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…
What guardianship actually gives you
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Show notes
The legal bit, in plain English
Patricia spent eight months unable to sign a school trip form. Family lawyer Hemi Walker explains the options for grandparent carers in New Zealand, with notes on how similar systems work in Australia and the Pacific.
- Informal care and why it leaves you stuck at the doctor's desk
- Guardianship versus day-to-day care orders
- What happens if a parent wants the children back
- Legal aid, community law centres and doing it without a lawyer
- The financial support that comes with each status
Hemi's checklist of documents to gather is in the show notes.
Transcript
Welcome back to Second Time Around. I am Patricia Ngata. In the last episode Moana and I talked about the first month, and the thing we both got wrong was the legal side. I went eight months without being able to sign a school trip form for my own grandson. So today I have Hemi Walker with me, a family lawyer in Rotorua who has helped dozens of grandparents through this, and he is going to explain, slowly and in plain English, the difference between just having the children, having guardianship, and having a parenting order. What each one lets you do at the hospital and the school, what happens if a parent comes back, and how to get it done when you are on a pension. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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