Rising star's journey FROM FOSTER CARE TO FAME!

Young trans actress Paipera reveals why her new TV role was destined to be

- Monique Balvert-O'Connor

Up-and-coming star Paipera Hayes says destiny was at play when she scored her lead role in the new Kiwi drama Testify.

Paipera plays transgender podcaster Dana in the gritty TVNZ series - which follows a family at the head of a megachurch and the lies that will tear them apart - and while she often goes by her nickname Stacey, her birth name means "Bible" in te reo Māori.

She adds that she has been able to "bring truths" to her character given her own transitioning experience. Now 20 years old, Paipera transitioned to female when she was just 14.

The journey from childhood to the TV screen hasn't exactly been a smooth one for this New Plymouth actress. It's involved more than gender confusion - she was put into foster care at age eight.

"A woman in my street took me in," shares Paipera, who is of Tainui heritage. "She didn't like what she saw in terms of the way I was being treated."

There were many different foster homes over 10 years. Paipera is hazy on the numbers but clear on how they impacted her life.

Being a foster child was sometimes tough, but she says, "The hard times made me strong and resilient, and those foster homes also gave me a lot more opportunities than I would have had if I wasn't in care, so I'm grateful."