NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Aucklander

'If you need $, please take what you need': The Kiwi busker giving money away

Vera Alves
By Vera Alves
NZ Herald Planning Editor and Herald on Sunday columnist·Herald on Sunday·
20 Oct, 2018 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Duncan Scowen delights supermarket shoppers in Browns Bay, Auckland, with his music. A cardboard sign tells people to take money if they need it. / Supplied by Sonia Mnc

It all started about three months ago. Duncan Scowen was doing his usual busking gig outside a supermarket when a man approached him and, sheepishly asked him if he could take some money.

"I don't know for sure if he was homeless but he did look like he needed money," he recalls.

"Yeah, man, go hard... What the heck," Duncan replied. He could tell the man was incredibly embarrassed and wanted to put him at ease and show him it was ok to ask for help.

That's when he had this idea: if he wrote a sign letting people know they could just take money, maybe they wouldn't be so embarrassed to ask.

"If you need $, please take what you need," the cardboard sign resting on his guitar bag reads.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It worked. Over the last three months, people have helped themselves to small amounts of money from his bag while he is out singing his songs. No questions asked.

The 20-year-old, originally from Rotorua, moved to Auckland about three years ago, to be with the girl he loved. It was a big brave step but it paid off: Duncan and Gaby are still happy and in love, and have moved in together.

When he got to Auckland, Duncan needed to earn some money so he did what he knew how to do best: he picked up his guitar and started singing outside spots with decent foot traffic. He lives in Torbay, north of Auckland, but goes busking all around the bays, from Takapuna to Brown's Bay.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Entertainer Duncan Scowen set up a sign inviting anyone in need to take from his tips. Photo / Michael Craig
Entertainer Duncan Scowen set up a sign inviting anyone in need to take from his tips. Photo / Michael Craig

It's no big money maker but busking earns him enough to support himself. "Most days I go for a busk," he says. Duncan plays his guitar and sings for about three or four hours every time. On a good day, he might go home with $200, other times the singing only gets him about $40.

"If the sun isn't shining, not many people are smiling," he says. "It's a gamble sometimes on what you're gonna make."

He wouldn't have it any other way.

"It takes a lot of confidence to start busking," he tells the Herald. His friendly personality means he is quick to befriend people wherever he goes. He no longer needs to ask the New World supermarket in Browns Bay for permission to busk. He used to ask every day and then the manager told him he didn't need to ask. "They're really good to me," he says.

Those who know him know that his generosity is no stunt. "Definitely one of the most genuine guys I have met and always looking out for others," a friend wrote about him.

Busker Duncan Scowen on the job yesterday. Photo / Michael Craig
Busker Duncan Scowen on the job yesterday. Photo / Michael Craig

"We are very proud of him and so blessed to have in our family," his grandmother weighed in. His mum also spoke of her pride on Facebook: "so proud to be your mum," she wrote. "Be a blessing by blessing others, well done son."

"I had a lot of help growing up," Duncan says. "So I just love to help."

"It takes a lot of courage to ask for money. People struggle to ask so I just try to make them feel welcome. I know they need it so it makes me feel good when they take it."

It's a trust-based system, for sure, but the busker believes only those who truly need it ever take his money. "If you didn't need it, you wouldn't put yourself through that, to be seen taking money from a guy busking."

He also believes more people are willing to give them money when they see someone else taking money so, in the end, there's a kind of balance in his generosity that means he doesn't miss out for helping others.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

For Duncan, that's not even the most important thing. Money aside, as long as he earns enough to support himself, he's a happy man. "I just want to continue music and any path it takes me on."

A local star is born

Generosity to others is no act for 20-year-old singer Duncan Scowen. Photo / Michael Craig
Generosity to others is no act for 20-year-old singer Duncan Scowen. Photo / Michael Craig

On Friday, a video captured by a New World shopper who walked past Scowen while he sang hit the local Facebook group and was an instant success. "How sweet and kind this young talented man is... I was not expected to read this and I'm blown away by his kindness and talent," Sonia Mnc posted with the video.

"He totally represents the real New Zealand," she added.

Others agreed. "What an awesome young man," someone commented. "Made my day," another person said.

The video was viewed more than 9,000 times in under 20 hours on Facebook as many heard of Scowen's kindness for the first time.

Sonia didn't expect the video to be so popular but thinks Duncan deserves every bit of recognition.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I was on my way to get things for a picnic when I heard him sing. I looked and was amazed, just blown away, by his card. It was the kindest thing I've ever seen," the Browns Bay resident told the Herald.

"I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome he was so got some cash out for him on my way out. I then asked him to take the video. He was very friendly, lovely young man."

Sonia hopes "New Zealand falls in love with him", his "lovely voice" and his kindness. "We need more people like him, he brings sunshine to everyone's days."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Aucklander

Aucklander

'He's done it again': Anger as crash victims learn driver has now killed another person

07 Sep 10:00 PM
Aucklander

What have we learned from the Auckland floods?

27 Jan 04:00 PM
Aucklander

Free Starlink for 40 rural schools

20 Sep 01:24 AM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Aucklander

'He's done it again': Anger as crash victims learn driver has now killed another person

'He's done it again': Anger as crash victims learn driver has now killed another person

07 Sep 10:00 PM

1982 crash victim's sister: “It’s just like, ‘you bastard, you brought it all up again’.

What have we learned from the Auckland floods?

What have we learned from the Auckland floods?

27 Jan 04:00 PM
Free Starlink for 40 rural schools

Free Starlink for 40 rural schools

20 Sep 01:24 AM
‘Slap in the face’: Auckland flood relief fund $16m short

‘Slap in the face’: Auckland flood relief fund $16m short

25 Jul 06:30 PM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP