as I saw him I went, 'Yup, he's mine.' He's such an awesome guy. That was really emotional. It was me probably accepting that he forgave me for giving him away. (SNIFFLES) Oh, look at that. - He's fine. - And to know that he had such an awesome upbringing was really a load off my mind. - 35 years. - Yeah, I know. - Hi, I'm Cam. (CHUCKLES) Hi. - This is your sister. - Hi, I'm Marnie. - (BOTH WEEP) - 'I was just loving it ` finally meeting.' Hi. - Hi. Hi. - (CHUCKLES) How much he looks like my brother. - Your sister has been waiting for ages. - (CHUCKLES) - Oh my gosh. It was really, really beautiful. I wasn't expecting to feel the way I felt. 35 years to the day. - Yes. - I know. - To the day. - Happy birthday. - Thank you. Thank you. Finally being able to meet her on that day of all days ` my birthday. - (LAUGHTER) - Welcome. - Hi, thanks. (CHUCKLES) - Totally welcome. - We're here! - Yes. - You're welcome to the crazy side of your family. - Oh, thank you. (CHUCKLES) - Well, not me. (CHUCKLES) - Oh, I've come from crazy, going to crazy. That's fine by me. 'There were so many emotions. 'It was really amazing.' Oh my gosh. - There you go. - Hi. - (LAUGHTER) - Doing good. You're doing good. - Yeah. (CHUCKLES) - It was just lovely and just a beautiful opportunity to share Cameron. - Your brother wants to video call later if that's OK. - Aw, yes, absolutely. Oh my gosh. - Cos he's in Auckland. - I've never had a sister. (SNIFFLES) - You've got two now. - (LAUGHTER) - You've got two, yes. - Oh my gosh. - I'm the fabulous one, though. - (LAUGHTER) - Love it. - Oh, I have competition. - (LAUGHTER) - (GIGGLES) - An you're an uncle. - (GASPS) - And a great-uncle. - What?! - I've got four ` two boys, two girls ` - Oh my gosh. - ...and Jordan's got two girls. And then, my eldest has got one girl and one boy on the way. - Oh my God. - And then my eldest son has got one girl as well. - That's beautiful. That's amazing. Oh, my gosh. - So you've stepped into... - (CHUCKLES) - That's amazing. - Our family, yeah, is huge. - Yay. I'm finding out that I'm from a massive whanau, that there are a lot of people. It's gonna take some time, I think. (CHUCKLES) (AMBIENT MUSIC) - Cameron, Jo, and Peter spend the next couple of days getting to know some of Cameron's new whanau ` (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) - ...including his half sister, Jamie, and his niece Samantha and nephew Cody. - My family will love him. They will absolutely love him... - Oh my gosh. (CHUCKLES) - ...cos he's as crazy as us, so it's great. (CHUCKLES) You will love it if we ever take you up north. That's where my mum's from. - OK. Another part of this was to find my whakapapa, find out my Maori heritage. So, finding out my marae from the top of the North Island in Te Ao, which is amazing. - It's where they start the horse racing that they have every New Years. - Yeah. - Yeah. - It's a great start to that journey of finding my heritage and finding where I'm from. - Beautiful. - (CHUCKLES) - Squizzles. - I'm excited for what is to come, what's in the future... I don't know what's going on with my hair right now. - Oh, who cares? - (CHUCKLES) - I've given up on mine. - (BOTH LAUGH) ...and how we can keep growing this relationship that we've started. Happy? - Very, very happy, very happy. (CHUCKLES) So happy. (CHUCKLES) - Since meeting Carol and Marnie, Cameron has spent time tracking down more of his whanau and finding out about his whakapapa in the Far North. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) People started seeing someone who looked like you. - Like a twin. She couldn't live with the secret any more. It was quite a big shock. It's quite exciting but also a bit scary, the unknown out there. You're the boss or Dad is the boss? Me. I want a blue one. I want the blue one. So, looking for a car? Who for? For me. My daughter. Lovely colour, isn't it? Give you a bit of a rundown on this car. Is it your first car? You're the boss or Dad is the boss? Me. This car, as you can see, you've got an airbag at the front. Yeah. But this car doesn't have airbags on the side of-of the... It's got a one-star safety rating. Very low protection in a head-on crash. So this engine's gonna come all the way up to meet you. Bang! Snap the neck like that. And then you'll stop talking. Really quiet ` no more chatterbox like he was before. You'll be turned inside out, basically, if you get hit in the side ` unrecognisable. And your daughter will be the same. Think we need to keep looking. (CLASSICAL MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING OVER PA) K... - After reuniting Cameron Clayton with his birth mother, Carol Tawhiri, and sister Marnie Paranihi, my next visit is to Waitoa, a small Waikato dairy factory town where I'm about to start another adoption