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Story: Children’s homes and fostering

Foster carers, 1917

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Foster carers, 1917

Foster carers Mrs Mills and her daughter pose with the five babies they cared for at the Dunedin Baby Demonstration show in 1917. They would have been paid for each child in their care, but not enough to make foster care a lucrative profession. Caring for five babies would have been very hard work.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: CW1, 40/25/22

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Children’s homes and fostering – Foster care and family homes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28596/foster-carers-1917 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 24 March 2011.