What do you think of when you think of a grandparent? Is it a great hug and a pocketful of lollies? Maybe it’s a skill like knitting or woodwork that they teach you? Or maybe it’s teaching them something new, like how to ride a skateboard or work the PlayStation or Netflix?

Grandparents bring a whole heap of benefits to a family - wisdom, a new perspective and a lot of love. That’s why we think they should be celebrated with their own special day. So, we invite you to mark Grandparent’s Day with us on Sunday October 1st.

It’s a day to spend time with grandparents and thank them for what they add to our families. Bake your Grandie a cake or take them out for a special meal, make them a homemade card or simply call in and spend some time.

GrandFriends works to connect families and older people who would otherwise miss out on this special relationship

Sadly, not everyone has their own fab grandparent to spend time with. And that’s where GrandFriends comes in. GrandFriends was founded by Jo Hayes, born out of Jo finding herself on the opposite side of the world to her own family and wanting a grandparent figure in her children’s lives. A chance meeting for Jo with an older lady was the beginning of years of friendship and GrandFriends.

Today, GrandFriends works to match families with local older people across New Zealand to help them make new connections and foster new relationships. These relationships enable both families and older people to access better support networks and enjoy the benefits of multi-generational relationships.

People like Paula who says:

“Wanted to let you know that it has been a real success story. Our relationship just gets better and better. I joined with no expectations and huge doubts of finding a match but I am overjoyed.”

And Ian who says:

“Thank you so much for introducing me to a family. We have met up a number of times and have got on like a house on fire. It is like we have known each other for years although it has been less than a month. This is what I had hoped for when I joined Grandfriends. In fact it has exceeded my expectations.”

In many areas we have families looking to meet the right GrandFriend so we are always on the lookout for older people who are keen to join our network.

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