A Nelson rugby player has finally met his dad after 29-years without even knowing his name.
Sebastian Siataga met his father for the first time during filming for the latest episode of David Lomas Investigates, which aired on Wednesday night on Three.
Sebastian, who has played for the Crusaders and Chiefs, spent his entire life unsure who his father was until his mother decided it was time to change that.
His mother Patricia briefly had a relationship with his dad in the 1990s in Sydney. Afterwards, Patricia moved back to New Zealand - where she discovered she was pregnant.
But by the time she realised Patrica had forgotten the man's name.
She went about raising Sebestian initially avoiding telling him anything about his father until she eventually told him when he was older.
Patricia tried to track his dad down when Seb was just 18 months old but had no luck. Then more than two decades later she turned to investigative journalist David Lomas to finally give her son the chance to meet his dad.
She said not knowing the name of her son's father weighed heavily on her over the years.
While she has sparked the search, it's something that is important to Seb who feels a strong connection to his Māori side and wants to know more about his whakapapa.
"'It wasn't that I felt like I missed having a dad but [not] being able to say who my dad was was probably the hardest part. [I want to be] able to connect with him but also to know where my lineage goes back to," Seb told Lomas.
"I want to be able to say where I am from when people ask me and be able to say, 'Yeah, sweet this is my Iwi and this is where I come from' and be proud of it."
After tracking down a great uncle through a DNA expert, Lomas was able to identify who Seb's father was by looking into marriage records.
He tracked down Seb's dad, Dion Morrow, to the city of Newberg in the United States where he worked in hospitality.
The news of his son came as a shock to Dion but he was delighted to finally meet Seb - who had flown to Oregon in the hopes Lomas would find him.
The pair shared a long hug and hongi and Dion gifted Seb his greenstone.
"After my first embrace I knew he was my son and I was his dad," Dion said. "I'm very, very happy to meet my son, it made me feel fantastic.
"He's a good young man, he's got level shoulders and his mum has done a great job."
And for Patricia, it was a relief for Seb to finally meet his father.
"I'm very, very happy. I'm delighted. I'm at peace."
The meeting also answered Seb's long-held questions about his whakapapa and has given him a chance to meet the other side of his family.
Watch the full episode of David Lomas Investigates at ThreeNow. The next episode airs at 8:30pm next Wednesday on Three.
