BFC
The Building Financial Capability (BFC) programme helps people and whānau to improve their financial wealth and wellbeing and get control
NSBS
Our Services
The Building Financial Capability (BFC) programme helps people and whānau to improve their financial wealth and wellbeing and get control of their money. We help set goals, relieve financial stress and debt, and increase cash flow and long-term savings.
Clients
Client Examples
“As a small business owner who has really struggled for two years through the impact of COVID-19 and long lockdowns and loss of custom, now I am facing a rise in cost of living, inflation and mortgage payments. I had proudly been a debt-free individual, but I started struggling with so many things beyond my control. I needed to prioritise my life so that I could keep my business afloat and ultimately leave a legacy for my family. But the truth was I was only treading water: finding the money to pay staff, cover the mortgage, buy groceries and put petrol in the car. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like Groundhog Day. Then came the floods in Auckland, and while my business only suffered a little bit of damage, it still put my insurance premiums up. I heard about NSBS and the mentoring support and financial stress relief they could offer, and I quickly signed up to the BFC programme. I wanted to better manage my money and reduce the burden of financial worries so that my family and I can all live happier and more fulfilled lives. And I have never looked back.”
Clint
BFC
Partnerships
Our Strategic Partnerships
Workplace Wellness
The desire for increased financial awareness and education is on the rise, especially as employees in New Zealand are struggling to make ends meet and Kiwi employers experience the negative consequences. Offering a financial wellness mentor to staff will enhance their financial knowledge and minimise personal money worries, and enable sustainable growth strategies for the company in growing profit and revenue, fostering engagement, enhancing the customer journey, and minimising staff turnover numbers.
Grace Foundation
The strategic partnership between the Grace Foundation and NSBS will empower students, young people, and the vulnerable and marginalised members of society with financial mentoring to grow their financial independence and confidence and protect their future. Together, the two organisations will serve more people in need and offer practical life skills to empower them on their next stage in their life journey.
Te Puna Hauora
The Māori health provider Te Puna Hauora understands how vital it is to address all of their client’s health needs. That’s why the organisation partnered with the major financial mentoring provider on the North Shore, NSBS, to provide financial mentoring as a health necessity.
Seniors
Managing personal finances can be a sensitive topic, especially for Kiwi seniors facing changes in their life and financial situation. Even with retirement savings and a pension, budgeting for this new phase of life can be a little overwhelming. By prioritising financial wellness, Kiwi seniors can alleviate the burden of financial stress so they can live a healthier life.
Library Programme
Seniors and retirees will be heading to Auckland libraries as safe and inclusive places to learn about money. NSBS financial mentors will provide free financial literacy workshops to seniors in the cosiness of libraries to ease peace of mind and teach everything they need to know about money management.
Māori and Pasifika
NSBS chooses to build the financial capability of Māori and Pasifika, and we work closely with Māori and Pasifika healthcare partners and community organisations, and incorporate tikanga Māori and cultural values into our financial literacy services, so that we can deliver better financial futures for Māori and Pacific peoples.
Women
NSBS focuses on women’s financial capability so that we can support their financial security and empowerment, and the long-term prosperity of their children and family.
Youth
NSBS believes in meeting the needs of young Kiwi school leavers by offering financial mentoring and supporting them into financial independence, resilience and employment preparedness.
Citizens Advice Bureaus
NSBS partners with Citizens Advice Bureau, working at various CAB offices on the North Shore and around Auckland to offer confidential and non-judgemental advice and support with budgeting, debt problems and saving for a secure financial future. Citizens Advice Bureaus also refer clients to the NSBS office in Takapuna for financial capability expertise.
Academy
NSBS Mentor Academy
All NSBS financial mentors are professionally trained and fully accredited by FinCap, the non-governmental national body, and licensed to work in the financial capability sector. NSBS runs an independent school where students undergo the intensive and accredited Financial Mentor Training Course (FMIC). The NSBS Mentor Academy is the nation’s leading provider of financial mentor training.
‘I got myself out of debt and now I mentor others’
Jane Be knows what it is like to feel the shame, embarrassment and helplessness of being in debt and the overwhelming stress of trying to find a way out.
“I didn’t tell anyone about my debt. Not my family. Not my friends. I felt ashamed. It was really hard to hold on to those emotional feelings, and even though my debt was relatively small, it still took me a long time to pay off and a big toll on my health and wellbeing,” she said.
The payroll executive worked overtime and took on extra jobs to pay off her debt. She felt alone and spent many sleepless nights worrying about money. “I didn’t know budget mentoring existed at the time,” Jane said. “Now I know there are specialists like NSBS who are happy to listen and help you through your money problems with no bias and no judgement.”
The sense of liberation when the arrears were paid off was immense. So much so, Jane felt her reward was to give back to her community and to let others like her know that help is available.
Jane signed up to the NSBS mentor school and successfully completed the Financial Mentor Introductory Course (FMIC), an intensive training programme for people wanting to become a financial mentor. Jane graduated top of her class, and now she volunteers at NSBS every week to help others who find themselves in a financial predicament. She’s proud of how far she has come, and wants others to feel that same sense of self-worth and freedom from money stress.
“I got myself out of debt and now I mentor others. It’s a fulfilling, rewarding role and a privilege.”
If you would like to book a financial mentoring session with Jane, or with any other NSBS financial mentor, please contact info@nsbs.co.nz or 0800 283 238.
News
NEWS FROM NSBS
NSBS has been recognised by the Government with a special certificate and pendant for the important work and responsive measures the non-profit organisation provided to individuals and whānau during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ordinary Kiwis are doing it tough and are more in need than ever of financial mentoring services to overcome the burden of financial stress that they are under.
The financial mentor team at NSBS has seen a significant rise in the number of people seeking help with financial budgeting and debt resolution due to the rise in the cost of living, inflation, and interest rates.
Women’s wealth and advising women on how to attain financial independence and financial security for themselves and their families is part of NSBS’s strategic vision, and in line with the government’s national strategy for financial capability.
NSBS is one of the only providers in New Zealand of both the Building Financial Capability (BFC) and Building Financial Capability-Plus (also called Total Money Management) programmes. As such, the Government has invited NSBS CEO, Drew Glucina, to join the Review Board Panel into the BFC-Plus service to discuss its impact and future, held by the Ministry of Social Development.
As New Zealand, like the rest of the world, faces a record rise in food price inflation and cost of living, with grocery prices skyrocketing, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has partnered with UK online grocery chain Ocado to create affordable recipes that won’t break the budget.
This year is a special one for NSBS as we mark 30 years since we were founded in 1992. Since then, we have supported thousands of New Zealand people, whānau and communities to build financial capability and resilience and lead happier, healthier lives.