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…
The phone call that changed everything
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Show notes
Starting again overnight
Most grandparents who take on their grandchildren do so suddenly. Patricia tells her own story for the first time, then is joined by Moana Tuilagi from Auckland, who took in three grandchildren in a single weekend.
- The call, the drive and the first night with two frightened children
- Enrolling at school with no birth certificates and no legal status
- Who to ring first: the people Patricia wishes she had known about
- The grief for the retirement you had planned, and why it is allowed
- Moana's rule about asking for help early
Next episode, a family lawyer on guardianship and what it actually gives you.
Transcript
Kia ora, and welcome to Second Time Around. I am Patricia Ngata, I was a school principal for nineteen years, and in 2019, a year after I retired, I got a phone call at eleven at night and became a parent again to two small children. This show is for grandparents who have had that call, or something like it, and who are raising their mokopuna when they thought that part of life was done. In this first episode I will tell you my story, and then I am joined by Moana from Auckland, who took in three grandchildren over one weekend. We will talk about the paperwork, the school, the money, and the grief that nobody gives you permission to feel. Make a cup of tea. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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