Case study · Financial advice · Christchurch

Nudge: free KiwiSaver advice for 145+ Kiwis, signed off by an adviser

Staffords Wealth Management, a Christchurch financial adviser, runs Nudge, a free KiwiSaver advice portal we built where an AI assistant asks the questions, plain code scores the risk and a licensed adviser signs off, and it has now helped 145+ Kiwis.

By Blake HarknessPublished Updated

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The Nudge home page: free KiwiSaver advice, a Get My Free Projection button, and 145+ Kiwis helped, about 5 minutes to complete and $0 cost
Client
Staffords Wealth Management
Industry
Financial advice, KiwiSaver
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
What we did
Built Nudge and run its ongoing development (UI design by Ben Ashby)

Nudge in numbers

  • 145+Kiwis helped with free KiwiSaver advice
  • ~5 minfor a person to complete the advice journey
  • $0cost to the person getting advice
  • 100%of submissions reviewed by a licensed adviser

Kiwis helped, time and cost as published on nudgekiwi.nz, September 2026.

The short version

  • Staffords Wealth Management wanted AI to walk people through KiwiSaver advice, but advice is regulated, so the AI could not be the one making the recommendation.
  • We built Nudge, a portal where an AI assistant runs the conversation, fixed code scores the risk and builds the Statement of Advice, and a licensed adviser reviews every submission.
  • Nudge has helped 145+ Kiwis, takes about five minutes and costs the person nothing.

The problem

KiwiSaver advice is regulated, so the AI could not make the call

Staffords wanted a KiwiSaver advice portal where an AI assistant walks people through the whole advice journey, from the first question to a Statement of Advice.

A chat makes that journey easy. But advice is regulated, and every recommendation has to be something a person can check and stand behind.

So we kept the recommendation out of the AI's hands. It runs the conversation. Everything that shapes the advice is fixed code a person can check.

The Nudge AI assistant on a phone asking for an email, phone number and date of birth, answered by a demo user
The intake chat, shown with demo answers.

The solution

The AI asks, fixed code shapes the advice, an adviser signs off

Each step does the job it is best at. The AI handles the conversation, rules handle anything that decides the advice, and a person makes the final call.

  1. AI assistant asksA plain-language chat collects the details and sense-checks each answer.
  2. Fixed rules score riskSix multiple-choice questions map to one of five risk profiles.
  3. Statement of AdviceBuilt as a PDF from a fixed template, not written by the AI.
  4. Adviser signs offA licensed adviser reviews every submission before anything is actioned.

The AI never picks a fund.

Same answers, same risk profile, every time

Each risk question has fixed answers, and each answer carries a fixed score. The AI plays no part in the result.

The timeline answer caps how far the profile can go, so money needed within five years stays conservative. Because the scoring never changes, every recommendation is easy to check.

Nudge asking how you would react if your balance dropped 20% in a crash, with five fixed answers from sell immediately to buy more
A risk question, shown with demo answers.

Eligibility, ID checks and a live projection are built in

The steps around the advice sit in the same journey, so nobody has to leave the portal or start again.

Nudge projection chart of a demo KiwiSaver balance growing to age 65 and drawing down to 85, with a shaded band for market ups and downs
Projection

A projection people can play with

Salary, contribution rate and retirement age redraw a chart of what their balance could grow to.

The Nudge eligibility check, tap to confirm: 16 or older, valid NZ ID, NZ residential address and NZ bank account
Eligibility

A 20-second check first

Age, NZ ID, address and a bank account are confirmed before the conversation starts.

The Nudge verification complete screen with a green tick, shown after the identity check
Identity

ID checks built in

Identity is verified through RealAML face matching, then the person picks up where they left off.

The result

145+ Kiwis have had free KiwiSaver advice in about five minutes

Nudge is live at nudgekiwi.nz. It has helped 145+ Kiwis, takes about five minutes to complete and costs the person nothing.

Every recommendation comes from the same fixed rules, and a licensed adviser reviews every submission before anything is actioned.

We still run Nudge's ongoing development for Staffords.

Questions people ask

Does the AI give the financial advice?

No. The AI assistant runs the conversation and sense-checks answers. Fixed code scores the risk, the Statement of Advice comes from a fixed template, and a licensed adviser reviews every submission before anything is actioned.

What does the adviser still do?

The adviser has the final say on every recommendation. Nudge collects the details, scores the risk and prepares the Statement of Advice, so the adviser reviews a finished submission rather than starting from scratch.

How long does Nudge take for the person getting advice?

About five minutes, and it is free. A 20-second eligibility check comes first, and the chat, risk questions and ID check all happen inside the portal.

How do we build something similar for a regulated service?

Start by separating the conversation from the decision. We build AI for the questions and the admin, write anything that shapes the advice as fixed rules a person can check, and leave the final call with your licensed people.

More case studies

Building for a regulated industry?

Advice, finance, compliance. We build AI that does the conversation and the admin, and leaves the decisions where they belong.

Talk to us about your projectMore case studies

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Last updated 29 September 2026