Emma Heaps is a Programme Manager, Financial Wellbeing Westpac
Tell us about your role in customer financial wellbeing and what got you into it?
I am the Programme Manager (PM) for Westpac’s free financial wellbeing programme Managing Your Money (MYM). I predominantly look after our communities, schools, iwi and partnerships and have a counterpart who looks after our NZ Business’ which includes our government sector, Agri & iwi organisations. As the Programme Manager I am responsible for the strategic delivery of the MYM programme which supports Westpac’s sustainability strategy, purpose and wellbeing plan. We often say we have the BEST jobs in the bank!
I started out as a Managing Your Money facilitator which gave me the opportunity to see the positive impact I, as well as the programme could make towards New Zealanders. This ignited my passion for financial education which led me to become one of the Programme Managers for Managing Your Money. This programme is something that I wished I had in school, and I think that it is such an asset to Westpac that we offer a FREE financial wellbeing programme to all New Zealanders.
It’s a real privilege to be not only an advocate for financial education and inclusion but be able to do lead the change that I knew was needed.
What is something people might not know about the work you do?
As a Programme Manager I collaborate with a number of Westpac teams and organisations to design and build fit for purpose content that helps New Zealanders achieve financial wellbeing. Myself as well as my counterpart take ownership of upskilling internal and external Individuals to become Managing Your Money facilitators to deliver the programme nationwide.
The Managing Your Money programme is designed for all New Zealanders. The workshops are aligned to different financial life stages e.g earning money for the first time, managing money day to day and growing your financial future.
What have you seen make the biggest difference?
The biggest difference we see are
- •when we have relatable people delivering workshops. In turn this encourages creates a safe place for people to talk about money and the support they feel they need.
- When participants complete our 6 week dedicated courses, as it encourages them to have a relationship with the facilitator whilst also understanding their money habits giving them the opportunity to take ownership of their own financial journey.
What new trends are you seeing in this economic climate?
From my experience as a Programme Manager I have noticed that New Zealanders are being more proactive with their money journeys opposed to reactive.
A trend we are seeing and is continuously growing is that money is no longer a tangible thing, its not just cash, its credit cards, buy now pay later schemes, personal loans etc. This creates challenges for people when it comes to managing their money because its so easy to spend without thinking about the consequences.
Tell us about the most rewarding moment in your work
Just recently we supported Kids in care from Oranga Tamariki open bank accounts to begin their financial journey. This has also opened up the opportunity to create and provide kids in care with financial education – watch this space!