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Growing up in the Far North town of Kaitaia, award-winning television journalist and The Hui reporter D'Angelo Martin resolved not to raise his kids the same way he had been brought up.
"I grew up in a household where there was a fair bit of drinking, which was normal in Kaitäia," says the TV star, who's of Te Rarawa descent. "Kids came home from school to a house full of uncles, aunties and people from the neighbourhood, all of them having a party."
D'Angelo, 24, is quick to point out that wasn't the case every day, and his parents were also very hard-working and loving.
"Dad worked at the local timber mill and Mum was a kaiako [teacher] at Aniwaniwa Kohanga Reo, and she still is, but that's just what childhood was like for a lot of whānau in Northland."
From a young age, D'Angelo also realised how easy it would be to repeat that cycle, which is why he decided that when he became a father, he would not raise his tamariki with a strong drinking culture.
Cut to 2023, and D'Angelo and his partner Hailie, 23, are raising their young son in a harmonious, nurturing home, where four-year-old Kuaka is clearly flourishing, with the clever wee lad already speaking three languages, te reo Māori, English and his mother's native tongue, Vietnamese.
Hailie's own backstory is also a tale of courage and determination. Born in Vietnam, Hailie was just 14 when she announced to her parents that she was going to study in New Zealand.
This story is from the November 12, 2023 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
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This story is from the November 12, 2023 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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