In Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Tongan born grandmother Liliani Waigth and her daughter Kesaia Walker have talked regularly on the phone for about 17 years.
In this episode, they discover that they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Liliani left from Tonga to come to Aotearoa New Zealand in the 1970s, met Kesaia's palagi dad and moved to Gisborne.
She talks in Voices to her New Zealand born daughter Kesaia about one of her return trips back to Tonga. This excerpt covers love, family, identity and loss.
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Liliani Waigth outside her garden, named Kolokakala. Photo: Saraid de Silva / Julie Zhu
This mother and daughter conversation around the table is part of a longer new podcast series, Conversations with My Immigrant Parents - where immigrant whanau talk with their children about why they came here and what they have left behind. Produced by Julie Zhu and Saraid de Silva Cameron as part of an RNZ/NZ on Air Innovation Fund project.
Kesaia Walker holding her baby Raita. Photo: Saraid de Silva / Julie Zhu
