An Adoption Story
An Adoption Story is an online series where we follow the lives of adoptees' with their journeys. Sitting down with Russian-New Zealand adoptee, Alex Gilbert to give an insight to their lives that may come with challenges along the way.
- 2022-2026
- 3 seasons
- Documentary
An Adoption Story is an online series where we follow the lives of adoptees' with their journeys. Sitting down with Russian-New Zealand adoptee, Alex Gilbert to give an insight to their lives that may come with challenges along the way.
Season 3 Episode Guide
7 Episodes 2026
Episode 1
Tracy
Adopted as a baby in Auckland, Tracy grew up with many unanswered questions about her identity. As an adult, she began searching for her birth family to better understand her origins and early connections.
Episode 2
Daniela
Adopted from Romania at age three, Daniela Brown was born in Jilava Prison and spent her early months with her birth mother before placement in an orphanage. Raised in New Zealand, in her late twenties she begins to explore her origins.
Episode 3
Oksana
Oksana was born in 1991 in Russia's Smolensk region and adopted at five and a half to Christchurch, New Zealand. In her thirties, after becoming a mother, she searches for answers and discovers a sister and cousin she never knew.
Episode 4
Arna
Adopted as a baby in Auckland, Arna always knew she was adopted. As an adult, she searched for answers about her past. Meeting her grandmother changed everything, helping her understand parts of her story that had long been missing.
Episode 5
Kelly
Adopted as a baby in Christchurch, Kelly Stringer searches for answers about her biological roots. Years later, a DNA test helps uncover her paternal Maori whakapapa and the family connections she now shares with her children in Australia.
Episode 6
Dan
Dan was adopted from Manchester, UK, when he was just six months old. He has always known he was adopted and grew up alongside four siblings. When he was in his 20s, Dan met his birth mother for the first time.
Episode 7
Phoebe
Adopted in Wellington, New Zealand at just two weeks old, Phoebe grew up knowing her story. In her twenties, curiosity about her Samoan heritage led her to search for her birth mother, with dance helping her express herself along the way.