Big Buddy News
Little Buddy Jeremiah steals the (AM) Show
On July 17 Big Buddy was privileged to have a young man represent us on TV3’s The AM Show with our CEO Paul Burns. Little Buddy Jeremiah from Papakura agreed to be waiting at his front door for Paul to pick him up at 6am sharp, and get him into the Eden Terrace studio for […]
A heart wrenching poem for absent fathers
In 2013, a poem was sent in by a Big Buddy called Roger, and it still speaks right to the heart of being fatherless today. The writer R.E. Hinchco who penned these verses knew the plight of boys whose fathers are not around. Quite simply, Big Buddy exists to provide ‘Jim’ with some of the […]
Mentors learn lessons from boys too
As Little Buddies absorb the often-subliminal lessons taught to them by their mentors, it’s not uncommon to find a Big Buddy feeling that his young charge occasionally has the upper hand. Our Wellington coordinator, Dave Burcher, recently took an amusing call from one of his area’s mentors. Whilst out exploring Wellington’s south coast, Big Buddy […]
Key to confidence in extending comfort zones
July 2018 marks the start of our regular Big Buddy Interviews, where we share the valuable experience and insights of mentors from Auckland, Wellington and the Waikato. Auckland’s Roman Travers combines a pharmaceutical industry role and time with his young-adult family with writing, radio and TV […]
Businesses help boy develop resilience and independence
This May, Waikato boy Morgan Glover was sponsored by Go Rentals and Barworks to attend Outward Bound for a week. The 14 year-old Little Buddy trained hard to get match-fit for a course that is known to develop the very things that Big Buddies look to bring out in these boys: resilience and independence. Thanks […]
Mentoring withTeina and Laurence hits headlines….twice!
We lose count of the number of mentoring relationships that make a difference. But in the case of Little Buddy Teina Kanohi and his Big Buddy Laurence Stanaway, we can definitely point out two occasions that the impact of their long-lasting relationship has had on readers. Firstly in 2014, reporter Cherie Howie wrote about them: […]
‘Our Boys’ still a wealth of wisdom
It’s just over two years since Ruth Kerr and Richard Aston posted news about their book Our Boys on the site, and the relevance of their thoughts, humour, research and experience is as strong today. As CEO until August 2017, Richard steered Big Buddy from a fledgling organisation operating under the wing of Man Alive, […]
Big Buddy welcomes partnership model
A charity that finds good-hearted mentors to enhance the lives of 7-14-year-old fatherless boys is realising staff and expansion plans at an accelerated rate, thanks to a new business relationship model. Big Buddy has always received far more requests to find Big Buddies than there are available men. But the agency is planning to close […]
One year anniversary for first Hamilton Buddies
Little Buddy Nicholas Perano and his Big Buddy, Colin Malcolm, haven’t even been matched for a year, but mum Penny Perano says she’s seeing positive, tangible differences in her ten-year-old already. Eleven months ago, the first Hamilton Buddy pair began spending Sunday mornings together. Colin says they’ve been doing anything from finding a quiet corner […]
Today, you can help to change a boy’s life forever.
By donating, you will help a boy whose dad is not around to find a man he can trust and look up to, a Big Buddy.
