For approximately eight years now students have been taught valuable life long skills based around; Budgeting, Taxation, Banking products, Evaluate Income, Mortgage, Insurance and Credit Options

The Personal Financial Skills and Success with Money subjects were designed to develop a money-smart person who has the ability to make informed judgement and effective decisions about the use and management of money. Also students are given opportunities to hear from multiple guest speakers such as the Budgeting Service, local business owners and industry training organisations.

Success with Money is a course that was set up by teachers Robert Ikink and Alice Scott to fill a gap they saw in the senior curriculum.

“We saw a need for students to learn some financial literacy and also have an alternative option for a university approved course, while also learning real life skills,” Alice said. “The students learn about things such as how to get a mortgage, how do you get a house deposit, why Kiwisaver is important. I actually learnt a lot about my mortgage while I was doing it!”

“We talk about credit options. If you are going to buy something on credit, do you get a personal loan? Do you get a credit card? What things should you avoid? These life skills that they can use.”

“Personal Financial Skills is a course we have been teaching for the last 8 years. That’s about knowing how your tax works, how to read a pay slip, how to know that you’re not getting ripped off. When you are signing a tenancy agreement, what are you signing? How do you lodge a bond?”

Te Haupai Wharehereher, a Year 13 student, is doing Success with Money this year, and was in Personal Financial Skills last year.

“They taught us the basics around mortgages and how to set up a Kiwisaver account. We learnt about what our rights are when we go flatting, like what your landlord is allowed and not allowed to do and what your rights are when being a tenant in a house,” Te Haupai said.

Te Haupai appreciated how these courses have given him skills he could use in his own life.

“It is more based around money skills that we can use out in the real world,” he said. “I just set up a Kiwisaver and I am going to start putting it in a high risk investment thing, so they can invest my money so it will grow over time.”

Another Success with Money student, Year 13 Adam Anderson, has used the knowledge he has learnt in this course to stand up for his rights as a consumer.

“I had a computer monitor that was starting to crack,” Adam said. “I had owned it for two and a bit years. It was still in warranty. They are trying not to fix it or give me a replacement which isn’t right. I’ve been emailing back and forth with them, quoting the Consumers Guarantee Act to them.”

Nayland have also been regarded as a 'beacon' school recently by Lisa Turnbull from NZQA which was a huge complement to our teachers involved in the program.

The Commission for Financial Capability has launched new resources this month for New Zealand schools. We are proud to say it has been part of our curriculum for some time now and has grown from a Level 2 subject to Level 3, which allows students to gain merit and excellence endorsements.