Professionalised workforce development framework
Te Tāpapa
Reinforcing and invigorating the collective expertise, energy and effort of financial mentors
Te Tāpapa is the professionalised workforce development framework for financial mentors. Co-designed with the sector in 2024 Te Tāpapa is the financial mentoring sector's collective vision for a recognised, professionalised financial mentoring workforce - with the professional structures and mana it needs, where mentors have clear career pathways, and in which whānau and the broader public have high trust in the quality of support mentors offer.
Te Tāpapa is designed to give confidence in financial mentoring to mentors themselves, the whānau they work with, and the broader public.
Te Tāpapa is built on six interconnected pou/pillars, each grounded in kaupapa Māori values including whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, whakapapa, rangatiratanga, mahi tahi and oranga.
Since the release of Te Tāpapa in April 2025, FinCap has:
- Completed the Mahi Tika, Mahi Āwhina, Mahi Rangatira Competencies and Standards pou/pillar and started to embed these into Financial Mentor Introductory Course (FMIC), supervision training, and modules in our online learning platform.
- Raised awareness and discussed the Competencies & Standards in communities of practice, including working with service managers to develop useful templates.
- Actively worked to lift engagement with financial mentoring services.
We have also completed substantial preparatory work on professional body and training structures, to inform the next stages of our pathway to achieving professionalisation.
In the second half of 2026 we are undertaking consultation with the financial mentoring sector to consider the best structural model to progress the remaining pou/pillars. This is particularly relevant to:
- Ka pua ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama Legislated Workforce & Professional Body - the structural and regulatory backbone of professionalisation.
- Te tihi o manono Training & Career Pathways - the educational infrastructure and career progression pathways for the workforce.
Professionalisation goes hand in hand with our work on sustainable sector funding.
Te Tāpapa
Professionalised Workforce Development Framework For Financial Mentors
Ka puta ki te
whaiao,
ki te ao mārama
Legislated Workforce and Professional Body
Mahi Tika, Mahi Āwhina, Mahi Rangatira
Competencies and Standards
Te Tihi o Manono
Training and Career
Pathways
Te Pā Harakeke
Communities of Practice
Kia whaia tonu
te iti kahurangi
Continuing Professional Development
Ngā Ringa Raupā
Volunteers
Ka puta ki te whaiao,
ki te ao mārama
Legislated Workforce and Professional Body
- Legislation to formalise the new workforce requirements
- Scope of practice
- Protection of Financial Mentor title
- Regulations, compliance code and policy
- Accreditation body infrastructure
- Code of conduct
- Service standards
- Compliance
- Quality assurance framework
- Complaints process
- Peak body infrastructure with independence from Government
- Competencies and Standards framework
- Quality assurance process
- Complaints handling mechanisms
- Advocacy and policy advice
- Continuing professional development
- Data collection and analytics
- Strategic remuneration
- Investment strategy
- Multiple funding streams
- Sustainable and fit for purpose funding models
- Equitable regional funding
Mahi Tika, Mahi Āwhina, Mahi Rangatira
Competencies and Standards
- Technical, analytical and problem solving skills
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Crisis management and Mental Health 101
- Income and benefit support
- Cultural competency
- Document management
- Referral processes
- Insolvency and complex debt issues
- Legislative compliance
- Housing support
- Migrant and refugee support
- Community finance
- Advocacy
- Economic harm
- Kiwisaver
- Code of conduct
- Code of ethics
- Practice guidelines
- Record keeping and data management
- Risk management
- Confidentiality
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Quality assurance
- Registration
- Professional development
- Self-assessment
- Peer review
- Client feedback
- Remuneration progression
Te Tihi o Manono
Training and Career
Pathways
- FMIC microcredential (Level 4, 16 credits)
- Consumer Credit microcredential (Level 5, 17 credits)
- Massey Financial Capability Practitioners Course microcredential (Level 5, 10 credits)
- Careerforce NZ Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Level 5, 120 credits)
- Mental Health 101 and First Aid
- Modular learning (Compulsory, Elective, Specialist)
- Registered training providers (University, Polytechnic, Whare Wānanga)
- Independent training providers (unregistered)
- NZQA framework approved courses
- Assessment of prior learning and experience
- Recognition of prior learning and experience
- Cultural knowledge and capability
- Development of guidelines
- Provisional period supervision
- Internal and external supervision
- Registration requirements
- Training for supervisors
- Development of criteria
- Evaluation
- Cultural supervision
- Microcredentials
- Certificate in Financial Mentoring
- Diploma in Financial Mentoring
- Certificate in Service Management
- Minimum entry level standards
Te Pā Harakeke
Communities of Practice
- Coaching support
- Problem solving
- Case study discussion
- Sharing knowledge, experience, and skills
- Sharing challenges and successes
- Reflection on practice
- Networking
- Quarterly or bi-annual meetings
- Cultural protocols observed
- Discuss local issues and their impact
- Build a directory of local referral partners
- Local data sharing and resource development
- Cross-regional collaboration
- Guest speakers
- Current issues and emerging trends
- Legislative updates
- Best practice workshops
- Expert presentations
- Specialist topic deep dives
- Learning new skills, exploring new methodologies
- National networking
- Industry updates
- Keynote speakers
- National data sharing
- Showcasing innovations
- Research presentations
- Workshops for professional development (CPD)
- Awards and recognition
Kia whaia tonu
te iti kahurangi
Continuing Professional Development
- Planning and progress tracking tool
- Goal setting
- Training records and transcript downloads
- Resource library
- Training calendar
- Reflection
- Goal setting plans
- Professional development plans
- Achievement recognition
- Career planning support
- Competency advancement
- Recruitment options
- Leadership roles
- Teaching and facilitation roles
- Research participation
- Career advancement paths
- Cross-sector engagement
- Reach learning milestones and goals
- Reflect and grow in the role
- Cultural competency enhancement
- Professional practice updates
- Leadership development
-
Technology updates
- Non-accredited courses
Ngā Ringa Raupā
Volunteers
- Clear entry point
- Volunteer onboarding process
- Training programme
- Orientation programme
- Volunteer placement
- Health and safety
- Community of practice
- Connection portal for volunteers
- Peer-to-peer learning support
- Development opportunities matching interests and skills
- Engagement surveys
- Career advancement opportunities
- Recognition programme
- Code of conduct
- Role clarification
- Position description
- Skilled and unskilled volunteering
- Supervision
- Ongoing training and development
- Evaluation
- Skills assessment
- Recognition of prior learning and experience
- Assessment of prior learning and experience
- Cultural competency