Kiwi celebs who absolutely love their mums

They might be all grown-up now, but these famous Kiwi men are still Mummy's boys at heart.

As the nation gets ready to celebrate Mother's Day, we round up some of the celebs who'll be toasting the leading lady in their life on Sunday.

Matty McLean

Breakfast weather presenter and Little Survivor co-host Matty McLean has often spoken of the close relationship he has with his mother, Tracy.

This week, he told Spy about his childhood and the best advice his "cool mum" has given him.

How would you describe your mum?

Mum is kind, first and foremost. She is fiercely protective – I know she is always in my corner. She is fun, funny, and to quote Mean Girls, she’s a 'cool mum'. My friends genuinely like her more than they like me.

What is your most enduring memory of your mum from your childhood?

Mum has always done everything she can to make me and my siblings happy, but sometimes it’s the simplest of things.

I always remember these Sunday nights growing up when we'd sit down to watch a movie and mum would cook us pikelets, and she'd make them into our initials – 'M' pikelets for me and 'R's for my brother Rob. As a kid, I just remember thinking "I’m so lucky to have a mum that would do that."

What's the best advice your mum's ever given you?

Mum is always one of the first people I turn to for advice. Just the other week she helped me figure out how to get black tar off my white shoes.

But also, when I was going through the process of coming out, I was scared about whether people would be accepting. Mum said, and I’ve always remembered this, "The people who love you will always love you. But don’t forget, it took you 20 years to come to terms with your sexuality, so you have to be open to giving others time as well."

It was very simple, but very profound, advice.

What message do you have for your mum this Mother's Day?

Mum, I couldn't do this thing called life without you. I love you with everything I have.

KJ Apa

Thanks to his starring role in TV series Riverdale, former Shortland Street actor KJ Apa is a big deal in the US right now.

And while he frequently sends fans' hearts aflutter on the show and online, they all take a back seat to the main woman in his life – his mum, Tessa.

Now that they live on opposite sides of the Pacific, Apa and his mum have to settle for visits together that are few and far between. Tessa Apa and her friend Sally Ridge last visited the 19-year-old a couple of months ago, accompanying him on some house-hunting expeditions in Santa Monica whilst there. h

Apa also often posts sweet messages to his mother on Instagram – and vice versa.

All together now: Awwwwwwwww.

The Bachelors

Meeting the parents is a nerve-wracking time for anyone with a new partner. And it’s a thousand times worse when you're meeting them as part of a popular TV show.

Each year on The Bachelor NZ, a big deal is made about the final two Bachelorettes meeting the mother of the man whose heart they're hoping to steal. (They meet the rest of the family too, obviously, but we all know it's Mum's opinion which matters most.)

Art Green readily admitted to being a Mummy's boy while filming the first season of the show, telling New Idea magazine he and his mother, Cate Hlavac were "pretty close".

"She's so supportive in everything that I do. She's a great woman - I'll keep her on!" he said.

At the time, Hlavac also warned the Bachelorettes that whoever won "might not get all of [Green], all the time".

Jordan Mauger, the star of the second season of The Bachelor NZ, is also close to his mum, Linda.

Last Mother's Day he chose to share his affection for his mum in the form of a cookie (which is always the best kind of sentimental message).

And what of our current Bachelor, Zac Franich?

If the first episode of the season is anything to go by, it's safe to say Franich and his mother are a tight-knit unit, too. Debbie Franich wept tears on camera as Zac began his Bachelor journey.

He later said it was because "she cries real easy".

"She was sending her boy off on an adventure to try and find the love of his life."

Julian and Ardie Savea

Hurricanes brothers Julian and Ardie Savea are fearsome forces to be reckoned with when they hit the rugby field, but they're still mummy’s boys at heart.

And Lina Savea is proud as punch of her two All Blacks.

In an interview with Fairfax in 2015, Lina said she's often asked what she feeds her boys, but said "there’s no secret".

"We are just normal people."

Colin Mathura-Jeffree

Family is a big deal for model and TV presenter Colin Mathura-Jeffree and he credits much of his success to his mother, Rosalie.

"Mum was way ahead of her time and completely unafraid of people," Mathura-Jeffree told New Idea a few years ago.

"She was a model in the '60s and there was no one like her on the scene. She's cool and that has transitioned throughout her life. A lot of who I am, my confidence and lack of fear, comes from the fact that I was brought up not to fear – not to fear anyone."

(And can we all just agree that the Mathura-Jeffrees have always been the most adorable family?)

This article was first published on Spy and is republished here with permission