Financial literacy research and reports
In partnership with other organisations committed to improving New Zealanders' financial literacy, the Commission has developed the following reports and material:
- National Strategy for Financial Literacy
- Financial knowledge and behaviour
- Financial education research and reports
- Programme evaluation research and reports
- Sorted user reports
- Sorted resources
National Strategy for Financial Literacy
The strategy sets the direction for improving financial literacy in New Zealand and establishes a high-level framework under which financial education initiatives are co-ordinated and actioned.
National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2014 (PDF 527.12 KB, Jun 2014)
National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2008
National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2008 (PDF 910.29 KB, Sep 2013)
National Strategy 2008 fact sheet (PDF 482.92 KB, Sep 2013)
Annual reports
The Commission reports annually on progress on the National Strategy for Financial Literacy.
2012 National Strategy Annual Report (PDF 1.26 MB, Nov 2012)
Action plan updates
Action Plan update, 31December 2012 (PDF 98.94 KB, Jun 2013)
Action Plan update 30 June 2012 (PDF 152.01 KB, Nov 2012)
Action plan update, 31 December 2011 (PDF 115.76 KB, Sep 2013)
Six-monthly reports to the Minister of Finance
Six-Monthly Report to the Minister of Finance, December 2012 (PDF 98.3 KB, Jun 2013)
Six-Monthly Report to the Minister of Finance, June 2012 (PDF 555.67 KB, Nov 2012)
Six-Monthly Report to the Minister of Finance, December 2011 (PDF 168.48 KB, Sep 2013)
Six-Monthly Report to the Minister of Finance, June 2011 (PDF 68.99 KB, Sep 2013)
Māori framework
The Māori framework sets the direction for improving financial literacy of Māori in New Zealand.
Māori Strategy for Financial Literacy (PDF 2.88 MB, Sep 2013)
Financial knowledge and behaviour
ANZ/Commission Financial Knowledge and Behaviour Surveys
These reports present the results of national surveys of financial knowledge levels of adult New Zealanders. These surveys were commissioned by the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income with the support of ANZ and undertaken by Colmar Brunton.
2013 ANZ/Commission Financial Knowledge and Behaviour Survey
The 2013 survey included research about financial behaviour as well as knowledge.
Reports
2013 Financial Knowledge and Behaviour Survey: Summary report (PDF 3.43 MB, Jun 2013)
2013 Financial Knowledge and Behaviour Survey: Full report (PDF 3.5 MB, Jun 2013)
Data
2013 data and data dictionary (File 209.94 KB, Jun 2013) (zip file)
2013 data (File 1.16 MB, Sep 2013) (csv file)
2013 data dictionary (Excel 84.67 KB, Jun 2013) (xlsx file)
2009 ANZ/Retirement Commission Financial Knowledge Survey
2009 Financial Knowledge Survey: Summary report (PDF 795.69 KB, Sep 2013)
2009 Financial Knowledge Survey: Full report (PDF 3.23 MB, Sep 2013)
Data
2009 raw data (Excel 2.01 MB, Feb 2014) (xls file)
2009 data dictionary (Excel 108 KB, Feb 2014) (xls file)
2006 ANZ/Retirement Commission Financial Knowledge Survey
The 2006 survey results provided the first measure of New Zealanders' level of financial literacy and set a benchmark to measure future knowledge trends.
2006 Financial Knowledge Survey: Summary report (PDF 1.1 MB, Sep 2013)
2006 Financial Knowledge Survey: Full report (PDF 658.16 KB, Sep 2013)
Data
2006 data (File 444.45 KB, Feb 2014) (.sav file)
Raw Excel data wasn’t one of the deliverables for the 2006 survey, so an Excel export was not carried out. The raw data is available in SPSS however, and initial checks with Toolbox (the analysis programme used in 2006) suggest that the data file is cleaned, labelled, and verified.
This file was created rather early on in analysis process, and it may not contain all the ‘constructed variables’ used for the final report. It does contain all the raw survey responses to each question, plus the weighting variable.
ANZ/Ngāi Tahu Financial Knowledge Surveys
This report presents the results of the financial knowledge survey of 400 Ngāi Tahu iwi members. Colmar Brunton was commissioned to conduct this research for and in partnership with Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu with the support of the Retirement Commission and ANZ.
