We respectfully request that the details of this story are not shared outside this evening for confidentiality reasons.

Seven year old Taniora is a funny, chatty young boy who lives in South Auckland with his nan, sister and brother. Taniora’s dad passed away suddenly when Taniora was a baby. He has lived with his nan since he was 9 months old, although he sees his mum most days. It has been really hard for him growing up without a dad around, and most of his whānau members are women. He has been struggling with bullying at school, and has finds it difficult to manage his emotions when this is happening.

Taniora loves playing sports, especially touch rugby and soccer. His favourite subject at school is lunchtime! He loves watching 101 and Main Event. His favourite foods are boilup and McDonalds, and his favourite animal is a dog, especially Rottweilers. One day he would like to travel to the South Island, LA and visit a mansion.

Warehouse manager Tom hails from the Hawkes Bay, and saw a lot of his peers go down the wrong path when he was young. He wanted to become involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters because he wanted to help a young boy to make better choices than his peers. All his children are grown up now, and he felt that he had the time to be a mentor.

Tom and Taniora are a great match. They love to laugh and joke around. They love to eat out, go to the movies, and do many outdoor activities in South Auckland.