More than Money Case Study | Booster Foundation

The Life Smarts programme is lifting the financial capability of Pasifika youth.

The Life Smarts programme, run in South Auckland by More Than Money (MTM) seven times since the beginning of 2024, is lifting the financial capability of Pasifika youth.

The Booster Foundation partnered with MTM to pilot the programme and provide financial skills like budgeting, saving, KiwiSaver, understanding debt and spending habits, insurance and financial goal setting.

Life Smarts is designed to ensure it has a ‘multiplier effect’ with values-based principles like family, collective thinking and sharing of resources, so youth can share their improved financial knowledge to
positively impact their lives and their aiga in the long term.

A “massive difference”

Melaraena Robertson, an early participant in the course run through the Mascot Bible Chapel – Mangere, says it has made a “massive difference” to how she spends because she has learned the difference between wants and needs and says it’s “helped me save a lot of money”.

Melaraena is also “having a lot of conversations with other people about finance and being smart with money” and is being trained by MTM to facilitate Life Smarts sessions through the Martin Hautus Foundation Trust.

““I am so grateful to be able to help educate our
younger people on the importance of being smart with money especially when it is definitely something I wished I had learnt earlier on in life,”

- Melaraena

After completing Life Smarts, 90% of participants felt either very confident or confident managing their money compared to 27% at the start of the programme.

The Director of MTM, Clementine Ludlow-Henare, says most New Zealand youth have little to no understanding of simple money concepts.

“We cover topics with lots of activities and discussion, so we facilitate rather than teach, to help build mutual trust and respect by hearing our youth and acknowledging their experiences and wisdom. In return, we find they are engaged and take in the information well.”

"Really eye opening. Seeing how much
unnecessary things I spend money on.
Implement structure into my saving and
money system. Loving every second of this
programme.”

-Student

“The best impact we see is the conversations these awesome youth then have with others. They’re our ambassadors, paving the way for their communities to get ahead financially.”

85%	have a better understanding of insurance

82%	are more aware of needs vs wants and 48% have cut back on their 'wants' spend

61%	have started saving for a specific goal

61%	are now following a personalised budget

58%	are continuing to use a spending diary

42%	have looked into or started a KiwiSaver account and 36% have increased their KiwiSaver contributions

If you'd like to find out more visit More than Money.

* The survey was of 33 students with a 63% response rate. The average age of participants is 20 years.

More than Money

The Life Smarts programme is lifting the financial capability of Pasifika youth.

Life Smarts is designed to ensure it has a ‘multiplier effect’ with values-based principles like family, collective thinking and sharing of resources, so youth can share their improved financial knowledge to
positively impact their lives and their aiga in the long term.

A “massive difference”

““I am so grateful to be able to help educate our
younger people on the importance of being smart with money especially when it is definitely something I wished I had learnt earlier on in life,”

- Melaraena

After completing Life Smarts, 90% of participants felt either very confident or confident managing their money compared to 27% at the start of the programme.

"Really eye opening. Seeing how much
unnecessary things I spend money on.
Implement structure into my saving and
money system. Loving every second of this
programme.”

“The best impact we see is the conversations these awesome youth then have with others. They’re our ambassadors, paving the way for their communities to get ahead financially.”

85%

82%

61%

61%

58%

42%

More than Money

The Life Smarts programme is lifting the financial capability of Pasifika youth.

Life Smarts is designed to ensure it has a ‘multiplier effect’ with values-based principles like family, collective thinking and sharing of resources, so youth can share their improved financial knowledge topositively impact their lives and their aiga in the long term.

A “massive difference”

““I am so grateful to be able to help educate ouryounger people on the importance of being smart with money especially when it is definitely something I wished I had learnt earlier on in life,”

- Melaraena

After completing Life Smarts, 90% of participants felt either very confident or confident managing their money compared to 27% at the start of the programme.

"Really eye opening. Seeing how muchunnecessary things I spend money on.Implement structure into my saving andmoney system. Loving every second of thisprogramme.”

“The best impact we see is the conversations these awesome youth then have with others. They’re our ambassadors, paving the way for their communities to get ahead financially.”

85%

82%

61%

61%

58%

42%

Life Smarts is designed to ensure it has a ‘multiplier effect’ with values-based principles like family, collective thinking and sharing of resources, so youth can share their improved financial knowledge to
positively impact their lives and their aiga in the long term.

““I am so grateful to be able to help educate our
younger people on the importance of being smart with money especially when it is definitely something I wished I had learnt earlier on in life,”

"Really eye opening. Seeing how much
unnecessary things I spend money on.
Implement structure into my saving and
money system. Loving every second of this
programme.”