2010 ANZ Ngāi Tahu Financial Knowledge Survey: Summary report (PDF 3.6 MB, Sep 2013)
2010 ANZ Ngāi Tahu Financial Knowledge Survey: Full report (PDF 4.12 MB, Sep 2013)
Financial Behaviour Index
The Financial Behaviour Index gives us a snapshot of New Zealanders’ key financial behaviours such as goal setting, budgeting, saving and investing. It tracks New Zealanders’ financial behaviour at six monthly intervals.
Financial Behaviour Index, Wave Six - May 2014 (PDF 1.55 MB, Jun 2014)
Financial Behaviour Index, Wave Five - November 2013 (PDF 1.52 MB, Dec 2013)
Financial Behaviour Index, Wave Four - May 2013 (PDF 1.19 MB, Jun 2013)
Financial Behaviour Index, Wave Three – November 2012 (PDF 1.2 MB, Dec 2012)
Financial Behaviour Index, Wave Two – May 2012 (PDF 1.13 MB, Dec 2012)
Financial Behaviour Index, November 2011 (benchmark) (PDF 1.28 MB, Sep 2013)
The Sorted Kiwi: The Effect of Identity on the Achievement of Financial Well-Being in New Zealand
Robyn Dupuis, who was Fulbright New Zealand’s 2009 Ian Axford Fellow from the US, completed research with the Retirement Commission on how the stereotypes associated with being a New Zealander affect the way we think about everyday money.
The Sorted Kiwi (PowerPoint 1.33 MB, Sep 2013)
Investor profiles
This 2009 survey explored the needs of investors in relation to consumer information about financial products. It was undertaken for the Commission by Colmar Brunton.
Profiles of Retail Investors, 2009 (PDF 311.01 KB, Dec 2012)
Financial education research and reports
The Current State of Knowledge about Financial Education and Financial Literacy
This document provides an overview of the current state of knowledge about financial education and its relationship to financial literacy.
The Current State of Knowledge about Financial Education and Financial Literacy (PDF 925.65 KB, Nov 2013)
Charting a course: A review of financial education in New Zealand, June 2012
Charting a course reports the findings of research into ways to increase the quality of formal education in New Zealand. It stemmed from a joint research project between the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income and Visa.
Charting a course: A review of financial education in New Zealand (PDF 878.45 KB, Sep 2013)
Learning and Doing: Understanding the link between financial literacy and desirable financial behaviour, 2010
This qualitative report was commissioned by the Retirement Commission and undertaken by Colmar Brunton.
Learning and Doing (PDF 5.91 MB, Sep 2013)
Core Principles of Engagement for Financial Education Programmes delivered by the Finance Sector
The core principles of engagement for financial education provided by the finance sector states that programmes should be aligned to the National Strategy for Financial Literacy and follow a recognised teaching/learning framework.
Core Principles of Engagement (PDF 277.45 KB, Jan 2013)
Programme evaluation research and reports
INFE guide to evaluating financial education programmes, 2012
This guide was developed for the OECD International Network of Financial Education (INFE) by the Expert Subgroup on the Evaluation of Financial Education Programmes (of which the Retirement Commissioner was a member) using a variety of publicly available documents from various countries.
Detailed Guide to Evaluating Financial Education Programmes (opens a pdf file on the OECD website)
OECD best practice guides
The OECD also offers other guides to best practice in measuring financial literacy and evaluating financial education programmes.
OECD Financial Education Best Practices (links to the OECD website)
Five-tiered framework for evaluation, 2007
Research in 2007 by independent researcher Alison O’Connell for the Retirement Commission proposed a five-tiered framework for evaluating the effectiveness of financial education programmes which can be tailored for each programme.
Measuring the effectiveness of financial education (PDF 387.64 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted user reports
Sorted user surveys
The Sorted user survey reported on who is using the Sorted website, what they think of it, how useful they find it and how it drives them to take action about their personal finances.
Sorted user survey, 2011 (PDF 718.79 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted user survey, 2010 (PDF 795.73 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted user survey, 2009 (PDF 766.41 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted brand awareness report
Surveys of brand awareness reports and perceptions of Sorted were conducted during 2009.
Sorted brand awareness monitor, November 2009 (PDF 859.73 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted brand awareness monitor, April 2009 (PDF 716.72 KB, Sep 2013)
Sorted resources
can be downloaded or print copies ordered on the Sorted website.
can be ordered on the Sorted website.
