Kiwis in world top five for money know-how

Kiwis have ranked highly in a global survey on financial knowledge, behaviours and attitudes.

We may not be the richest country in the world but Kiwis have ranked highly in a global survey on financial knowledge, behaviours and attitudes.

New Zealand has come fifth equal in an OECD/INFE International Survey of Financial Literacy Competencies out of 30 countries.

More than 50,000 people were questioned for the research including 1300 Kiwis aged between 18 and 79.

The top country was France which received a score of 14.9 out of 21 while New Zealand scored 14.4.

The average across the OECD countries surveyed was 13.7.

New Zealand performed strongly in the behavioural aspects of the research but had a poorer rating for attitudes.

The study found New Zealanders underestimate their ability and know more about financial matters than they realise.

When asked to assess how good their knowledge was, only a third rated themselves higher than average, but when tested on the subject two-thirds scored above average.

The findings were revealed at the NZ-OECD Global Symposium on Financial Education, which is being held in New Zealand for the first time today.

Diane Maxwell, New Zealand's Retirement Commissioner said the results suggested many New Zealanders are good at thinking about the longer term.

"The more important question is whether that translates into action - are they doing something about it?

Maxwell said the challenge was to find ways of coping with the financial demands of today, while trying to think about and plan for tomorrow.

"These are some of the things we are addressing at this week's symposium."

The theme of the two-day event is "Today vs Tomorrow?" and it is being jointly hosted in Auckland by the Commission for Financial Capability and the OECD.

Top 10 OECD countries for Financial Literacy
1. France
2. Finland
3= Norway
3= Canada
5= Hong Kong
5= New Zealand
5= Korea
8. Belgium
9. Austria
10. Portugal