Carol Buckley has welcomed dozens of children into her home over the years, treating them as family. Photo / Stephen Parker
The pace-setting 'multi-mum' privileged to be playing key roles in the community she loves.
Carol Buckley is the mum of 26 or 27- plus three, give or take - a number that's quite some tally by anyone's arithmetic.
The three are the children she's given birth to, the remainder come from the world's four corners. At least two, sometimes three at a time, they live with Carol and her husband Alan, while studying at local high schools.
There's one stipulation when they arrive at the Buckley's front door, it's that they call them Mum and Dad and they must allow themselves to be absorbed into family life the Kiwi way.
Spend too long in the shower, leave a wet towel where it fell, turn the bedroom into a tip and they'll cop it, toe the line and they'll fit in just fine.
"We treat them the same way our children were treated, no matter were they come from teenage kids are all the same," Buckley says.
Over the 11 years she and Alan have become whāngai [informal adopted] parents of their overseas family there have only been one or two who haven't quite fitted in.
"There are cultural differences but by and large we take each other as we are. They get to see me as their loving mum, their grumpy mum, their mum who comes down hard on them, their energetic mum, their tired mum."
With a couple of exceptions the Buckley's extended whānau have been boys.
"Alan prefers them to coping with teenage girl stuff but we have had two amazing 'daughters', one from Italy, the other Brazil.
"Like our own kids we love all our extended family dearly, having them in our home challenges us to think about mindful parenting. It's easy to be inactive with your own kids, with international students we have to set the pace."
If anyone's a pace setter it's the bubbly, blue-haired Carol Buckley – at least her hair was blue when we talked – today it may well be vermilion or outright orange.
"I love colours," is her explanation for the frequent pallet changes that are her personal point of identity.
Quite how she fits all she does into her jam-packed days is a mystery Our People is unable to unravel. We are in awe as she gives us an insight into what she's doing when not being full-time mum to such a large cast of kidults, whose lives she and her husband have helped shape.
By day she's the Ministry of Social Development's Rotorua financial operations manager.
She's been with the ministry 37 years – that equates to her entire working life.
Since her first grandchild was born she's cut her ministry time back to four days a week to spend time with him - this is a woman who adores kids across the age groups.
Carol and Alan coach the Selwyn Heights Indoor Bowling Club's intermediate section, preparing them for the annual AIMS Games.
In addition, she's a marriage celebrant and, in October, became president of the local Justices of the Peace Association.
She took over the role after being a justice only five years. Her organisational and multi-tasking skills preceded her nomination. At least two hours a week are spent at the courthouse witnessing signatures and the multitude of tasks JPs undertake on behalf of their community.
Community's hugely important to Carol, she considers it a privileged to be part of hers.
We seem to have come a long way into her life without documenting the years that came before, so let's backtrack.
Born Carol Veale, the daughter of a teacher, her earliest years were spent on the move.
"We came here when Dad was appointed a foundation teacher at Kaitao Intermediate."
She was living in Kaingaroa Forest when she turned three. For any kid that's a pretty special birthday, it's the first most remember with any clarity. Carol's will never be forgotten, she broke her leg, an injury that consigned her to hospital before she'd blown out the candles on her cake.
"I was the one under the bed pushing up the wire wove while the other kids jumped on it, it broke and they all tumbled down on top of me. I was only doing what my big brother told me to." That's Carol's story and she's sticking to it.
Of her school days she describes herself as "a geek". "I loved school, I love learning, one of my continuing strengths is learning, problem solving."
Within weeks of exiting the classroom she was behind a desk at the then Social Welfare department.
"I was on the family benefit section when kids received $6 a week to house, feed and clothe them, the money was paid into their mothers' accounts."
After transferring to the unemployment benefit division she wrangled a move to Wellington.
"I was chasing my boyfriend." That was Alan Buckley and he was at traffic cop college.
"We came home to get married on Mum's back lawn in the piddling rain with everyone sheltering in tents."
Here she drops in that Alan had been one of her social welfare bosses. "But we didn't get together until after he left."
When Carol was sent back to Rotorua as a trainer Alan had to battle to join her.
"Wellington didn't want to let him go ... he was very good at his job, his nickname was 'Ticket', I'm not sure you should say that," she jokes. With the amalgamation of the police and transport ministry Alan joined the force, remaining until a knee injury put him out of active duty. Undeterred, he became a civilian member in an administrative role.
Along the way a friend asked Carol to officiate at her daughter's wedding. Carol wasn't a certified celebrant but the job attracted her, she studied and is now fully qualified to make couples' "I dos" legal.
"My first wedding was very cool, this couple were remarrying after 30 years apart, they cried, their children cried, I cried. Generally I'm not emotional, for me a wedding's about managing the process without being caught up in it."
With so much on her plate how does this wonder woman strike balance in her own life?
"It's a real challenge because sometimes after work it's easy to sit down and have a glass of wine but I recognise I feel better if I go for a walk in the forest."
Carol Buckley:
Born: Raglan, 1964.
Education: Selwyn Primary, Kaitao Intermediate, Western Heights High.
Family: Husband Alan Buckley, two daughters, son, grandson, "26-27 extended whānau from around the world."
Interests: Family: "I'm a bit arty, I like to be creative making things, I used to be into scrapbooking now it's photography." Walking in the forest."
"I walked the half marathon when the Rotorua Marathon celebrated its 50th because I was turning 50 too." JP work, community volunteering, coaching bowling and personal development.
Iwi affiliations: Ngāti Rangiwewehi (Awahou), Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara (Horohoro).
On her job: "I've never needed to work elsewhere because of the variety and opportunities available in such a big organisation where the bottom line is being able to contribute to helping people who are our families and communities."
On her life: "It's going too fast, I've still got lots to do.'
Personal philosophy: "Te Puku o te ika – the belly of the fish Maui fished up - live in te puku [stomach] of life."
The fire took place around midnight and took firefighters three hours to control.