investigation. I'm here to meet 56-year-old shop owner Karen Dench. Karen, who is now a grandmother, was in her 40s when her world was turned upside down. So, what's your story? - When I was 42, I got a bit of a shock. My mum told me I was adopted. - Crikey. And, yeah, she couldn't live with the secret any more. - And how can I help you? - I have three full sisters from the same Mum and dad. - Full sisters. - Yeah, full sisters. - That's quite incredible, isn't it? - It is. So, yes, I'd like to learn about them and the rest of the family. - 'On the surface, Karen's was a typical Kiwi upbringing.' - I had a loving pair of parents, two older brothers, all had lots of opportunities. My brothers were into water skiing, so we used to go out to the lake here and do a bit of skiing and any outdoor activity. - Your parents, what were they like? - Wonderful, loving parents. They were an older couple. As I got older, you know, when I got up to my later years, I used to think, 'Oh, I've got really old parents, two older brothers, quite a big age difference there.' - At some stage in your life, people started seeing someone who looked like you. - Yes, Mum had a deja vu event at a dance evening one night in Tauranga. Her friends were there, and they said to her one day, 'Oh, look, there's Karen.' And of course, she looked up, and there was this lady that looked like me (CHUCKLES) like a like a twin. - But it wasn't until many years later, when her husband and the father of her three children died suddenly, that Karen learned a possible reason why someone looked so like her. - We seemed to be talking about names and she said, 'Well, you could always change your name and not if you married name any more.' I sort of thought, 'Oh, yeah. I could go back to my maiden name.' She said, 'No, no. You've got another name.' (CHUCKLES) And I went, 'Pardon?' And she said, 'Well, you're actually adopted. You could take your actual real name.' (CHUCKLES) And she told me that I had three older sisters, I'd come from the marriage break-up, and, yeah, the Mum couldn't keep me with the three other girls. It was it was quite a big shock to find out that they weren't my real parents. But, I mean, she gave me a good upbringing. She just couldn't live with the fact that she might die and not tell me. - To find out about her birth parents, Karen applied for her pre-adoptive birth certificate. - My parents' names are Anna Rose and Gordon Mornington Algie. Leanne Rae Algie was my birth name. - And apart from their names, what else do you know? - Not a lot, other than when I was born I was from a marriage break-up and that I have three older sisters. - And to meet people who are like you, what would that mean to you? I'd love to find my sisters. It would be quite amazing to actually have some more family and learn about, you know, what Mum and Dad were like, I guess, and how they grow up and their life stories as well. It's quite exciting but also a bit scary, the unknown out there. Yeah. What you can find and what they're gonna be like. (CURIOUS MUSIC) - My search for Karen's sisters begins at the Auckland Public Library, where I check microfiche copies of New Zealand birth records from the 1960s. I'm looking for children with the surname Algie ` Karen's pre-adoptive surname ` who were born in the early 1960s. And in 1963, I find a Colleen Algie. Her mother's name ` Anna. I believe I found one of Karen's sisters. I check to see if Colleen has married and find that in 1986, she married a man named Bourke. Back at the office, I try to track Colleen Bourke, and on the company's register, I find she and husband Leo run a plant hire company in Napier. But how will Colleen take the news that she has an unknown sister? Oh, hello. Is that Colleen? 'And will she want to meet me here?' I've been helping a woman who's trying to find her family, and I was wondering if I could come and see you because I think it relates to your family. OK, that would be fantastic. OK, thank you. Two days later, I fly to Napier... ...in the hope of meeting not one but two of Karen's sisters. Hello. Not only has Karen's sister Colleen agreed to meet me, she's also got in touch with another sister, Tracey Haxton ` a bar worker from Rotorua. As I said on the phone, a lady called Karen was trying to find her parents. which are your parents, as I understand it. - Yeah. - Is that correct? - Yeah, sounds right. Yeah, yeah. - And also her sisters. So, she was adopted. Did you know anything about that? - We knew later on in life that we had two sisters that were adopted out. - Older or younger than you? - One older than me and one younger than me. - So, Karen is younger. - Yeah. - But the older one, do you have any idea why she was adopted out? - Oh no. I'm sorry. Parents didn't talk about that. We don't know who adopted