Where It Began

 I always knew I had Maori blood. My mother, Ngaroma, was proud of her heritage, and she spent many years trying to discover more about her family. Unfortunately, in those pre internet days, research could be slow and painful. Her father, Frederick Greenwood, died when she was a teenager, and even if he had discussed his Maori heritage, Mum remembered very little. My grandmother was not much help with details, as they had little to do with Fred's family. One thing Mum was able to find, however, which proved invaluable, was a tool with which to unlock many secrets - her grandfather, Joseph McLean Greenwood's, death certificate. It stated that his father was Joseph Greenwood, a Major in the Imperial Army, and his mother was Miriam Potiki (no additional information).