Transcript: Donna Hall's statement to news conference

Lawyer Donna Hall, the adoptive mother of abducted baby Kahurautete Durie today made an impassioned plea for the return of her child.

The following is an edited transcript of her appeal to a press conference in Lower Hutt.

"Good morning New Zealand. I'm Donna Hall and I'm mother and I've agreed to this interview this morning because Kahu very important to her father and I.

She's a very special little girl, she's only eight months old. She turned eight months on the 15th of April. She can't talk, she can't walk, she's not yet crawling, but I would think in the next week she would start to crawl.

She has developed two very sharp bottom teeth and one top tooth. Her teeth have grown beyond her motor skill ability so if you give her a biscuit she's likely to bite her finger.

Kahurautete is a child who is placed with my husband and I by my family. Four-and-half years ago we lost a child to spina bifida at 7-1/2 months in pregnancy. The time that happened, I thought the world had ended. My mother and my family said if we ever have another child in the family she would be given and placed with us.

And last year God gave my family Kahurautete. That's our baby and that's how she came to us.

Kahurautete is my husband's grandmother's name. She will be known as Kahu for all her growing life. She has a rose garden her father planted for her at her birth. She was born here in Lower Hutt in our home... The only home she has known is the one she's been taken from.

She is a strong child, she has her birth mother's beautiful eyes, she is intelligent, but she would be very frightened right now, just as I'm very frightened.

I want to speak to the gunman who took her by force from me and my nieces on Saturday.

You know who you are and you know me. You put a rifle at my niece's head and told me you would shoot them if we didn't do what you wanted -- you wanted the dog removed -- and then you took Kahurautete.

You can put this right now. Because if she's frightened -- and I'm very frightened -- I would think that you would be frightened too.

And you could fix this problem for all of us, by returning her to somewhere safe, with humanity. You can put right the wrong you have done to her and to my husband and myself by wrapping her in a blanket and putting her somewhere safe and dry.

You don't have to go to places where you might be frightened to go like a police station or a post office. You can place her in a church, she is christened Anglican, I am Catholic, but all denominations who care for children would receive this child.

I have stressed that Kahurautete cannot talk. She does gurgle, and she chuckles, she's a very biddable, easily pleased child.

The reason I stress she can't talk is that she cannot identify you. You have nothing to be frightened of, in return you can only gain back your humanity.

Now it may take time for you to think about returning her. I have brought some things because I think you will have help.

I know you and I doubt you will be the carer of Kahurautete right now, but you will have someone I pray who is caring for her."

* * *

Ms Hall brought some items to the press conference which she said could easily be bought at any supermarket. They included Karicare Gold 2 formula, four level teaspoons of which should be mixed with 200ml of filtered (or boiled) cold water.

Kahu also ate weetbix with formula for breakfast, mashed bananas or stewed fruit for lunch and pureed vegetables for dinner.

"If you give her the things she's used to she will be very biddable, very easily pleased.

"I'm asking you that you send her back to us."

- NZPA

Full coverage: Baby Kahurautete kidnapping

Picture: Kahurautete Durie

Picture: Kahurautete's clothing

Picture: the car being sought by police

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