Fraser MacKenzie and Hunter Stephenson. Photo: RNZ / Lauren Crimp
A Hawke's Bay charity is calling for more people to help mentor tamariki after a boost in referrals following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches adult mentors with young people to help them build strong, positive relationships - and its Hawke's Bay branch said the need was greater than ever.
The devastation wrought by the cyclone brought with it heightened stress and anxiety in the community, programme manager Hayley Burnett said.
The number of youth waiting to be matched with a mentor usually sat at about 15, but that had ballooned to 40, she said.
"The research from New Zealand, and overseas in particular, from the Christchurch earthquakes has shown that there's a really long tail to disaster events, particularly for our young people.
"And so now is really the time that having a strong stable relationship is more important than ever."
For 13-year-old Hunter Stephenson, that sort of relationship has been life-changing.
He and 28-year-old mentor Fraser MacKenzie have been hanging out weekly for almost three years - playing music, basketball, going for walks or having dinner at MacKenzie's grandma's house.
They are close - Stephenson called MacKenzie his big brother, and said he had helped bring him out of his shell and open up to people, even starting his own band at school.
"I never would have thought anyone would have wanted to give up this much time," Hunter said.
"Just knowing how much he cares for me, I really appreciate that.
"Most people would probably be busy with work and other stuff, but he's been able to manage and figure out different ways just to make time for me. I'm very grateful for that."
But mentor MacKenzie said he got just as much in return, if not more.
"I get a little brother out of it.
"It's nice to be there to help someone through what may be going on in their life or even just be there to play music with him, or something like that.
"It really is like I'm his big brother now, and that's what I just say to everybody whenever I meet them, they're like 'oh, who's this?' and I'm like 'oh, this is my little brother'."
The organisation was trying new things to get more volunteers on board to foster more matches like Hunter and MacKenzie's, Burnett said, like partnering with businesses to free up a staff member or two for mentoring.
"So for example, Havelock North primary school has come on board, [so] we're looking for local businesses within Havelock North that would be willing to release their employees during the end of the work day to pick the young person up from school, and take them out to mentor them, and then drop them back at their home."
Anyone considering becoming a mentor should grasp the opportunity, MacKenzie said, as long as they could commit the time and show up regularly for their mentee.
