Second Time Around

Grandparents raising grandchildren, with love and tired knees

Patricia Ngata2 episodes2 min of audio148 playsEpisodic

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S1 · E2Sep 23, 20260:4585 plays Preview

What guardianship actually gives you

Family lawyer Hemi Walker explains the difference between informal care, guardianship and parenting orders, what each lets a grandparent do at a school or hospital, and how to apply without spending a…

S1 · E1Sep 9, 20260:5063 plays Members

The phone call that changed everything

Patricia tells the story of the night in 2019 when she became the parent of two small children again, and talks with another grandmother, Moana, about the first month: paperwork, school, and grief for…

About the show

Second Time Around is a fortnightly show for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, whether full time, after a family crisis, or simply because the parents work long hours in another city. Host Patricia Ngata is a retired primary school principal in Rotorua who has raised two of her mokopuna since 2019, and she knows what it is to learn new school apps at 64 and to argue with a nine-year-old about a tablet. Each 40-minute episode mixes Patricia's own experience with conversations with other grandparent carers from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the Pacific, and with the people who can help: family lawyers, social workers, school counsellors, pension advisers. Topics include guardianship, the energy gap, grief for the life you planned, the child's relationship with absent parents, and asking for help without shame. The show is for anyone starting again when they thought they were finished. It is honest, patient and full of practical detail.

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