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Colin Feslier explores the reason for growth in the interest in genealogy and in adopted people searching for their birth parents. Comparison is made to the Māori interest in whakapapa.
Jan Gow, president of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists, speaks to the society's big increase in membership in the past five years and her own ancestry.
Biologist Gordon Hewitt of Victoria University talks about genetics and paternity. He says between 5 and 15 percent of children are not the offspring of their supposed father. He says this figure casts doubt over a lot of genealogy.
Historian Michael King, author of "Being Pākēha" speaks about forces shaping the interest in genealogy in New Zealand - including the Māori tradition of whakapapa
Wellington Teacher's College lecturer Keri Kaa (Ngāti Porou) says pākēha feel a need to find a tūrangawaewae in Aotearoa - which they can't find until they know their whakapapa.
Gordon Hewitt explains how DNA is passed on, with proportions becoming very tiny after a few generations.
Mary Evanic [?] is a counsellor working in the field of adoption. She talks about the desire by adopted people to search for their birth parents. She emigrated to New Zealand from the Netherlands and speaks about her own family history.
M.P. Fran Wilde introduced the Adoption Bill to Parliament and speaks about her personal interest as an adoptive parent.
Dick Werry is someone with no interest in his history at all - he explains why. Jan Gow explains why she takes pride in her own family tree. She says she gets a similar thrill doing genealogical research for other people.
Gordon Hewitt talks about recent findings in DNA research which indicate a common African female ancestor for a large percentage of humanity.
Michael King explains the difference between whakapapa and pākēha genealogy. He tells the story of a friend who was rejected by his birth parents and how this affected him. He says this is unlikely to happen in the Māori world.
Keri Kaa talks about pākēha students having a 'whakapapa fight' over their Scots ancestry.