From the Frontline: Marlene O’Brien

Marlene O’Brien’s connection to her work in the adoption space is both personal and professional.

The Wellington-based social worker, who grew up in the capital, has spent nearly 20 years working for the adoption service at Oranga Tamariki. Her interest in the field is shaped in part by her mother’s own experience of giving up two babies for adoption at a time when unwed mothers had little support.

Marlene was in her late 20s when she found out about the two brothers she had never known, and she spoke about her family’s story in her job interview.

Marlene’s work is varied and involves helping people file adoption orders, whether that be for international surrogacy, domestic surrogacy or adopting a child from an orphan from another country.

A big part of her job involves supporting adults seeking information about their own history from the past era of closed adoptions in New Zealand.

“A lot of people want information from records the Ministry holds, about 1,000 a year,” Marlene says.

Despite the demands of the job, Marlene has found ways to maintain balance. Walking has always been part of her daily routine, and she is preparing to do the Camino de Santiago, a historic network of pilgrimage routes across Europe.

“Part of that walk is because my 20-year anniversary is coming up with Oranga Tamariki, most of those 20 years doing adoption social work.”

“I find it really enriching,” she says. “I never regret becoming a social worker.”

For Marlene, the work continues to bring purpose, two decades on.