Practical support to plan and deliver high-quality financial education#

Schools and financial education providers now have access to new Financial Education Implementation Guides. They give them practical support to plan and deliver high-quality financial education as it becomes compulsory in the curriculum.

70% of New Zealanders agree school is a good place for young people to learn about money. The 2 guides, developed by Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission in partnership with the Ministry of Education and financial education providers, provide a clear roadmap for what to teach, when to teach it, and how learning builds from Years 0 to 13.

Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson says the guides remove complexity and provide practical support for schools as financial education is mandated. “The Government’s decision to make financial education compulsory is an excellent step forward to increase New Zealanders’ financial capability.”

“For financial education providers and funders, both current and potential future ones, these guides offer something they've long asked for, a shared framework, clear curriculum expectations, and visibility for programmes and the impact they add. These guides bring everyone onto the same page.”

The release of the guides follows last year’s announcement that financial education will become compulsory within the national curriculum, including through the social sciences learning area, which is currently out for consultation. Financial mathematics is also explicitly included in the updated Mathematics and Statistics learning area. The guides provide practical support for schools as financial education becomes an increasingly important part of the curriculum.

“Every young person in New Zealand deserves to leave school with the skills and confidence to manage their money. These guides are about clarity and confidence. They show schools what good financial education looks like, how learning builds over time, how to work effectively with external providers, and how to plan programmes that are age appropriate and curriculum aligned,” Deputy Secretary for Te Poutāhū at the Ministry of Education, Pauline Cleaver says.

The Retirement Commission has also released new Maths resources as part of its Sorted in Schools programme, that apply the guides’ best practice principles and align with the Mathematics and Statistics curriculum. It shows how financial education can strengthen learning across subjects.

The Financial Education Implementation Guides are available on Tāhūrangi.

Financial Education Implementation Guides – Tāhūrangi

Advisory group#

Current providers who are part of the financial education providers’ advisory group include:

• ASB
• Banqer (supported by Kiwibank)
• BNZ
• Life Education Trust
• Money Time
• SaVy
• Westpac
• Sorted in Schools
• Young Enterprise Trust.

Assistance will also be offered by the financial advice community. There will be opportunities for new providers as gaps are identified.

Schools can choose which provider or providers they want to work with.