There are many ways schools can include financial capability as a context for delivering the national curriculum. In this section, you will find links to a variety of resources to support financial capability teaching and learning.
Some learning areas such as social sciences, maths and English lend themselves particularly well to financial capability themed learning. Opportunities to explore links across learning areas should be explored. Financial capability also provides an authentic context for developing and exploring key competencies and values.
NZ web resources | UK web resources | Australian web resources | Interactive games | US web resources
Building conceptual understandings in the social sciences: Taking part in economic communities
This text is about providing ways to develop students' financial literacy in the context of a social sciences learning programme. The activities emphasise the values and perspectives that influence financial and economic decision-making.
The Education for Enterprise (E4E) website explores how schools can develop an enterprising approach to teaching and learning. It provides resources and unit plans based on enterprising activities.
The Retirement Commission website Sorted is New Zealand's free independent money guide. It's full of calculators and information to help manage personal finances throughout life. This site is easy to navigate with separate links for students and teachers. It includes a series of short movie clips about managing debt, saving, setting goals and budgeting, investments, mortgages, and retirement (suitable for upper primary and above).
The Online Learning Centre for a number of resources including digital learning objects, Digistore. This site consists of a number of interactive activities students can use independently or as part of a group as stand alone activities or as part of a teaching strategy. The following link involves students comparing mobile phone plans.
The New Zealand Maths Curriculum website
Contains useful resources particularly in the Number, Algebra and Measurement strands.
NZQA: Personal Financial Management Unit Standards
Unit standards in personal financial management are available for levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Qualifications Framework.
This section of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's website describes what money is, what cash or currency is, how New Zealand's bank notes are designed and made, and the life cycle of a typical bank note. It also looks at the design and security features of our bank notes and coins, and the history of currency in New Zealand. A useful resource for classes creating their own school or class currency for their simulation games.
Useful for teachers developing their own personal financial understanding or with upper primary and secondary when looking at financial planning.
The New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux
Provides information, advice, advocacy and support to individuals about managing finances. Services are free, impartial and confidential.
Provides links to income tax rates for individuals. Useful for teachers, senior primary and secondary students when seeking tax information.
This section from Careers website shows the impact of qualifications on earnings. It provides information about occupations that are the highest and lowest earners, and compares employee earnings by occupation.
This site provides listings of all retail interest rates on offer in New Zealand and includes call and savings accounts, term deposits, credit cards, and home mortgages.
The Real Game is a career education resource designed for students in Years 9 and 10. It introduces students to the world of work and helps them to develop an understanding of the options and opportunities available to them and the implications and importance of their choices. It uses elements of role-play, group work and individual investigation to help students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to assess and make decisions about further education and training and career options.
Young Enterprise Trust offers a range of enterprise programme and financial literacy resources to schools throughout New Zealand. Financial literacy resources are available for primary students (including board games, story books, units of work) and secondary students (PFM unit standards packages, KiwiSaver package, board games, 2-term and full year units). All electronic resources are free for teachers to download.
This Auckland based duo would like schools to consider using their website in their teaching and learning programmes.
Making Cents is a series of financial education units for primary children covering Years 1-6. Practical activities are used to stimulate and engage students enabling them to develop an understanding of financial concepts by using situations that relate to their everyday lives. These are downloadable units matched to social studies and maths curricula for each Australian state and territory. Each state has adapted the same resource to fit its curriculum.
The Australian Government's Understanding Money website aims to build the capacity of people to better understand and manage their money. There is information about building financial skills and knowledge related to budgeting, saving, credit and its use, debt control, investing, superannuation, getting financial advice and looking out for scams and insurance.
The Consumer and Financial Literacy Professional Learning Program
The Consumer and Financial Literacy Professional Learning Program aims to build the capacity of teachers in primary and secondary schools to engage students in consumer and financial literacy. Contains teacher resources as downloadable pdfs for both primary and secondary students.Student resources link to the Learning Objects from The Le@rning Federation
Fido: Financial Securities and Investments Commission financial tips and safety checks
As the consumer protection regulator for financial services, ASIC's aim is to improve the financial literacy of Australian consumers so that they can make informed decisions about financial products and services, and identify and avoid financial scams and rip-offs. The teacher resources section under publications includes materials about becoming confident consumers and managing money for middle school, levels 7-10, NSW Business Studies syllabus resources for Years 11 and 12 and contacts for speakers.
FIDO's new financial literacy resource for secondary schools has quizzes, games, movies and fact sheets on superannuation and insurance.
Tony Ryan’s website provides links to his Thinker’s Keys and other resources which can be used to develop problem solving and complex thinking skills.
Personal Financial Education Group
Supports the teaching of financial literacy. Aimed at ages 4 to 19. The site contains links to several resources including video clips, downloadable print and material for pupils, teachers and parents to support planning and teaching personal finance. Activities are based around supporting resources which match the UK currency and banking systems but could be adapted to NZ currency and systems.
A website for upper secondary students and educators in business studies, economics, accounting, leisure, sport & recreation and travel & tourism. Contains a section for educators with interactive classroom games as well as a section with learning materials
Natwest Bank’s MoneySense programme teaches children money management life skills. Material and ideas are age grouped: 11-14, 14-16 and 16-18. There are four modules (lesson plans, activities and resources) which cover how to open a bank account, how to manage money on a day to day basis, budgeting and how to run a business.
A fun and easy-to-use game for groups of year 11-13 students focusing on student finance. This can be purchased online. Other resources available for download if online membership is paid.
This game teaches primary students about budgeting, earning and spending money.
An interactive game where students set a long term financial goal. They then design and manage a budget to achieve this goal.
Celebrity Calamity is a game where you become the financial manager for three up and coming celebrities who spend beyond their means.
Teen merchant and entrepreneur resources: Business, finance, and economics
Online resources for teachers and students in business, finance, and economics from Wells Fargo Bank, CA.