them or where. - Well, what Karen was told was that your mother was pregnant and your parents were splitting up and she couldn't afford to keep another baby. - We have been told that it sort of happened that way. I was only about a year old, I think, so I don't recall any of that. - Tracey, you're a little bit older. Do you remember anything of what happened? - No, she never talked about it. It's just when we got older that she had a family bible that all our names were in. And I think that's when we started asking questions. - So, the names were recorded in a family bible? - Yeah, I had Anita Leigh and Leanne Rae. - Mm. - So, Karen was Leanne Rae. - OK, yeah. - So, over the years, did your mum ever think of looking for them? Do you know? - No, no. I don't think so. No. - And your dad, did you know much about him? - No, not really, other than meeting him a couple of times, but we didn't talk about the past either. We just sort of accepted each other as we found them. - At any stage, do you think you've ever crossed paths with Karen? - Possibly but I probably wouldn't have known ` just a chance. Because I know that some people have said that some people in Tauranga have seen me, but I haven't been there. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - That's interesting because twice people have thought they'd seen Karen, but it wasn't her. - OK. So the possibility is that she couldn't look like me or her. - Yeah. - So, would you like to see what your sister looks like? - Yes, please. I very` (CHUCKLES) I'm fairly interested. - Well, if you were to push that black button there. (POIGNANT MUSIC) - Oh, yeah. She's got long hair. - I'd love to find, you know, my sisters, yeah. - Oh, interesting. Very interesting. - ...and learn about you know, what Mum and Dad were like, I guess. - Aw. - The eyes. - And how they grow up and their life stories as well. It's quite exciting but also a bit scary, the unknown. - See, she's had the same thing we did. (CHUCKLES) - Mm. She's very brave. - ...and what they're gonna be like. - Yeah, oh, that's very good. - Mm. - Oh, I'm very excited now. - So, that's your sister. Do you see any resemblance? - I do. (CHUCKLES) I do. I do. Yes. So much. - Happy to meet her? - Oh, very differently. - It would be very good to see her. Great. - Yeah. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) Reusing energy captured from driving, it never needs to be plugged in, and it can spend an average of 50% of its time in electric mode. This is Lexus Electrified. (UPLIFTING MUSIC) (LAUGHTER) (PEOPLE CHEER) Come and play on the Gold Coast. Kids fly, stay and play for only $199. Exclusive with House of Travel. Book now. (GRACEFUL ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) - 56-year-old Karen Dench owns a recycled clothing boutique in Morrinsville and a regular visitor is her daughter Vanessa Van der Ven who farms nearby. Karen found out in her 40s that she'd been adopted and has three sisters she's never met. - I'd love to find my sisters. And if my parents are alive, well, that would be a bonus. It would be quite awesome to meet all of them. - I've found two of the sisters Karen's been searching for. So I head to the shop to pass on the news. Good morning. - Oh, good morning, David. - Nice to see you again. - It is indeed. (CHUCKLES) - I see you've got Vanessa here. - I have indeed. - Great. - She's out the back working. - Well, I've got a few things to talk to you about. - Yup, certainly. - I have some news for you today. - OK. - There's a bit of bad news... - Oh, yeah. - ...and some good news. - Right. - The bad news is that your birth parents, sadly, they've both passed. - OK. - Your mother died in 2013. - Yup. - And your father, quite a few years before that. - OK. Yeah, no. I thought they might have. - And of course, they had been separated since your birth. - Yeah. - The good news is that we've found two of your sisters. - Two? Oh, goodness. That's amazing. - Wow. - Truly quite awesome. (CHUCKLES) - The third one was the oldest child and she was adopted out. - Oh. - And your two sisters don't know her. - Oh, right. - But the two we've found out,... - Yup. - ...well, they would love to meet you. - (INHALES SHARPLY) Oh, that's great. Lovely. - Two sisters want to meet you, Mum. - Yeah. That's wonderful, isn't it? - Their names are Colleen ` and she lives in Napier ` - Oh, that's a wee way. Yeah, OK. - ...and Tracey who lives in Rotorua. - Oh, Rotorua. Oh, well, that's not too far. (CHUCKLES) - So, would you be happy to meet them? - Yes, definitely. That would be quite awesome. - It's amazing. You get to meet two of your sisters. - Yeah. The family's growing. - It doubled in five minutes. - You've got two aunties. - That's awesome. - Exciting. (CHUCKLES) - A few days later, I land in Rotorua and head to