Diane Vivian
This Sunday on Real Life (13th May) will be a Mothers' Day special with John Cowan's guest, Diane Vivian, a grandmother of eight who's own experience led her to set up Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.
Married in 1967, Diane and her husband raised five children, two of them fostered.
When she found herself caring for two of her own traumatised grandchildren in 1997, Diane discovered there was no support in New Zealand for kin in her situation. Curious to find out if there were others like herself, she posted an advertisement in the paper. Her phone began ringing off the hook.
Setting up Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in 1999, the organisation today has groups actively lobbying government, networking, and providing support to communities all around New Zealand.
The audio from this interview has not been uploaded. If you are keen to have a listen, we can source the recording from our archives and make it available on this page. Simply email info@reallife.net.nz and include the name of the guest you'd like to listen to. We will notify you when we've uploaded the recording.