This week on Home and Away in Australia, Tane makes a dangerous move to keep baby Maia in his life, as he snatches her from Northern Districts Hospital.
Family has always been the most important thing to Tane Parata (Ethan Browne), ever since he arrived in Summer Bay back in 2020.
He took nephew Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) under his wing when the teen was struggling with the death of dad Mikaere and his family’s ] move to Summer Bay, and despite his fractured relationship with his brother Ari (Rob Kipa Williams), Tane made the move to Summer Bay when he learnt that they were relying on Marilyn (Emily Symons), who was letting them stay with her temporarily.
He sorted the family out with their house on Saxon Avenue and set about forming a life in the bay.
Fast forward a few years and Ari and Nikau may be gone, but Tane remains close to his whānau, and makes regular trips back to New Zealand to see his extended family. He’s also desperate for a family of his own, something which eventually ended his marriage to Felicity (Jacqui Purvis).
Flick had always made it clear that she didn’t want children, and Tane initially assured her that he could live with that. However, it soon turned out to be a deal breaker, and Felicity gave in when she saw just how important starting a family was to her husband. She agreed to try for a baby with him, but kept taking her birth control pills in secret, buying her more time to consider if she could really be a mum.
It wasn’t long until Felicity was caught out, and Tane ended their relationship instantly – it was one betrayal that was impossible to come back from.
While the pair have nearly reunited on a number of occasions, Tane eventually assured Felicity that they wouldn’t be getting back together; they were simply on different paths in life.
As if by some kind of divine intervention, just months after babies caused his marriage to break down, Tane was walking along the beach when he stumbled across a baby, left abandoned in a sports bag and hidden amongst the sand dunes.
The baby was rushed to hospital, while Tane was left incensed that someone could abandon their own baby. As he made clear to those around him, when you have a baby, you do whatever it takes to care for them, no matter the cost.
As the weeks went by, Tane formed an unhealthy attachment to the baby, which he named Maia, the Maori word for courage. He refused to leave her side despite assurances from
Dana (Ally Harris) and Rose (Kirsty Marillier) that she was doing just fine.
A tragic turn of events saw local Coastal News journo Peter Rolfe publish a scathing article about Tane, questioning his attachment to the baby and highlighting the Paratas’ criminal history. When Peter went to Northern Districts to seek out an interview with Tane and give him a right of reply, Tane lashed out.
Peter put in a complaint and Tane found himself banned from the hospital. When he disobeyed Rose’s demands to stay away, he found himself slapped with an AVO, and any further returns to the hospital would see him arrested.
Deciding that fostering the baby himself was the right move, Tane sought advice from social worker Harper (Jessica Redmayne), and was devastated to discover that his lack of permanent residency in Australia meant that he was ineligible to be a foster parent.
He began the lengthy process of applying for residency, but in the meantime found the perfect solution in Roo (Georgie Parker), as he suggested that she could be the baby’s emergency foster carer, before he later takes over.
Roo had already been battling her emotions, with baby Maia’s discovery bringing back painful memories of her decision to give up her own baby for adoption many years ago.
Yet as Roo went through the process of applying to be Maia’s foster carer, Rose received some bittersweet news last week – an emergency foster family had been found, and the baby was to move in with them imminently.
Despite assuring Tane that the family had passed the due diligence process and that Maia would be perfectly safe with them, Tane struggled to process the news, refusing to believe that it was the best move. He’s clearly desperate to be a dad, and knows that his chance is slipping away.In this week’s episodes, he makes a dangerous move to keep Maia in his life, and it could have life-changing consequences.
Feeling sorry for Tane, who believes he’s being failed by the system, Dana agrees to sneak him into Northern Districts hospital so he can say one final goodbye to Maia. What she doesn’t expect is for Tane to snatch the baby, sneaking her out of the hospital before disappearing with her!
“Tane feels failed by the system,” Ethan explains to TV Week. “He believes he’s doing what’s right for Maia, which is all that matters to him.”At the same time, a woman finally comes forward claiming to be Maia’s biological mum. Rose is suspicious, considering the woman has come out of nowhere despite her weeks of police work trying to track her down, but she knows that a DNA test will get to the bottom of it.
Yet with no baby, it’s all irrelevant.
Rose is forced to stall the woman, whilst the whole of Summer Bay launches a desperate search for Tane.
Will they find him, and what consequences await?
Also next week, Stevie (Catherine Văn-Davies) makes a stupid decision which may just lead her stalker straight to her.
Last week saw her move in with Cash (Nicholas Cartwright), after Stevie’s stalker discovered the location of the hotel where she’d previously been hiding out. Cash’s girlfriend Eden (Stephanie Panazzo) wasn’t too happy with the move, as she grows increasingly jealous of how much time Cash is spending with his new client.
The move to Saxon Avenue had an unintended consequence when Stevie set eyes on newly single Remi (Adam Rowland) and was instantly enamoured. The pair bonded when Remi helped Stevie film a video audition for a new film, and it wasn’t long before they ended up in bed together.
In tonight’s episode, Stevie makes the unusual move of taking a secret selfie of herself and Remi in bed together, before uploading it to social media. An odd move at the best of times, but especially when you’re meant to be laying low.
“Stevie hasn’t got to where she is by being told what to do,” Nicolas Cartwright explains to TV Week. “But Cash needs her to compromise for her own safety.”
While Stevie eventually relents and agrees to keep a low profile, is it already too late? Will her stalker be able to use the new photograph to track her down to Summer Bay?
