Vakai ki he ngaahi fakahinohino ki hono ma‘u atu ‘a ho‘o ngaahi lekooti´ pe lekooti ‘a ho fāmili kuo fakamā‘opo‘opo ‘e he ngaahi kautaha na‘a nau kau ‘i hono tauhi mo tokanga‘i koe´.
View our Koro and Moko video in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).
English, te reo Māori, Tongan and Samoan captions are available.
English transcript:
Text on screen: He Karere nā Ngā Pou Whakawhirinaki o Aotearoa – A message from the Citizens Advice Bureau NZ
This video was shaped by the experiences of real people and may be triggering for some viewers.
The people featured are actors.
Dedicated to all those who should have been safe, cared for and protected.
Teenage boy:
Have you ever pulled up a net and found something you weren’t expecting? My Koro has.
When Koro was a kid, he got told he’d been a little shit. So he got taken away from his home. Away from his whānau, away from everything he knew.
He was just a kid. And the people who meant to care for him? Yeah nah.
He…He tried to run, but they always found him. And every time he ran, they took him further away. Until he didn’t know where he came from anymore.
He always told me he was lost for years. But one day, he found a way to pull some of it back.
He started finding his records.
It wasn’t easy and it’s taken him years. Some places never got back to him. Others said they’d lost his stuff. A few told him no. Over time, he started finding his records. Koro’s been collecting his records ever since and yeah, his box is pretty heavy now.
Koro says finding his records from those times was like pulling up a net. Some stuff in there? Pretty hard to look at. Stuff he didn’t want.
But then there were also parts of his life. His whānau names. His whakapapa. Letters people wrote to him that he never got. His only photo from when he was a little kid. Little pieces of who he was, waiting to be found.
But here’s the thing—Koro wasn’t the only one. Some like koro were told it was because they were naughty, or that no one wanted them. Some were told it was because their bodies worked differently. And some? They weren’t given a reason.
Can you guess how many?
Hundred? Nah. Higher. A thousand? Nah. Six hundred and fifty-five thousand people. Each with their own story and their own family.
Six hundred and fifty-five thousand. That’s like thirteen thousand people every year, for fifty years.
It’s like the town size of Oamaru, Levin, or Cambridge being made to leave home every year. For fifty years.
So what’s this got to do with you? We want everyone to know two things:
First: That records were created about people from those times. Whether things took place in a foster family, a children’s home or a place run by a church.
And Second: That you have a legal right to your records.
So we built a website to help people find their records. We called it Kōnae. Because a kōnae is a small basket. But it can also mean the bottom of a fishing net—the place where everything gathers.
Koro says getting his records was like pulling up his kōnae—finding the bits of his life that were waiting for him. And now, they’re his to keep.
So listen to Koro. Like and share this video. And go check out Kōnae.
Koro:
Hey Moko. Time to head home mate.
Visit Kōnae today. My Records. My Rights.
Text on screen:
Kōnae: My Records Guide. Konae.org.nz
Kuo vahevahe ‘e he kakai´ ‘a e ngaahi faingata‘a ‘i he feinga ke ma‘u ‘a e ngaahi lekooti´ – kau ai ‘a e ngaahi ongo ‘oku fakalanga mamahi fakataha mo e sitepu ke fakakakato ke ma‘u ‘a e ngaahi lekoot.
‘Oku mau faka‘amu ‘e tokoni ‘a e Kōnae ke to e faingofua ange ‘a hono kumi ‘a ho‘o lekooti´ pea ke hoko ‘a e uepisaiti´ ko ha fakalotolahi kiate koe.
Vakai ki he puipuitu‘a fekau‘aki pea mo e Kōnaeopen_in_new.
Ki he ngaahi ongoongo mo ha liliu ‘a e Kōnae kau atu kiate kinautolu ‘oku ma‘u ongoongo´open_in_new.
Vakai ki he ngaahi fakamatala fekau‘aki mo hono to e fai ha ngāue ki ai pea ko ha faka‘ilo
Na‘e fa‘u mo fokotu‘utu‘u ‘a e Kōnae ‘e he Citizens Advice Bureauopen_in_new (CAB) ke feau ‘a e ngaahi fiema‘u ‘a e kakai ‘oku tu‘u tau‘atāina mei he pule‘anga´.
Kuo fakamamafa‘i ‘e kinautolu kuo uesia ‘a e mo‘ui ‘a hono mahu‘inga ‘a e me‘a ko e ‘falala‘anga’ kiate kinautolu ‘oku nau feinga ke ma‘u ‘enau ngaahi lekooti´. Na‘a mau pehē ‘e to e lahi ‘a e falala ‘a e kakai ki hono ngāue‘aki ‘a e uepisaiti´ kapau na‘e tu‘u tau‘atāina mei he pule‘anga´.
