Three New Zealanders who came here when they were sent away from Britain as part of a child migrant scheme after World War ll are returning to the country of their birth to hear a public apology.
More than 540 children were brought to New Zealand after the war, with some reporting they were abused by their foster parents and separated from siblings on arrival.
Trish Pawsey from Ashburton, Patricia Brown from Nelson and John McGory from Dunedin will attend a ceremony in London on Wednesday.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown will apologise to thousands of children who were sent to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
One of the those sent here, Patricia Brown says it is never too late to say sorry.
She says when she arrived in this country in 1951, she was separated from some of her siblings and placed with an extremely religious couple.
"We were fed well and clothed well but it was just not a happy home I thought it was going to be. I thought we were going to sort of more of a family situation. They had no children at all, and they didn't be like a mum and dad to us, like go out with us and that sort of thing. There seemed to be that their whole life was church."
She says she had to leave behind a poor but happy family in Britain.
Mrs Pawsey says her experience was a happy one, but the many children who did suffer will be glad of the apology.
"I think it will help probably the ones who were ill-treated and had a very sad life, Some may not think that is enough though I think myself it is a wonderful thing they are apologising."
The New Zealand government says children who were sent to this country were largely treated well.
