Korihi Te Manu : Stories of Whangai and Adoption

Whangai is a tikanga developed over hundreds of years to grow strong, connected and safe whanau. Adoption is a much newer practice invented to solve two problemscaring for children whose parents cant raise them, and finding children for adults who want to be parents. Many thousands of Maori children have grown up whangai or adopted, but their experiences are mostly untold.

The stories in this collection are deeply personal and span almost a century. Contributors are whangai and adopted people, their parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, and wider whanau. They tell of the importance of connections, love, acceptance, of knowing your story and the story of your whanau.