Moneymaker Start learning

Money skills for everyday New Zealanders

Make it. Keep it. Grow it.

Learn to spend smart, save with purpose and grow your money, so you can stand on your own two feet.

Start learning Play Kiwi Run

Our favourite habit

The Kiwi Pause

Shiny things grab our attention, but the buzz of buying fades fast. Money you keep keeps working for you. Before you tap to pay, run through four quick questions.

1

Need it?

Is this something I need, or something I want right now?

2

Worth it?

Is it worth the hours I worked to earn this money?

3

Better use?

Could this money do more for me saved in the bank?

4

Wait a day.

If I still want it tomorrow, I can decide calmly.

Is it worth it?

Turn a price into hours of work. These example numbers are just a starting point, so try your own.

$
$
4.8 hours of work

That's 12% of a 40-hour week.

Skip it once a week and you'd keep $6,240 in a year.

Play and learn

Kiwi Run

Run with the kiwi, collect kiwifruit coins and jump over impulse buys. At every Kiwi Pause, you decide what happens to the money.

A Moneymaker game

Kiwi Run

  • Collect kiwifruit coins for +$10 each
  • Jump over sale tags and bags, or lose $10 to an impulse buy
  • At each Kiwi Pause, choose what to do with your money

Choose your runner

Jump with Space, the up arrow, or a tap. Hold for a higher jump.

Run ten years through Savings City with your money jar, and choose where to bank it.

Play Savings City Dash

For younger players: drag kiwifruit coins into Kiwi’s coin slot in Kiwi Coin Drop.

Play Kiwi Coin Drop

Prices and bonus interest in the game are just for fun, not real rates.

Game two

Baa-rry’s Bill Check

Baa-rry the sheep has brought in his bills. You’re the Moneymaker adviser: pick the smartest move for each bill and see how much he saves.

Bill0 of 6
Saving each month$0
Saving each year$0

Baa-rryBaa! My bills are out of control. Can you help?

Ready to bust some bills?

Baa-rry will hand you six bills. For each one, choose what he should do. Good moves save money, and some moves cost more!

Choose your adviser

Want more action? Try the arcade version, Baa-rry’s Bill Rush: stamp the bills before The Fleecer eats them.

Play Bill Rush

Bills and savings in the game are examples. Real savings depend on your own bills and plans.

What you'll learn

Four steps from spending to growing

Each step builds on the one before. Start where you are and move at your own pace.

Step 1

Spend smart

  • Needs vs wants
  • Beating impulse buys
  • The Kiwi Pause

Step 2

Save

  • Building the habit
  • Emergency funds
  • Setting savings goals

Step 3

Bank it

  • Savings accounts
  • Term deposits
  • How interest works

Step 4

Grow it

  • Types of investing
  • Understanding risk
  • Starting small

Compare

Where should your money live?

See how everyday accounts, savings accounts, notice savers and term deposits at New Zealand banks compare, plus the costs of popular share investing platforms.

What could your savings earn?

Enter an amount and your tax rate to see roughly how much interest you would keep each month with each type of account, using the best rate we found at the five biggest banks.

$

Regular bank accounts are taxed at your RWT rate. PIE accounts and funds (such as some notice savers and cash funds) use your prescribed investor rate (PIR), which tops out at 28%. Not sure of yours? Check with IRD. Figures are simple interest, assuming the rate stays the same and any bonus conditions are met.

Interest you keep, after tax

Rates change oftenInterest rates were last checked on 11 November 2026. The Reserve Bank held the Official Cash Rate at 2.75% on 28 October 2026, and banks often change their rates after each decision. Always check the bank’s own website before you open an account.
Read the conditionsBonus rates usually need you to grow your balance or avoid withdrawals each month. Miss the condition and you only earn the much lower base rate. Notice savers and term deposits lock your money for a set time.
Shares are differentShares and funds don’t pay a fixed interest rate. Their value goes up and down, and you can get back less than you put in. They usually suit money you won’t need for at least five years.

Got savings already? See how much more you could keep by switching, after tax, with the Savings Switcher.

Try the Savings Switcher

Sources: savings and term deposit rates from interest.co.nz online savings, bonus savers, term deposits 1 to 9 months and 1 to 5 years (checked 26 Oct 2026, rechecked 11 Nov 2026 against termdepositrates.co.nz and Canstar); bonus conditions from Canstar and bank websites; OCR from the Reserve Bank; everyday account fees from MoneyBalance (May 2026); share platform fees from etfs.co.nz (updated 5 Sep 2026). Moneymaker shares general information only. It isn’t personalised financial advice.

Felix, the founder of Moneymaker

Meet our founder

Felix

Age 9

Felix started Moneymaker at age 9 to help kids and families in Aotearoa learn good money habits in a fun way. That’s why the site is full of games, stories and simple tools you can try for yourself.

  • Make it. Learn how money is earned, and what your time is worth.
  • Keep it. Use the Kiwi Pause before you spend, and save for the things that matter.
  • Grow it. Find out how banks, interest and investing can help your money grow.
Play a gameStart learning