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The Retirement Commission’s Māori director says everyone needs some sort of financial education, not just young people.
Labour is promising to make financial education a compulsory subject in schools if it’s reelected.
Erin Thompson says commission surveys show the number of people struggling from pay to pay is increasing, but so too is interest in learning about saving and dealing with debt.
She says about a third of people say they feel whakama when they talk about money.
“You know what’s really important is for us to be able to encourage each other to have those conversations, to talk about the cost of living pressures and to be able to reach out for help,” Ms Thompson says.
The commission’s Money Month during August aims to provide a space for people to talk about money, and there are also useful services like Money Talks where people can get advice and support about managing their money and what entitlements they may have from Work and Income.
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