Big Buddy

Big Buddy mentoring works on the simple philosophy that boys need good male role models in their lives to become good men.

For many reasons, lots of boys in New Zealand don't have a father and while mothers do a courageous job raising boys alone, they can't model maleness. And above all else, boys learn through modelling. Little Buddies are aged 7-14 years, although many relationships continue well beyond that.

More than 900 boys have been matched with a Big Buddy since the organisation was founded in 1997. Yet there are approximately 52,560 boys aged 7-14 living in solo parent families in New Zealand. Of these, a conservative estimate of 15% (7884) have no contact with their father. These estimates are based on 2006 Census data and overseas research.

Big Buddy has offices in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga and is striving to have a national presence to ensure they can benefit kiwi boys all over the country.

To get an idea of the positive effect Big Buddy is having, in not only the young boy's lives but also their mothers and the Big Buddies lives, just start reading the personal experiences under the news section of their website. Countless heart felt stories describe the genuine benefit that all parties receive when working with Big Buddy.

Big Buddy receives 7% of the funding it requires from the government. The remaining to be covered by donations, and charitable organisations and foundations including: Todd Foundation, NZ Lotteries, The Trusts, ASB Community Trust, and Lion Foundation.

Big Buddy is a "Registered Community Service Provider" by Oranga Tamariki and is audited by MSD. To learn more about what Big Buddy are doing, to donate, or volunteer, visit their website.