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Episode details

Radio Solent,20 Feb 2025,23 mins

Series The Promise

8. Land of the Long White Cloud

DNA Trail

Available for over a year

Laura decides to challenge the New Zealand government when she’s denied citizenship due to her dad being born out of ‘wedlock’. She petitions for a change in the law in recognition of her father’s heritage and her own. In te reo Māori - the indigenous language of New Zealand – the country is called Aotearoa, which means Land of the Long White Cloud. Laura locates a missing kahukiwi - a traditional kiwi feather Māori cloak - which was gifted to one of her ancestors. John Campbell, one of New Zealand’s most famous journalists speaks about Laura’s tenacity and in an emotional reunion, Esther Rantzen shares some words of wisdom with Laura about being a campaigner.

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