English and te reo Māori captions are available for this video.
Tongan and Samoan captions, and NZSL will be made available when ready.
Download the te reo Māori transcript (30 KB, Docx).
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
Find videos about how to use Kōnae. New videos will be added below when available.
‘E ma‘u atu ‘i he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ ha fakahinohino ki he founga ke ma‘u atu ai ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala fekau‘aki mo koe pē ko ho fāmili´ (‘aki ‘enau fakamafai‘i koe) mei he ngaahi lekooti kuo tauhi ‘e he ngaahi potungāue pe kautaha kuo nau kau ki he fai tu‘utu‘uni fakalao ki hono tokonga‘i pē tauhi koe´.
‘E ma‘u atu ‘i he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ ha fakahinohino ki he founga ke ma‘u atu ai ‘a e ngaahi lekooti´ mo ho‘o totonu ke fakahoko ‘eni´, kau ki ai:
‘E ma‘u atu ‘i he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala fekau‘aki mo e ngaahi potungāue pe kautaha na‘a nau fakahoko e ngaahi tu‘utu‘uni ki hono tokanga‘i, tauhi mo hono fokotu‘utu‘u ‘o e ngaahi ‘api nofo‘anga kehekehe ke nofo ai ‘a e kakai´.
‘E ma‘u atu ‘i he uepisaiti ko ‘eni´ ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala, tokoni mo e fale‘i ki he founga kole ‘a ho’o ngaahi lekooti´ mei he ngaahi potungāue pe kautaha´.
Talamai ‘e he ni‘ihi ko e kumi ho‘o lekooti´ ‘e lava ke hoko ko ha taimi faingata‘a ‘i ha‘ane ‘ohake ha ngaahi ongo fakamamahi. ‘Oku ‘i ai pē ha ngaahi feitu‘u pau ke tokoni‘i koe kapau ‘e fiema‘u.
Ko e konga ‘o e ngaahi ‘uhinga ‘oku mau fangongo ai mei he kakai ‘e ni‘ihi fekau‘aki mo e tupu‘anga ‘enau fiema‘u ‘enau lekooti´ ‘oku kau ai ‘a e:
Ko e ngaahi ‘uhinga kotoa pe ‘oku tonu mo mo‘oni pea ko ho‘o ngaahi ‘uhinga´ ‘oku mahu‘inga ia kiate koe.
Communities, including social services staff and volunteers may have people they support to access their records. Kōnae can be a resource to help them (and help you help them).
Learn more about supporting someone getting their records.
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