This week's ASB Good as Gold recipient is a Tauranga woman who's incredibly passionate about the welfare and mental health of new mums juggling the responsibilities of parenthood.

For the past two-and-a-half years, Caroline J. 'CJ' Dafoe has been running Mums4Mums, a charity which matches volunteer mums with those in need of a little extra help and reassurance.

There are 160 volunteers utilising their maternal experiences to help hundreds of mums in the Bay of Plenty.

Mum Paige Saxby nominated Dafoe, who she called a "new mother's best friend".

"Just being there, being the relief that you need — just for an hour or two — doesn't take much but it makes a world of difference," she said.

Dafoe told Seven Sharp the volunteers have visited many mums in their homes over the years.

"We see the anxiety that many of these women are having," she said.

"They want to be good mums and they can be good mums but sometimes, it's just the pool is so deep and the waves are so crushing that you can't keep your head above water."

She said their volunteer mums are "that life preserver, to help keep you afloat, to give you that confidence, give you a chance to breathe".

"We're just filling the need wherever we can."

Dafoe added that the volunteers are not trained counsellors or nurses giving out medical advice, "but we are mentors and we are friends and we are advocates".

"We have that consistent relationship so if we see something that's happening, then we raise the red flag and then we get people to come in and support them and to get them on the right track."

While they start off as strangers, the volunteers and the mums soon become friends.

"The mums that are in our programme are just so incredibly grateful," she said.

For her kindness and compassion for mums in need, ASB is giving Dafoe $10,000 to spend however she likes.

By Article by 1 News