Kiwi mum needs help with an awful..terrible situation!

Tracey is a wonderful hard working mother who couldn't afford to take time off work over the Christmas holidays..nor afford to pay for expensive child care for her 2 youngest children, so pleaded with her ex partner (who is normally very unwilling and unhelpful generally) and his mother to pay for them to fly to them over to Australia and look after them for a few weeks.They eventually agreed so there was a very tearful parting at airport, as, little girl in particular, who has O.D.D, loves and needs her mother very much. She called them often..but after a while there was no answer, which started her worrying, then when he eventually answered, he told her she was not getting them back! Ever! Of course she was/is now frantic with worry..someone told her she wouldn't even qualify for legal aid since she had a job! We advised her to try her local MP who has even very helpful.

She now has a lawyer highly qualified to deal with breeches of the Hague Convention..which this is! This legal service will be completely free, courtesy of the NZ Govthe..which is wonderful!

She's been told she will almost certainly get them back but will probably take 2-3 MONTHS! BUT, The Australian govt require her to sign an agreement to pay all costs incurred for their return. She needs to provide them with their birth certificates and photos also and she knows their passports will expire soon. Its likely there will be some legal costs as well.

She has zero savings..just lives from week to week, and when she took her car in for a WOF, she was told it was a write-off due to damage incurred whilst trying to rescue some strangers bogged in a risky situation! She has since found a chap who claims he can fix it but it'll cost plenty. She absolutely has to have a car to get to her job, so that situation is just compounding her stress!

She is normally an amazingly positive and cheerful person who helps other people at every opportunity, but is, of course, absolutely distraught by this shocking situation.