EMPIXO Professional

Financial Education for Schools

Real-World Money Skills for the Next Generation.

Helping young New Zealanders understand money before life's biggest financial decisions arrive.

Financial education is changing in New Zealand. As financial capability becomes more deeply embedded within the curriculum, schools have an opportunity to give students something that can stay with them for the rest of their lives: the confidence to understand money and make better financial decisions.

At EMPIXO, we believe financial education should go beyond definitions, worksheets and calculations. Young people need to understand how money actually works in the world they're about to enter.

The Opportunity

New Zealand Is Putting Financial Education Front and Centre

Financial capability is becoming an increasingly important part of education in New Zealand. Students are being introduced to concepts ranging from needs and wants, earning, spending and saving through to budgeting, interest, tax, insurance and investing. We think that's an important step forward.

But there's another part of the equation: turning financial knowledge into real-world financial capability. That's where EMPIXO wants to help, bringing real financial experience into the classroom to support schools, educators and students.

Not New Territory

We've Been Teaching Money for Years

EMPIXO founder Brett Cole brings more than two decades of experience across banking, lending, Financial Mentoring, financial education, business and community financial capability, including direct experience working with young people in secondary and tertiary education.

Why This Experience Matters

From the Classroom to the Real World

We've taught people about money. But we've also spent years sitting across the table from people when financial decisions haven't gone according to plan: debt, financial hardship, insolvency, housing problems, poor borrowing decisions, KiwiSaver hardship, relationship breakdowns, redundancy, business difficulties and unexpected life events.

That experience changes how you teach financial education. Because we know where some of these decisions can eventually lead.

How We Teach

Don't Just Teach Interest. Show What Interest Does.

A student can learn the formula for calculating interest. That's useful. But let's take the next step: you're 18, you've just started working, you want a $15,000 car. The dealer says “No problem, we can finance it.” Great. Now let's talk about:

What's the interest rate? What's the term? What's the establishment fee? What's the total amount you'll repay? What happens if you miss payments? What else could that weekly repayment have been used for? And can you actually afford the car?

Suddenly, interest isn't a maths question anymore. It's a life decision. That's the kind of financial education we believe sticks.

The Curriculum

Money Skills for Life

Learn. Plan. Act.

A Deeper Reason This Matters

Financial Education Can Travel Home

One of the most powerful things we've learned through Financial Mentoring is that educating a young person about money doesn't necessarily stop with the young person. Sometimes that knowledge travels home.

We've worked alongside New Zealand families where English is a second language and navigating banking, emails, correspondence and financial systems can be difficult. In one family we supported, the eldest daughter had become an important bridge for her parents. She helped read emails, understand correspondence, navigate online systems, explain what organisations were asking for, and work through everyday financial administration. She was young herself, but she was already doing some of the financial heavy lifting for her family.

When you financially educate a child, you may be helping a family.

The Bigger Picture

Young People Can Become Financial Bridges

New Zealand is made up of families from many cultures, languages and financial backgrounds. Not every parent grew up with KiwiSaver. Not every parent understands New Zealand's banking system. Not every household finds financial terminology easy to navigate.

We should never expect children to carry responsibility for their parents' financial affairs. But we can equip young people with knowledge and confidence that may strengthen the household around them. Imagine a student coming home understanding how interest works, how to recognise a scam, why an emergency fund matters, what KiwiSaver is, how debt works, what Buy Now Pay Later really means, and why investing early can matter.

That's impact beyond the classroom.

Student → Family → Community

Financial Capability Can Become Intergenerational

One lesson can potentially start a much bigger conversation. That's why we see financial education as more than another school subject. It's a life skill, and potentially an intergenerational one.

The classroom is only the beginning.

We'd rather a student leave thinking “I understand this,” “I can use this,” “I know what questions to ask,” and perhaps “I'm going to talk about this at home tonight,” not just “I learned something about money today.” That's when financial education starts becoming financial capability. Learn it. Use it. Share it.

Working With Educators

Supporting Teachers, Not Replacing Them

Teachers already have an enormous job. As financial education becomes more prominent within the New Zealand curriculum, we see an opportunity for financial professionals and educators to work together. EMPIXO isn't here to tell teachers how to teach, and we're certainly not here to replace them.

We're here to bring another layer: real-world banking experience, Financial Mentoring experience, real financial scenarios, industry knowledge, practical activities, stories, questions and conversations students can relate to.

Teachers bring the education expertise. We bring practical financial experience. Working together can help bring financial education to life.

An Important Distinction

Not Financial Advice. Financial Education for Life.

Our school programmes are about education and financial capability. We're not there to recommend a particular mortgage, KiwiSaver fund, investment or insurance policy, or tell students which financial products they should buy. We want students to understand the concepts behind those decisions.

What is risk? What is diversification? What does interest mean? Why does time matter when investing? How does insurance work? What questions should I ask before borrowing money? How do I recognise when something sounds too good to be true?

And perhaps the most valuable financial skill of all: how do I know when I need to ask for help?

A Changing World

Preparing Students for a Changing Financial World

A generation ago, accessing investments could be difficult and expensive. Today, someone can buy a fraction of a global company from their phone. Young people are growing up with digital banking, Buy Now Pay Later, investment apps, fractional shares, cryptocurrency, fintech, AI, social-media financial influencers and increasingly sophisticated online scams.

Access to financial products has become easier. The ability to access an investment doesn't necessarily mean someone understands it. The ability to borrow money doesn't necessarily mean someone should. Young people need knowledge. But increasingly, they also need:

Financial judgement.

The Goal

Financially Match Fit for Life

We don't expect every student to become passionate about finance, to remember every definition, or to become an investor at 16. We want them to leave better equipped for the decisions ahead: to understand enough to ask good questions, recognise risk, understand consequences, know where to find good information, know when to ask for help, and have enough financial confidence to keep learning.

Not because we know exactly what the future will bring. But because we're better prepared for it.

Prepare. Don't Predict.

Building the Next Generation of EMPIXO Financial Education

EMPIXO is currently developing its next generation of financial education programmes for New Zealand schools and students, combining real-world financial experience, engaging education, practical scenarios, interactive learning, digital resources, teacher support, Financial Mentoring experience and modern financial topics with the needs of today's students and New Zealand's evolving financial education environment.

We're interested in talking with:

We're building this carefully. Because if we're going to teach the next generation about money, we want to do it properly.

Interested in Bringing Financial Education to Your Students?

Whether you're looking for a workshop, a series of sessions, practical financial education support, or simply want to talk about what could work for your students, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us about your school, your students, and what you're trying to achieve. We'll start there.

Learn it. Use it. Share it.

Educate First. Empower Always.