Turning Average Into Empowered: New Research Highlights The Need For New Zealanders To Upskill Their Financial Education
The latest research from Partners Life shows that most New Zealanders see themselves as 'average' with money. However, there's potential to save hundreds of dollars each year by making simple and small changes to how people manage their money.
But this isn't about pointing blame or handing out a failed report card, it's about powering up. That's why Partners Life, in partnership with Banqer, is once again giving adult New Zealanders the chance to gain free access to the Money Month Challenge. It's a practical, enjoyable, and empowering initiative designed to help people boost their financial wellbeing and set themselves up for a stronger future by being money wise.
Key research findings found:
• Room To Grow: Only 23% of New Zealanders rate their financial knowledge as 'excellent'.
• Real Money On The Table: In just the last year, nearly 1 in 3 New Zealanders (30%) lost $200 or more to avoidable fees, accidental purchases or forgotten subscriptions. For most households these everyday slip ups are costing real money.
• Monthly Expenses Adding Up: Over half of New Zealanders (59%) say keeping up with monthly expenses is tough, and 44% have used credit or Buy Now, Pay Later services at least some of the time to help make ends meet.
• Health Impacts: Over half of New Zealanders (54%) have lost sleep or experienced stress worrying about money, and 39% say financial stress is affecting their relationships with friends and whānau.
• Lessons Learned the Hard Way: For 58% of New Zealanders, the main source of financial education has come from making mistakes.
• Education Gap: While close to 84% of New Zealanders recognise the importance of financial literacy and budgeting - especially in today's continued cost-of-living crisis – most (76%) have never had the benefit of any professional financial literacy training.
The research underscores the importance of improving financial education for New Zealand adults. Building on the success of the past three years' Money Month Challenges, Partners Life and Banqer are excited to join forces again to offer a free, two week online financial literacy experience this August.
Kate Dron, Chief Customer Solutions Officer of Partners Life, says: "At Partners Life, we're passionate about seeing every New Zealander take charge of their financial journey. Our latest research highlights just how much potential there is for everyday New Zealanders to grow their financial confidence. That's why we're proud to be bringing back the Money Month Challenge for the third year – providing practical tools and support so people can confidently tackle financial decisions and set themselves up for long-term success'.
'We're committed to helping New Zealanders move beyond simply getting by, with the goal to empower everyone in our community with the know-how to build resilience, make smart money choices and thrive in any economic climate.' she adds.
The free Money Month Challenge begins on August 18 and is open to all New Zealand adults and marks the third year Partners Life and Banqer have brought this valuable initiative to the community.
Banqer, known for its innovative financial literacy programmes in schools, is equally excited to expand its impact by bringing the Money Month Challenge to Kiwi adults once again.
Simon Brown, CEO of Banqer, says 'Financial literacy forms the cornerstone of lifelong wellbeing and should be within reach of everyone, not just younger generations. While our programmes have supported hundreds of thousands of Kiwi kids in building strong money skills, many adults still haven't had the chance to deepen theirs'.
'That's why we're proud to join forces with Partners Life again to bring back the Money Month Challenge for its third year. This initiative offers a valuable space for adults across New Zealand to grow their financial confidence, try out new strategies, learn something new, and build a secure foundation for themselves and their families futures'.
All participants of the Money Month Challenge will gain and experience practical financial knowledge, develop new money management skills and bridge any existing gaps in financial understanding. Covering topics like earnings, budgeting, debt management, investing and risk management, the experience has been designed to empower New Zealanders with the tools they need to achieve financial confidence and success.
New Zealanders can sign up to the Money Month Challenge at banqer.co/nz/money month.
About the research
The results come from a Partners Life-commissioned survey of n=1,018 nationally representative respondents who live in New Zealand, aged 18 years and over, conducted in July 2025 by Pureprofile.
About Partners Life
Partners Life, established as a small start-up in 2011, is now one of the largest life and health insurance companies in New Zealand.
Partners Life insures more than 340,000 lives, over $653.6 million in annual premiums inforce and employs over 400 staQ across New Zealand (as of 31 March 2025).
In September 2022 Partners Life completed the acquisition of the BNZ Life insurance business from BNZ's Australian parent company NAB.
In 2022, Partners Life became a member of one of the world's leading life insurers, Dai-ichi Life Group.
Partners Life has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating from A.M. Best, an approved RBNZ rating agency (with eQective date 23 January 2025). For the latest Best's Credit Rating, please visit www.ambest.com.
About Banqer
Banqer, championed by Kiwibank, is the leader in classroom-based financial education, empowering teachers to deliver engaging, real-world learning experiences that prepare students to thrive financially.
Through interactive simulations, Banqer equips young people with the skills and confidence to manage money, make informed choices, and reach their full potential beyond the classroom. To date, more than 650,000 students across Australasia have built brighter financial futures with Banqer.
Partners Life is a long-standing support partner of Banqer High, helping to bring high-quality financial education to secondary schools across Aotearoa. As experts in personal risk insurance, their guidance ensures students learn best practice, grounded in real-world relevance. This partnership is built on a shared belief that all young people deserve the opportunity to grow their financial confidence through meaningful, engaging learning experiences.
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