Missing teen finds herself a loving home

Maxine Mataele (left) has been looking after Shoshone Love, who ran away from home after a disagreement with members of her extended family. Photo / Dean Purcell

A runaway teenager missing for a week has found a new home - with a Tongan family who have taken her in out of sheer kindness.

Police held "grave" concerns for Shoshone Anne-Marie Love, after the 18-year-old disappeared 11 days ago, shoeless, from the Auckland home she shared with her extended family.

Officers feared Ms Love - who they said had the mental age of 7 - was vulnerable and easily influenced.

But Ms Love, speaking to the Herald in her new home in Avondale last night, said she was not the type of person who would let that happen.

She also spoke of the "tough" life she had had before moving on April 23 from Christchurch to Auckland to live with relatives.

Her mother died when she was 2 and her father served nine years in jail before being released into a mental health care unit in Wellington.

Ms Love said she had run away after a disagreement with the cousin and aunt she was meant to live with in Auckland.

She said she had been drinking and she snuck out a window.

She met some teenagers at a nearby racecourse and found a friend in Charlie - the 15-year-old grandson of Maxine Mataele, with whom Ms Love is now living.

Mrs Mataele, 63, a mother of four and grandmother of 11, doesn't speak much English but her daughter Vika Vakalahi said her mother was "just very kind and cares about people".

"My Mum just felt sorry for her."

The family had no idea about media reports that Ms Love was missing until Mrs Vakalahi went to buy takeaways on Friday night and saw a flyer in the store window with Ms Love's picture.

"For me to see someone missing and know that she was here, I said, 'Oh my gosh, this is quite serious'," she said.

"I came straight away from the takeaway and told my Mum about it and told them to hurry up and contact the police."

But she said Ms Love feared she would be sent back to Christchurch, so they decided to wait until the next day before alerting police.

Ms Love - who enjoys music and dancing - said she was looking forward to a more settled life and planned to do a course in hairdressing or makeup art.

Constable Julia Bixley of Avondale police was delighted to know Ms Love had been safe and well cared for.

"People don't always do what you think people would normally do. If they don't listen to the news and read the paper, then they don't know."

Ms Love's Auckland family were still in contact with her and were said to be happy with the arrangement.