jenni tupu

Jenni was adopted into a Pākehā family from birth, then placed in State care at the age of 12 before being fostered from the age of 14 - for life, by the Hohepa whānau from Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri and Ngāti Hine iwi. She is of Māori and Sāmoan descent and is still seeking whakapapa links to her identity which she describes as a life-long search for self. 

In her PhD studies, Jenni is investigating the intergenerational stories and the effect of adoption for Māori and their whānau. Her studies are with Te Tumu, School of Māori and Pacific Indigenous studies at Otago University. Jenni has been adopted, is married to Jon who was whāngai within his Niuean whānau and has adopted her eldest mokopuna who is now 18. Adoption has shaped much of her life and it was an important reason for joining this project.