Some might say his job is pretty cruisy, given the eating and lying about, but there is serious science behind his work at St Hilda’s Collegiate School.
The 6-year-old Holland Lop rabbit is the co-worker of the school’s counsellor Marcelle Nader-Turner, and he plays a major part in improving the mental health and brain function of pupils.
Ms Nader-Turner said there was an "anxiety epidemic" among New Zealand’s young people, and in a bid to make positive changes to the wellbeing of pupils, the school decided it would be good to have a pet as part of its school-wide mindfulness programme.
So she went to the internet and bought what she initially thought was "just any old rabbit".
"He came to work with me on the first day and my first client came in.
"Bun Bun was sitting there in the corner of the office, nibbling on some hay, and she [the client] started to cry about 10 minutes later, as invariably happens in my office.
"It happened to the next client, and the next one and then the next one.
"He is really responsive to emotional change in the kids, and so when they cry, he jumps on their knee.
"He’s not just any old rabbit. He’s quite special. He’s a unique, very empathic, gifted bunny."
Ms Nader-Turner said science and neurobiology research had shown all pets, not just Bun Bun, had positive effects on the brain health and function of young people.
"There are six domains in our environments which release dopamine — the happy chemical. Nature and animals are two of those domains.
"Dopamine is also the motivation chemical. Being happy and motivated are pretty good things to have in a school setting.
"Also, the other real benefit is oxytocin is released when you pat animals. Oxytocin is the direct counter to panic and anxiety."
She said for some pupils, having Bun Bun on their knee had a calming effect and allowed them to talk about issues distressing them.
He was particularly popular with boarding pupils who were used to having pets at home.
"For those who have left Fluffy or Binky behind, he’s a really significant connection with their pets."
As well as helping with counselling, Bun Bun was also regularly taken around the school to help teach classes about brain science and health, she said.
"We’ve been putting a lot of effort into the wellbeing of our students across the school in a number of ways, so Bun Bun probably can’t take the credit for all of that.
"But he is part of an arsenal of approaches that are really embedded in science and the neurobiology of young brains.
"As far as I know, we’re the only school in Dunedin that does this and we’re really quite proactive in our approach of dealing with what is a national crisis in mental health in our young people."
