160 days ago

Whāngai Adoption - what you need to know

Hira Siddiqui from Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau

🌿 Whāngai is Māori customary adoption, when a child is raised by members of the whānau. It is not a formal adoption so it is generally not recognised by New Zealand law.

🌿 Whāngai is a customary Māori practice where a child is brought up by someone other than their birth parents – usually another relative. Whāngai may be temporary or permanent. A parent who takes on a child is called a matua whāngai, and the child is a tamaiti whāngai. The child knows both its birth parents and whāngai parents, and the whole community is usually involved in the decision.

🌿 Reasons for whāngai include:
* finding a home for an orphan
* taking in a child from a large family that was struggling to support all the children
* taking in a child whose parents were young
* grandparents taking in a mokopuna (grandchild) and teaching them tribal traditions
* allowing children to inherit land.

🌿 A whāngai adoption is recognised with regards to succession to Māori land. Also, whāngai parents (matua whāngai) of a child aged under six years can apply for paid parental leave for the period of time when the child begins living with them.

🌿 A child of a whāngai adoption (a tamaiti whāngai) cannot challenge a will under the Family Protection Act.

Image credit: The Spinoff / photo by Social Equity
Info credit: Citizens Advice Bureau NZ: cab.org.nz / Te Ara: teara.govt.nz

Image
More messages from your neighbours
6 days ago

Poll: Does a savoury scone require cheese on top, or folded inside?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Help settle the great kiwi debate ... cheese on top, or folded inside?

Image
Does a savoury scone require cheese on top, or folded inside?
  • 76.2% Inside!
    76.2% Complete
  • 23.8% On top!
    23.8% Complete
1079 votes
4 days ago

Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Auckland has a thriving cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures across the country, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.

We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️

We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?

Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.

Image
Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
  • 41.4% I avoid spending money on coffee
    41.4% Complete
  • 41.8% I still indulge at my local cafe
    41.8% Complete
  • 16.8% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
    16.8% Complete
280 votes
9 days ago

Got more greens than you know what to do with? 🥦🌱🥕

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Whether it’s a courgette takeover or a feijoa frenzy, don’t let those garden gems go to waste!

Our suggestion to you: Did you know you can grate and freeze excess courgettes to use in chocolate cake later? It sounds a bit dodgy, but it makes the cake incredibly moist ... and hey, it counts as a serving of veg, right? 🍫

What’s your go-to move for a bumper harvest? Drop your best "glut" recipes or preservation hacks in the comments below! 👇

Image