Na‘e ‘iloa ‘a e CAB ko ha falala’anga mo e tokoni lahi ki he kakai´ ‘i hono fokotu‘utu‘u ha ngaahi fakamatala ‘oku mahino ngofua ke tokoni ki he kakai´ ke ‘ilo‘i mo mahino ‘enau totonu fakalao´. ‘Oku fiefia lahi ‘a e CAB ke hoko ko e katiaki faka‘uli ki he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´.
Vakai ki he puipuitu‘a ‘o e uepisaiti´.
Ko e hingoa ‘o e uepisaiti´ ko e Kōnae, ‘a ia na‘e ha‘u mei ha vahevahe ‘a ha taha kuo uesia ‘ene mo‘ui´ ‘o ne pehē, na‘e hangē ‘a e ma‘u mai ‘a hono lekooti´ ko hano “fusi hake ha fu‘u kupenga kuo fonu kotoa ai ‘a e ngaahi me‘a fekau‘aki mo ‘ene mo‘ui´”. ‘Oku hoko ‘a e Kōnae ko ha fakalotolahi ke to e fakafoki mai ‘a e ngaahi me‘a ‘oku mahu‘inga´.
‘I he lea Faka-Mauli´, ‘oku ‘uhinga ‘e Kōnae ki he faile, kato kuo fī pe ko ha takele ‘o ha kupenga – ko ha fakamanatu ‘o e fakatahataha, sivi mo hono malu‘i ‘o e ngaahi koloa mahu‘inga´. ‘Oku ‘oatu ‘e he Kōnae ‘a e faingamālie kiate kinautolu ‘oku nau faka‘aonga‘i ha hūfanga‘anga, tauhi pe ko ha founga ke ‘oatu ai ha konga honau hisitōlia´.
o hono pu‘aki ‘o e Kōnaeopen_in_new (lomi ‘a e faka‘ilonga ‘oku hoko atu ki he "Kōnae").
Ko hono fokotu‘u ‘o e uepisaiti´ ni, ko e taha ia ‘o e ngaahi tali ‘o e fale‘i mei he komisoni fakatotolo ki hono fakamamahi’i ‘o e fānau´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Kuo fakahā ‘e he kakai´ ki he Royal Commission ‘enau faingata‘a‘ia ‘i he feinga ke ma‘u ‘enau ngaahi lekooti´.
Kuo fehangahangai ‘a kinautolu kuo uesia ‘a e mo‘ui´ mo e faingata‘a ‘i he founga ngāue, tōloi e ngāue pea taimi lahi ‘oku ‘ikai ke fakangofua kenau ma‘u ‘enau ngaahi lekooti ia.
Koe‘uhi ko e ‘ikai lelei ‘a hono tauhi ‘o e ngaah lekooti´, kuo ‘ikai ke kakato, mole pe kuo faka‘auha ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala ‘e ni‘ihi. ‘I he taimi na‘e ma‘u ai ha lekooti, na‘e lahi ‘a e ngaahi me‘a na‘a nau liliu´ pe tamate‘i.
‘Oku mahu‘inga ‘aupito ‘a e ngaahi lekooti´ ke tokoni ki he kakai´ ke mahino ange ‘a e ngaahi faitu‘utu‘u na‘e fakahoko kiate kinautolu pea ke tokoni ko ha fakamo‘ui. ‘E lava ke to e hoko eni ko ha fakamo‘oni kiate kinautolu kuo uesia ‘a e mo ‘ui mei ha ngaahi fakamamahi ki ha‘anau ngāue fakalao.
Kuo ‘ilo‘i eni ‘e he komīsiona´ pe ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Royal Commission ‘a e ngaahi fakamamahi mo e nofo li‘ekina ‘o a‘u ki ha taimi na‘e to e lahi ange ‘a e ngaahi fakamamahi ‘i he ngaahi nofo‘anga ‘a e pule‘anga´ pe ngaahi siasi´.
Na‘a mau vakai kiate kinautolu kuo uesia ‘enau mo‘ui´ mo ‘enau ongo‘i fekau‘aki mo hono ngāue‘aki ‘a e fo‘i lea ko e “tauhi” ‘i he uepisaiti´ ni. Ko e tokolahi na‘a nau pehē ko e “tauhi´” ko e fehangahangai ia ‘o e ngaahi me‘a na‘a nau a‘usia´. Na‘a nau poupou mai ki hono fakasi‘isi‘i ‘a hono ngāue‘aki ‘a e fo‘i lea ko e ‘tauhi’.
Ko hono ‘uhinga ia ‘oku faka‘aonga‘i ai ‘a e kupu‘i lea ko e ‘lekooti’ ka e ‘ikai ko e ‘lekooti ‘o e tauhi’ pea mo hono faka‘aonga‘i ‘o e fakalea hangē ko e ‘taimi na‘e nofo ai ‘i he feitu‘u hangē ….’ ka e ‘ikai ko e ‘nofo mo e kau tauhi’.
Vakai ki he ngaahi fakalea ‘i he uepisaiti ni.
‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a ho‘o totonu fakalao ke vakai ki ho‘o ngaahi lekooti´ ‘oku tauhi ‘e he ngaahi kautaha´.