Kaikohe woman Kelly van Gaalen is a mother of three, a respected businesswoman and community leader.
But last year she also became a drug convict.
Found with cannabis in her house when police came to investigate a home invasion, she was sentenced to prison for two years – spending three months in jail, away from her young children, until her conviction was quashed on appeal.
"It was horrific," Ms van Gaalen says of the ordeal.
"I felt like somebody else had just taken my whole life away, you know? Took my kids from me. They're everything.
"When they're all screaming, you know… all I could think was, 'hold it together, hold it together'.
"All I could tell them was, 'just look after my kids'."
This week, The Nation reveals what happened on Ms van Gaalen's next visit to court, the impact on her family, and asks if our 40-year-old drug laws are still fit for purpose.
The Nation: TV3, 9.30am Saturday, 10am Sunday.
Newshub.
