Mr Brito spends up to three hours a week with his Little Buddy, who is only 11.
"His father is not around and he lives with his mum and sisters, so he just needs a male figure in his life. It's a chance for him to hang out with a guy and be a boy away from his mum and sisters," he said.
The pair were matched up by the Buddy Programme in October.
Mr Brito got involved in the mentoring programme because he wanted to get involved in the community.
"I'm a qualified painter and decorator and I love doing that, but one day I'd like to do social care, so volunteering as a buddy gives me an idea of what it might be like."
He also loves children.
"I've got a big family. I have heaps of nephews and cousins and I think I'm quite good with kids, so I knew spending a couple of hours a week with a child who needed it wouldn't be much of a problem."
During the summer they spent their time outdoors playing soccer, rugby or frisbee in the Queenstown Gardens.
"I try and do things that don't cost a lot of money. I don't mind spending a bit of money, but I'm a volunteer and it comes out of my pocket and once you start spending money the expectation might be there. Winter might be a bit harder," he said.
Last week, the pair went to Alpine Aqualand swimming and had fun on the slide.
"He's really easy to please so it's no trouble. He's really sporty so just kicking a ball around keeps him happy," he said.
A key part of being a Big Buddy was to be consistent because some of the children had been let down by adults in the past.
"He hasn't told me himself, but I've got feedback from his mum that he really enjoys spending time with me and he looks forward to it. We have a laugh and that's the main thing," he said.
The Buddy Programme trains the Big Buddies, covering topics such as health and safety, confidentiality, boundaries, ideas for activities and using team-building and role-play exercises.
The Big Buddies meet every month for support, ideas and to talk about how the programme is going. The Big Buddies are not counsellors. They are there to have fun with and listen to the children and give them some extra adult support in their lives.
The Big Buddy Programme is a mentoring scheme for children between 4 and 12 years old. The Queenstown programme has up to 30 volunteers who work with children who are in need of some extra adult support in their lives. The Big Buddies take children on fun outings once a week for about three hours.
They also have group trips during the year which are well-supported by the community, with companies like Real Journeys, NZSki, and Skyline Gondola and Luge offering free outings. The programme is training new Big Buddies in August.
• Anyone interested can contact Nanette Benington, Buddy Programme co-ordinator on 03 442-4470
• If you know of anyone who volunteers around the Wakatipu, contact us at queenstown@odt.co.nz
