KEY POINTS:
The half-sister of little Qian Xun Xue has decided not to apply to adopt her, to make it easier for the the 3-year-old's grandmother, Xiao Ping Liu, to offer her a happy future.
The move is expected to simplify the already complex process of determining the little girl's fate, which will probably involve a new life in China.
Lawyer Raymond Huo said last night Grace Xue - the half-sister of the abandoned little girl affectionately dubbed Pumpkin - told a reporter from Auckland-based radio station Chinese Voice about her decision.
Mr Huo, who is not acting for the family but helped Mrs Liu on her arrival, through an Auckland-based friend, said the news was welcome.
"That's a great pleasure for the grandmother," he said. "[Ms Xue] said the primary consideration for little Pumpkin would be her prime interest."
Qian Xun's future will now be determined by the courts.
While she is legally in the custody of Child, Youth and Family, the matter is expected to be heard in the Auckland Family Court by the end of next week.
In a letter to the public of NZ, Mrs Liu has made it clear she wants to adopt her granddaughter and take her - and the body of her murdered mother, An An Liu - back to China.
"An An is my only daughter, and Xun Xun is my only granddaughter, blood is thicker than water.
"Therefore, I will bring my daughter back home, and let her peaceful soul rest in her homeland in China," she said in the letter. "I will adopt my lovely little granddaughter and take her with me as well."
In her letter Mrs Liu also described the anguish she has felt since her daughter's murder.
"Anyone who has a conscience would understand the deepest pain in my broken heart.
"An An arrived in New Zealand with a beautiful wish to pursue knowledge and consummate her self-desire and happiness. However, she has closed her eyes now and would keep her unfinished wish forever."
Mr Huo said six families had contacted him wanting to adopt Qian Xun since the end of last week, in addition to the interest from her half-sister and grandmother.
Mr Huo said the approaches came from people in New Zealand, China and Australia.
"The latest one is from a New Zealand family, the husband is European and the wife is Chinese," he said.
"They have a very lovely son and also sent me a picture of their lovely home to say we are able and willing to adopt."
A young family from Sydney, also with a son, sent eight photographs of their home.
"They say they would be able to provide a very healthy and a good environment for little Pumpkin."
Mr Huo said he had passed the inquiries to the family through their representative but it was too soon for them to respond. "They are coming to terms with the tragedy first."
He said Mrs Liu was adamant in her open letter sent to media of her intension to adopt her granddaughter.
National MP Pansy Wong, who helped get Mrs Liu to New Zealand, anticipated legal issues if Qian Xun was to move to China, chiefly around the issue of citizenship.
She said the 3-year-old was a New Zealand citizen and could not hold Chinese citizenship as well, because China's laws prevent citizens from holding dual citizenship.
Mrs Wong spoke with Chinese embassy officials and expressed her wish for Qian Xun to maintain her New Zealand citizenship, but to have residency status in China.
She said the youngster could decide when she was older where she wanted to live.
"I was told they can't see any problem [with that]."
Child, Youth and Family regional director Marion Heeney said there were plans to bring as many family members as possible together to discuss Qian Xun's future but it would not be helpful to start "guessing at the outcome" until the family had had a chance to talk.
Ms Heeney said it was important that the family had time to grieve together in private before making plans for the future.
"Let's not forget that while they are so very happy to be together, these events are underpinned by the tragic, sudden loss of a mother and of a daughter," she said.
Issues discussed at a family group conference would not be released to the public because of the need to maintain confidentiality.
Associate Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove said Mrs Liu and her supporters had been given flexible visas for six months "so as to allow for transition". He urged media to allow the family to recover in peace.
"This is not a celebrity gig. This is not some kind of rock concert. These are individuals that have been through some of the worst and most tragic circumstances.
"We would hope they could have their privacy respected and protected so that they can get a path back to some degree of normality."
Memories of mother to live on in photo album
Little Qian Xun Xue will never see her mother again but yesterday social workers began compiling a photo album of treasured memories to help her remember the parent who was so cruelly snatched from her.
The photos have been collected from her Mt Roskill home and from Australia, where she spent the past two weeks in the care of social services after being dumped at a train station by her fugitive father, Nai Yin Xue.
"We want to give Qian Xun something to hold on to that gives her a sense of history, a sense of continuity," said Child, Youth and Family regional director Marion Heeney.
"A photo album provides a special place to capture memories."
Memories are all the 3-year-old has had to cling to since the violent murder of her mother, An An Liu, a keen photographer who posted many images of her friends and family on her blogsite in the months before she was murdered.
The 28-year-old was found dead in the boot of her husband's car last week. Police are now hunting for him in America, where he flew after dumping Qian Xun in Melbourne.
On Monday night, the little girl returned to New Zealand clutching a doll given to her by Australian authorities. Yesterday afternoon, she was reunited with a familiar face - that of her grandmother Xiao Ping Liu.
The reunion at a secret location in Auckland just hours after Mrs Liu flew in from China was said to have been highly emotional, with both Qian Xun and her grandmother visibly delighted. "There is clearly a great deal of love and caring between Qian Xun and her Nana," said Ms Heeney.
