Mr Sleightholme returned in 1920 with his recent wife Emily to settle on their plot of land in Ohinepanea.
The newlyweds had three children and Mr Milner's mother, Zelda, was born in March, 1924. But it was only three years before the family were on their way back to England.
"Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned and, after a very difficult period of depressed farm prices and also the fact that my grandfather broke his leg, they decided to come back to the UK in 1927," Mr Milner said.
A broken leg meant a lot of the farm management as well as caring for three children fell on Mrs Sleightholme and the stress was too much, he said.
All that was left of their time in New Zealand were some stories passed down through the family and the occasional photo, but many big questions were never asked when the older generations were alive, he said.
Mr Milner's mother had never returned to her birth-country, starting her travel at an old age and passing away before she managed to cross the world.
Mr Milner hoped he would find the faraway place where his mother had been born.
"I guess I am doing it for her," he said.
He had been working with a local genealogist who believed she had tracked down the area but believed the original farmstead was gone.
CAN YOU HELP?
Do you know anything about a farm in Ohinepanea, Te Puke, owned by George and Emily Sleightholme from 1920 to 1927? Their grandson Anthony Milner will be in the area from February 15 to 17 and is hoping to find his family's old home. Contact us on news@bayofplentytimes.co.nz, subject: "Ohinepanea Farm".