Rotary Club of Nelson helped establish the Nelson Tasman branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) in 1997, after a public meeting convened by our club to find better ways of supporting at-risk young people. The very first match was made in July 1998.

​

Since then, the Nelson Tasman branch has grown into the largest in New Zealand, matching more than 1,300 children and teenagers with trained adult mentors across school-based and community-based programmes. Rotary members have chaired the BBBS board for the majority of its history and continue to provide governance and financial support alongside fellow Nelson-region Rotary clubs.

 

The results speak for themselves: the great majority of young people in the programme report making better life choices, feeling happier, and having improved relationships with the adults around them.