Mama Tere - 2004 TVNZ documentary.

“A documentary about MAMA TERE, who ran away from home at age 11, and [worked] as a transgender prostitute on the streets of Auckland. Now 43, she tells of how she turned her life around.” - The NZ Listener Mama Tere talks of growing up in an overcrowded 3-bedroom house in Otara and tells of her life as victim of child abuse, her life on the streets, and her eventual formation of social service organisation Te Aronga Hou Inaianei (Takataapui ā Iwi Whānau Tautoko) which works with sex workers and street kids. The organisation attempts to provide employment choices away from prostitution. She Spent 25 years in the sex industry before turning her life around to become a tireless youth mentor and co-founder of Te Aronga Hou Inaianei (TAHI), helping young people leave prostitution. Recognition: Honored as a life member of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation for her HIV/AIDS prevention work. She also talks of the bullying and physical abuse suffered at the boys’ home in Mt Roskill. Mama Tere tells of how Māori culture helped her to get through grief.