Robert Ludbrook (27 December 1934 – 19 October 2024)
Aotearoa’s champion of adoption law reform, Robert Ludbrook died in Auckland on Saturday 19 October 2024. He was a staunch advocate for human rights throughout his life, including fighting over many decades for the reform of Aotearoa’s inhumane adoption laws. Among his many achievements were supporting the establishment of Adoption Action Inc, and leading Adoption Action’s successful submission to the Human Rights Tribunal that identified numerous human rights breaches in the Adoption Act 1955.
Robert was a vital and productive member of Adoption Action and his legacy continues to inform our mahi.
Keith Griffith (20 October 1930 – 12 January 2011)
Keith Griffith, adopted soon after his birth in 1930, understood at first hand the serious harm inflicted on adopted people and their birth mothers by the law and practice of closed stranger adoption. He set about documenting the history of adoption and campaigning to change not only the law, but social and political attitudes. His work was a crucial factor in bringing about the world-leading Adult Adoption Information Act 1985. For many years he continued to support those caught up in adoption, help other researchers, and work tirelessly for further law reform.
Adoptee spurred battle for law reform to enable access to birth information | Stuff.co.nz
Mary Iwanek (12 November 1943 – 1 April 2019)
Mary Iwanek’s personal experience of family loss and separation gave her deep insights into adoption. Working first as a nurse, she became Lower Hutt’s first qualified social worker, volunteering for the community adoption support groups set up by Keith Griffith. In the 1970s she introduced the innovative practice of open adoption, and later led national implementation of the Adult Adoption Information Act 1985. As head of Child, Youth and Family’s Adoption Information and Services Unit from 1992-2005, she managed to make the process much more child focused, with birth mothers choosing their child’s adoptive parents.
Social worker put the child at the centre of adoption | Stuff.co.nz
Joss Shawyer (1946 – 23 March 2025)
In March 2025, we mourned the passing of Joss Shawyer in Cairns. Her book Death by Adoption profoundly impacted many people in the adoption communities. As founder of the Council for Single Mothers and co-founder of Jigsaw, Joss played a pivotal role in advancing mothers’ and children’s rights, including efforts with Robert Ludbrook to seek legal redress for adoption injustices.
Sadly, Robert, Keith, Mary and Joss, died before any real progress was made with reforming the Adoption Act 1955, despite repeated government promises.