Partners Life adds to Banqer High literacy programme

High school students now have access to a new life and health insurance tool provided by Partners Life to help improve financial literacy.

Tuesday, September 7th 2021, 8:56PM

Banqer High is the high school version of the Banqer Primary platform aimed at school students to improve their financial literacy and develop financial capability.

Partners Life will be a support partner of Banqer High and provide a life and health insurance interactive learning tool to help develop financial literacy and capability in secondary school students.

Partners Life will introduce students to private medical and income protection as a means to manage personal risk and will add to existing content covering banking, employment, income, savings, KiwiSaver, purchasing property, and fire and general insurance.

Partners Life joins existing supporters of Banqers, including champion partner Kiwibank and existing support partners Jarden and the Insurance Council of New Zealand.

Chief marketing officer at Partners Life Kris Ballantyne says by developing the new content "...we can influence what and how students learn and make sure it is absolutely current and the best specialist education available".

He says students will learn in a fun and interactive way about risk and how they can protect themselves.

"They will get to go through the process of applying for income and private medical cover, and learn about things like disclosures, pre-existing conditions, premiums, excesses, and how their job choice or career could influence their risk rating and their cover and premiums."

Students can also choose between different fictitious insurance providers, cover and premiums and will then be sent some random life events to see how their choices and decisions stack up in the real world.

Banqer High co-founder and chief executive Kendall Flutey says Partners Life sponsorship also pays for an additional 1,250 students to access the platform at no cost.

"Research shows normalising lessons through education pathways is an important step towards developing financial capability from a young age.

"When students go through the Banqer expansions they are placed in real-life situations where they make their own assessments, decisions, and deal with the ramifications.

"The goal is that they become inspired to be curious, creative, and confident with money," Flutey says.

Since its launch in 2020, Banqer High has been used by more than 20,000 Kiwi secondary school students nationwide, along with 140,000 primary and intermediate school students.

Students manage their budgets, explore career paths, go flatting with friends, and dabble with investing. They will regularly face decisions that have financial impacts, learning the consequences of their choices first-hand in a safe environment.

Tags: financial literacy Kris Ballantyne Partners Life