KEY POINTS:
Somewhere in a Melbourne suburb yesterday 3-year-old Qian Xun Xue clutched a new doll and played with her three new foster siblings as her world finally collapsed around her.
Qian Xun, the foundling known as Pumpkin following her abandonment in Melbourne by her fugitive father, still asks for the mother she will never see again.
While Pumpkin played, police found a body believed to be that of Qian Xun's 28-year-old mother, An An Xue, in the boot of a Honda painted in the livery of the Chinese Times newspaper, owned by father Nai Yin Xue.
As the discovery was made, maternal grandmother Liu Xiao Ping was waiting in Hunan for approval of her application for an an exit visa, and expecting a call from the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services in Wellington to discuss flying to either New Zealand or Australia to be with Qian.
In Melbourne, the Children's Court made an interim order requiring that Qian remain in foster care under the supervision of the Victorian Department of Human services for the next three weeks.
What will happen after that remains in doubt: authorities on both sides of the Tasman were yesterday unable to give any clear answer to the questions of jurisdiction surrounding the future of a New Zealand child with a missing mother resident in New Zealand but a Chinese citizen, abandoned in Australia by a Chinese-New Zealand father on the run in the United States.
Officials said a decision would be made in the best interests of Qian.
Since her discovery at the foot of an escalator at Melbourne's Southern Cross railway station on Saturday morning, childcare workers and a new foster family have been working to restore whatever measure of normality is possible to her life.
"The only information I have is that she has been muttering some words in English," Victorian Human Services spokesman Brendan Ryan said. "That's 'yes', 'no', and 'mummy'."
Mr Ryan would not disclose whether the foster family with three children slightly older than Qian Xun was Chinese.
But he said they were highly experienced and had done a tremendous job.
Qian Xun had been given a doll which she carried constantly, watched DVDs, giggled and laughed, and devoured Vegemite sandwiches.
"She seems as happy and as settled as she can be in the circumstances," Mr Ryan said.
"She was a bit unhappier earlier in the week, calling for Mum.
"But the family have given her extra hugs and extra cuddles. They've worked tremendously well with her."
Mr Ryan said he did not want to speculate on Qian's future beyond the present three-week foster care order, or on what moves might be made either in relation to New Zealand or to any moves by her grandmother to adopt her.
"Any decision would ultimately be in the hands of the Children's Court," he said.
"I really can't speculate about what decision they would reach."
Grandmother Seeks Reunion
Qian Xun Xue and her grandmother are set for an emotional reunion on New Zealand soil.
Authorities here and in Australia are working to reunite Liu Xiao Ping with her granddaughter in the country Qian knows as home.
Liu Xiao Ping has been told of the discovery of a body by police searching for her daughter An An (Annie) Liu. It is understood she is also aware that her missing son-in-law is being hunted in relation to a homicide investigation.
"No matter what has happened to An An we must take Qian Xue back. My husband and my family, we want her to grow healthy. That is our biggest wish," Liu Xiao Ping told TVNZ.
The Herald understands she has applied for papers to leave China to travel to Australia. But associate immigration minister Clayton Cosgrove has instructed the immigration department to "pull out all the stops" to get Liu Xiao Ping and Qian Xue to New Zealand.
Clayton Cosgrove said he had instructed officials here and in China to "move heaven and earth" to organise the pair's travel to New Zealand.
"It's a tragic and unique set of circumstances and officials will work overnight to make this happen."
Mr Cosgrove said he was hoping it would be sorted in "a matter of days".
The future of Qian Xue and her family would then be a matter for social services agencies, "but my priority is to do everything we can to get them together", he said.
