Jenni Harrison

Auckland Group Programme (GP8)

Over eight weeks, a group of Auckland boys stepped outside their comfort zones, built meaningful friendships, and discovered new strengths through adventure-based activities, workshops, and a transformative camp experience. From challenging outdoor pursuits to opportunities for reflection and personal growth, the programme helped participants develop confidence, resilience, and stronger connections with themselves and others.

Auckland Group Programme (GP8) Read More »

Showing Up Matters: How Big Buddy Gives Boys a Positive Alternative

As conversations about masculinity and online influence continue to dominate headlines, Big Buddy Programme Lead Shane Brown joined RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan to discuss the growing need for positive male role models. In this insightful interview, Shane shares how consistent mentoring relationships help boys build confidence, connection and resilience, while offering a healthy alternative to the harmful messages many young men encounter online.

Showing Up Matters: How Big Buddy Gives Boys a Positive Alternative Read More »

What Their Father Gave Them, Tapan and Donny Mukerji Are Passing On

Growing up with a strong father figure shaped brothers Tapan and Donny Mukerji in ways they only fully appreciated later in life. Today, both volunteer as Big Buddy mentors, giving boys without active fathers the friendship, guidance and consistency that helped shape their own childhoods. Their story is a powerful reminder that changing a young person’s life doesn’t require extraordinary acts—sometimes it simply starts with showing up.

What Their Father Gave Them, Tapan and Donny Mukerji Are Passing On Read More »

They’ve Shown Them What Being a Good Man Looks Like

When Mary* took in two toddler boys after losing her own mother, she stepped into a journey she could never have imagined. Now in her 70s, she’s spent over a decade raising them through challenges, heartbreak, and growth — but for years, something was missing. “There were no men in their world,” she says. That changed when Big Buddy entered their lives — and everything shifted.

They’ve Shown Them What Being a Good Man Looks Like Read More »

Get the latest news from Big Buddy