Help bring baby Rocco home form Mexico.

Kiwi dad stuck in 'Covid-19 nightmare' with husband and surrogate-born baby.

Have you seen the news story featured on Stuff.co.nz about my dear friend Lee, his husband Antonio, and their baby boy Rocco?

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/124054744/kiwi-dad-stuck-in-covid19-nightmare-with-husband-and-surrogateborn-baby

Lee and Antonio are currently stranded in Mexico, unable to return to New Zealand with their four-month-old son, because he was born in Mexico vía a surrogate.

Archaic and degrading family laws in New Zealand do not recognise Lee and Antonio as Rocco’s parents, despite complying with stringent laws in Mexico and Antonio being the biological father who is named as the father on Rocco's birth certificate.

Lee and Antonio embarked on their surrogacy journey, using an anonymous egg-donor and Antonio’s sperm, three years ago while living in Mexico. They planned for every reasonable contingency, but never imagined they would be forced to adopt their own child in order to bring him to New Zealand.

Antonio has been granted a New Zealand work visa, so had initially understood Rocco would be eligible for a dependent child visa. However, Immigration NZ have now advised them that he does not qualify, because the family laws in New Zealand consider the natural parents to be the surrogate and her partner, even though neither of them are biologically related to Rocco!

They have been referred to a fantastic lawyer, and are now frantically working to prepare all that’s required to lodge the adoption request.

Having known Lee for almost 20 years, I can say without hesitation that he is one of the most generous and caring people I know. He’s also fiercely independent and very proud. Not being able to manage these mounting legal and administrative costs for the adoption is really hurting him and his family. They are stranded in a foreign country ravaged by Covid-19 with an infant - totally isolated from their support network.

I have set up this page to help raise funds to cover their mounting legal fees, and to get them home as soon as possible.

Please consider supporting my friend and his family. 2020 hit them hard, let’s try and help make 2021 a better year for them.