The loves and struggles of NZ's teen dads

One in every 34 babies born in New Zealand has a parent under twenty, yet almost all public conversation about teen parenthood has centred on mothers.

A new documentary series, Dadolescence, follows five young fathers in Aotearoa, tracing what the responsibility does to their relationships, education and sense of themselves.

Directors Johnny and Azita Agnew said the project began with a phone call from a friend whose 16-year-old cousin had just learned his girlfriend was pregnant. The teenager was frightened and looking for guidance from adults he trusted, and the filmmakers realised how little support exists that is aimed at young men in that position.

The result is less an issues documentary than a portrait of love and improvisation, made by filmmakers who set out to listen rather than to diagnose.