
Session 1 · TRACE: Evaluate
Budget workshop
- 10 minCriteria: a good proposal is affordable, fair to the people affected, backed by evidence and sustainable over time.
- 25 minBuild and stress-test: one group builds the costed proposal for the live decision; another tests it for hidden costs, inflated quotes, interest on borrowing and ongoing maintenance. Swap and improve.
- 15 minScam spotter: sort invented messages into safe and scam. Agree three warning signs and the steps to take (stop, check with a trusted adult, report to Netsafe or Scamwatch). Add them to the Money Smarts guide.
Session 2 · TRACE: Evaluate
Have our say
- 10 minFinish the submission: what we want, why, the evidence, and what it would cost.
- 25 minPresent the costed proposal to a councillor, community board member or council officer, and give them the written submission. Ask them your questions about how decisions are made.
- 10 minShare the Money Smarts guide: agree how it will reach whānau (newsletter, a take-home copy, the school website).
- 5 minReflect: what is one money habit you will keep, and one way you will have your say in future?
Getting started
Use the submission template with headings and sentence starters, and the budget sheet with price cards.
Stretch
Look up KiwiSaver on Sorted and model how a small weekly saving could grow by the time you are 65.
Checkpoint
The class has made a real submission with a costed proposal, and every student has contributed a section to the Money Smarts guide.
Activities for this week
- Costed proposal and submission: Can we turn our ideas into a plan the council will take seriously?
- Scam spotter: How can you tell when a message is trying to trick you?
Useful this week
- Savings calculator ↗ Test how regular saving and interest add up over time.
- KiwiSaver guides ↗ What KiwiSaver is and how it grows, in plain language.
- Scamwatch ↗ Current scams in New Zealand and how to report them.
- Scams ↗ How to spot and avoid online scams, and where to get help.