The 2009 ANZ-Retirement Commission Financial Knowledge Survey found that, when compared to the previous survey in 2006:

• There has been an overall improvement in New Zealanders’ financial knowledge, with more people having a high level of knowledge.
•  There is little change to the number of New Zealanders with a low level of financial knowledge.
•  The gap in knowledge between men and women has narrowed, with a 12 percentage point increase in the number of women with a high level of knowledge.
•  About one in six New Zealanders (16%) indicate that they are having difficulty managing money, and this is higher amongst those with a low level of knowledge (26%). 
•  There is an indication people are feeling more financially uncertain and vulnerable.
•  Use of internet banking has increased to almost one in two (47%), up from one in three (34%) in the previous survey.
•  Banks are the main source of financial advice (51%), followed by friends and relatives (35%).
•  One in three (34%) have used the Retirement Commission’s Sorted resources, and one in four (24%) have done so in the last 12 months.
•  When considering investment offers, people now place greater emphasis on fees and security and less emphasis on returns.
•  There are still some gaps in knowledge about variable or floating home loans.
•  When planning for retirement, people are thinking more about what they can afford and less about what they’d like to have.