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Mason Cattermole is happy his special haircut is going to help someone in need.
Mason, 12, a Kaiapoi North School Year 8 student, had been growing a mullet for three and a half years.
After checking its length he felt it was time to donate his hair to a worthy cause.
"When I decided it was ready to cut it off, mum helped me look into what the criteria was to be able to donate it, and also suggested I raise some money for the Ronald McDonald House as well.”
Mason decided to donate his hair to Freedom Hair, a business located in Dunedin that specialises in creating prosthetic hairpieces for women and men who have lost their hair through medical conditions.
Once his hair reached the required minimum of 35.5cm in length, Mason called on friends and family to sponsor his cut and raised $1225.
"All my friends at school are supporting me and they are pretty cool about it, so are my extended family and their friends. The money will go to help the good work all the Ronald McDonald Houses do in New Zealand,” he says.
His mother Rebecca Cattermole says he would often get comments from strangers wherever he went,
"They loved his iconic mullet.
"It’s the second time he’s grown a mullet and this time it was special as he is donating it to Freedom Hair so that someone can feel a bit more confident about facing the world.
"They tell me it takes 25 donations of hair to make just one wig so they are very strict about how long it has to be and the quality of it.
"To help us Lavish by Kirsty Lorraine, of Kaiapoi, carefully cut and packaged his hair and we are very thankful to Kirsty for all her help.”
Mason says his friends at school were all waiting to see him with short hair, the day following his session with Kirsty.