the Government Gardens. (BIRDS CHIRP) Karen, her daughter Vanessa and grandchildren Britta and Taylor are here, about to meet Karen's sisters Colleen and Tracey for the first time. - Vanessa, I mean, how has your mum been? - She's been pretty nervous, on the edge. Like, 'What's gonna happen when I see my sisters?' - Yeah, exactly. - And Karen, your first blood relatives? - It is, yeah. Two at once. Doubled my family (CHUCKLES) instantly, yeah. - Well, if you look over there, there's a couple of ladies standing over there. That's your sisters. - Oh, OK. - Go over and say hello. - Yeah, OK. - We'll do that. Thank you. Thank you. - Oh my gosh. Let's go. - Still waiting. Breathe, breathe. - There they are waiting for us. - There they are. - Yeah. Those are my sisters. Do they look like me? What do you reckon? - Long blonde hair. - (CHUCKLES) - OK. You just wait here and I'll go and meet the sisters. - OK. Good luck. - Thanks. (ENCHANTING MUSIC) - Hi, Karen. I'm Tracey. - Hi. (SNIFFLES) - Oh. Hello. This is Colleen. - And I'm Colleen. I'm a little bit` (CHUCKLES) - ...a little bit older than you. (CHUCKLES) Short, yes. - (LAUGHTER) - Yeah, they said that you look a bit the same. - Oh, maybe. - Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you. - A little bit of Mum's eyes. - And bit of a shame that Mum's not alive to see you because she would've loved it. - Oh, she would've, yeah. - She would've? - Oh, yes. She would've. She would always want to know where her other two daughters are. - Yeah, she would've. - Yeah. Oh, definitely. - She does, yeah. - Yeah. So you live` Are you the one that lives here? - She's locally. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And I've moved away. I'm from Napier, yeah, yeah. - Oh, right. Gosh. - So, there's us three and an older one than me. - Oh. - So you're the baby, and there's another one that you haven't met either. - I'm the baby. Oh goodness. I'll get Vanessa and my grandchildren to come over and see us. - Come on over. - So, we are aunties. (CHUCKLES) - Yes, you're aunties. - Oh, you must be the girl side of the family cos I've got boys. - Hi, is it Vanessa? I'm Tracey. - Hi, Vanessa. - Yup. - How are you? (CHUCKLES) - Hi. - Hi. - And I'm Colleen. - Hello. - Good to see you. - This is Britta. - That's a cool name. - Oh, that's different. Lovely` - And what's this one? - This is Taylor. - Taylor. - Oh, very nice. - Hullo. - Hi, Taylor. - (CHUCKLES GENTLY) - How are you? - Oh. Yeah, we'll be your aunties. Oh wow. - And I have another granddaughter that's just 1. - Oh, right. - But she lives in Christchurch. - Oh, very good. So, yeah, they've got the girl streak. - Girls streak, yes. - Yeah, they've got the girls. (LAUGHTER) Kids, eh? - Very exciting to meet another sister of mine. Oh, she's a very friendly lady, and I'm very happy to have met her. - Oh goodness, the family grew rapidly ` (LAUGHTER) very rapidly. (CHATTER) - I do see some of Mum in her ` her laughing and... - Yeah. - ...just her smile. Yeah, she's just lovely, ye- Yeah, she's... (LAUGHTER) - She's our sister, so, yeah, you accept her, and, yeah, we've... Yeah. It's been a good connection. - They're lovely people. It's nice that I've caught up with them now, and we can just carry on from there. And we'll learn some more family history, which is quite a lot, apparently. (LAUGHS) (PENSIVE MUSIC) (SEABIRD CALLS) (BUBBLING) - Karen and her sisters spend the next couple of days getting to know one another. - Yeah, she said Mum and Dad weren't very tall, so there you go. - No, exactly. Yeah, no, they weren't. - Yeah. - She meets even more family... - And I also meet two half-sisters, and there's also a half-brother as well. (CHUCKLES) - ...and learns more about her birth parents. - We talked a bit about Mum, who loved crosswords. I love crosswords and reading as well, so it's quite funny how we're a bit entwined like that, yeah. - And your birth father? - He was a bit of a drinker in his younger years, but he seemed quite a good guy, even though he sort of left them and when his own way. - Are you happy? - Yes! I'm very happy that I've gone from a little family to a very big family. - Karen and her sisters have kept in touch... and have visited one another's families in Napier, Rotorua and Waitoa. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) - I dunno where he is; even if he's alive. - Two men... - I don't even know his name. - ...both looking for their twin. - It hurts, you know? - Can I find their missing brothers? Did you think you'd been lied to? - They didn't want people to know that I existed. - What would you say to her? - What would you say? I wouldn't know what to say. (UPBEAT MUSIC RIFF) www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 - Supporting local content so you can see more of New Zealand on air.