Sixties Scoop survivor from New Zealand, touches down in Winnipeg nearly 50 years later
Posted August 27, 2025 7:03 pm.
A Sixties Scoop survivor from New Zealand has finally set foot back on Manitoba soil after landing at Winnipeg’s Richardson International Airport, nearly 50 years after being taken from his community as a child.
“It’s all a little bit overwhelming at the moment; it’s going to take a bit to sink in and see how it all goes, but feeling happy to be here,” said Jonathan Hooker.
Hooker was just 18 months old when he was removed from his community in Moose Lake and adopted by a couple in New Zealand during the Sixties Scoop, a government practice from the 1950s through the 1980s that saw thousands of Indigenous Children placed in non-Indigenous homes across Canada and abroad.
“At one point, it was estimated that 3,000 of our children were taken out of province; how many have come home? We don’t know,” explained Coleen Rajotte, a Sixties Scoop survivor.
While Hooker says he was given a great life by his adopted family, he always felt something was missing, which led to his journey of rediscovery.
He took an ancestry test that connected him to a half sister in Texas and his biological uncle. Now with the support of MKO, SCO, and Anish Corporation, he and his wife were able to travel to Winnipeg for a three-week trip.
“I’ll be honest, I know nothing about my Indigenous heritage, so it will be good to start learning and filling in some of the blanks,” said Hooker.
Shortly after landing, Jonathan was greeted at the airport by relatives, including his birth mother. For Jonathan, this homecoming is more than just a visit; it’s a chance to fill in the missing pieces of his life story and reconnect with a culture he’s only recently come to understand.
“This was the first time I laid eyes on my mother,” said Hooker.
Patsy George, Hooker’s mother, said, “I am happy to see my son. I thought I would never see him again. He was only two months old when they took him away from me and my other daughter, a month old.”
As this long-awaited reunion moves forward, many survivors across Canada and internationally are still searching for the same opportunity.
“This is a moment to celebrate that this is hope for a lot of people around the world searching for their families, and this is one of those examples,” said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee.
Rajotte adding, “We also need research to see how many other Jonathan’s there are out there, as we just don’t know.”
