Tender Loving Care

Oranga Tamariki is currently under scrutiny for its policies and procedures around placing vulnerable children in care. But for foster parent Stacey Beatson, the opportunity to help Kiwi children in need has been nothing short of life-changing. She speaks to Phoebe Watt about the journey and the joy

Tell me a bit about your background…

Of Ngapuhi descent, I was raised in Ahipara, a small town in the Far North. It’s a beautiful area but there’s a lot of poverty, a lot of unemployment. Growing up in a place like that, you see it all, but my mother and father always had a real heart for the community. If there was a baby crying down the road, my mother would go and offer help, on many occasions breaking up fights. She was pretty fearless and very non-judgemental, and I think I took that on board from a very young age. Whenever I heard stories of abuse, whether it was locally or on the news, I always had a very deep stirring in my heart, and it’s not something that went away when I moved to Auckland and established a very different life here as a personal stylist.

My whole career has followed the theme of transformation. I’ve been a hairdresser, makeup artist, stylist, image consultant, personal shopper… basically my whole aim in life is to make things beautiful. The children who come into my care are no exception. I’m here to help them transform into the best, most beautiful people they can be.

How did you get into fostering?

Around the beginning of 2018, I had what I thought was a great idea for a fashion show that would fundraise for vulnerable children.

I took this idea to a fostering organisation called Immerse, thinking, ‘Lucky you, I’m going to do this amazing thing for you’. Instead, they were like, “Come to one of our information evenings, learn a little bit more about us, and then we’ll talk.” So off I went.