AUT funding helps Kiwis talk about money
Newly funded research from AUT aims to tackle financial abuse by helping Kiwis talk comfortably and constructively about money with their loved ones.
AUT Business School’s Dr Ayesha Scott (Department of Finance) has been awarded an AUT Health Futures development grant to support her research project, “My money, your money…our money? Building a toolkit for Healthy Financial Relationships”.
The work is in partnership with Good Shepherd NZ, a charitable non-government organisation established to address the critical, contemporary issues facing women, girls and families.
Breaking the taboo
The researchers acknowledge that money is an often-fraught issue for intimate partners in New Zealand, where finances are largely considered a taboo topic and money remains a source of relationship conflict. The so-called money taboo prevents open discussion of personal finances - including household financial matters - leading to conflict, stress, missed financial opportunities, lower retirement outcomes and poorer financial decision-making.
It can also lead to financial abuse, a pattern of behaviour that restricts or removes another person’s access to money, economic resources, or participation in financial decisions. Financial abuse is often used as a coercive control strategy in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
New Zealand leads the OECD for rates of IPV, with one in three New Zealand women experiencing physical and/or sexual violence over their lifetime. Money is often “weaponised” in IPV cases and used to entrap an intimate partner.
Different attitudes about money
Ayesha says the Health Futures project aims to upskill romantic or intimate partners to discuss money matters in constructive and respectful ways. The research team recognises that not all cultures and peoples in Aotearoa see money in the same way, so tools will be built to be flexible to fit New Zealand’s wide demographic spectrum.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to help New Zealanders become more comfortable talking to their partners about money matters, and ultimately shift Aotearoa’s awareness and understanding of financial abuse.
“Kiwis don’t talk about money. Our project addresses this important, yet under-explored gap in current social, health and finance research,” says Ayesha. “It recognises the complexity of the problem, and places finance into the ongoing intimate partner violence dialogue in New Zealand alongside health, social, law and justice. We aim to overcome the money taboo and ongoing inequality in our community, starting with New Zealanders’ closest relationships.”
Participants wanted: Healthy relationships focus groups
You are invited to participate in a confidential study about talking constructively with your romantic partner about money. If selected, you will attend a two-hour focus group where you can share your experiences and test our Healthy Financial Relationships toolkit; you’ll also complete a follow-up survey. Participants must be at least 18 years old and will receive a koha for their time. Interested? Please email Ayesha Scott: ayesha.scott@aut.ac.nz
Read, watch and hear more about the Health Futures research
About AUT Health Futures
AUT Health Futures is a collaborative research initiative designed to understand and tackle a range of issues in the health sector. AUT has committed $20 million over five years for new ideas co-developed with external partners with potential real-world application as a new way of contributing to solving New Zealand’s big challenges.