Rookie agent's emotional reunion with his Kiwi 'Mama' and 'Papa' two decades later

- A random phone call reunited Oscar Jnr Obiaho with Etienne and Sandy de Haast, who cared for him as a baby.

- Obiaho's mother, Ann, was helped by the de Haasts when she arrived in New Zealand pregnant and alone.

- The families lost touch when Ann returned to Nigeria, but they reconnected after two decades later.

A random phone call reunited a young South Auckland agent with the couple who looked after him as a baby.

Ray White agent Oscar Jnr Obiaho’s mother, Ann Ogadinma Obiaho, befriended Etienne and Sandy de Haast when she arrived in New Zealand pregnant and alone 26 years ago.

They helped her before she had her new baby, Oscar, and afterwards. But the families lost touch when Ann went back to Nigeria to rejoin her family.

More than two decades later, Obiaho was making a business call to the de Haasts when they recognised his name and asked if his mother was Ann.

“Etienne said, ‘I saw your name and thought it must be you.’ I called him and it was an emotional conversation,” Obiaho told OneRoof.

“I was lost for words. Because of the impact on my mum, she would tell me about this family; they really, really helped me. Things were tough at the time. She would say, ‘If only we could ever reconnect with these people.'

“As soon as I told her, she was screaming on the phone, nonstop. She could not believe it."

A family snap from 2001 shows Ann Ogadinma next to Etienne as he holds baby Oscar. Photo / Supplied

The de Haasts said they were “over the moon” to reconnect with the young man they had farewelled as a toddler.

“This time, baby Oscar was now a huge Oscar, but we could see it immediately - it is Oscar. It is amazing,” Etienne laughed. The couple immediately contacted Ann, and she and Sandy are now in regular contact.

The couple said they feel blessed that Obiaho now calls them Mama and Papa, the Nigerian courtesy titles for grandparents.

“His mother said to Sandy and me, ‘Remember, he is your son too,” Etienne said.

Discover more:

- Real estate boss Don Ha offloads his heritage home for over $10m

- Inside the $18m St Heliers ‘fortress’ home courting the world’s rich buyers

- 'The trees started talking to me': Wellness guru's surreal $4m home for sale

“That’s the African way; there is a connection there. That made us feel really good because she has given us permission to love him. We have no children, so it is like we got a son and a grandson all in one,” Sandy added.

The de Haasts said they knew that when Ann went back to Nigeria, finding her would be hard. Now that they have reconnected, they would love to meet again in person.

The icing on the cake is that Obiaho managed to sell the couple’s home on Diorella Drive, in Clover Park. It was sold at auction, and they are busy packing up for their move to a nearby retirement village.

“[Obiaho] had the most beautiful smile, especially when he heard my wife Sandy's voice. He always used to smile,” Etienne recalled.

Etienne and Sandy de Haast sold their home on Diorella Drive, in Auckland's Clover Park, to move to a retirement home. Photo / Supplied

"When we took Ann shopping, I always used to carry young Oscar in my arms, so that my wife could assist Ann with the shopping. He never cried. He just looked at this funny white man that's carrying him around, and he always seemed to focus on my hairy arms and used to touch them with his little fingers.”

When Obiaho’s pregnant mother emigrated from Nigeria, documentation problems meant her husband, also called Oscar, could not leave South Africa. She was on her own in a strange country until the congregation of the local Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, where Etienne and Sandy worshipped, took her under their wing. They put her in touch with the de Haasts, who had emigrated from South Africa two years earlier.

Obiaho admitted that after his first cold call to Etienne and Sandy, it was hard to pick up the phone again and again, but the young agent kept calling.

“What are the chances? Just a random phone call, a cold call from a spreadsheet. My mother is still religious; she saw it obviously as God working,” he said.

“I also do believe it as well, because you know it is crazy. A thousand people on my spreadsheets, what are the chances? It was the most surreal moment of my life.”

He’s now working to get his parents out to New Zealand later this year for a reunion.

- Click here to find more properties for sale in Auckland