Helen Potter

Helen was adopted by a Pākehā mother and Māori father (Ngāpuhi) as a baby, and in her early twenties her mother helped her find her birth parents - her Pākehā birth mother and Māori birth father (Ngāti Maniapoto). Instead of an OE, Helen spent her twenties getting to know her birth parents and whānau which has been both an exciting and healing journey. It is this journey that helped seed the idea for the project. Helen is a co-director of a kaupapa Māori research company, Tīaho Limited, and is the project's coordinator. She lives in beautiful Hōkio Beach with her partner who is also an adoptee.