First 50 spots only

Be one of the first 50 Founding Mates of My Budget Mate.

The kind of budgeting app New Zealand has been waiting for, shaped by the 50 people who back it before it launches. Founding rate locked in for year one.

Claim your Founding Mate spot

50 spots only. Once they're gone, normal pricing applies.

Most New Zealanders have had this thought. You look at the bank account at the end of the week and realise you're not quite sure where some of the money went. Not in a panic way. Not because you're bad with money. Just in a “I should probably have a better handle on this” way.

The thing is, you're not the problem. You've never had a tool that fits the way you actually live, one that respects your time, knows you're an adult, and helps you decide where your money goes before it leaves, instead of explaining where it went after the fact.

My Budget Mate helps you tell your money where to go.

The problem

Most budgeting apps in New Zealand have one of three problems.

They're built overseas, so they don't connect to your bank properly. They miss half your transactions and need constant manual fixing. The categories don't match how Kiwis actually spend.

Or they're built for people who already have money sorted. Sleek dashboards full of investing charts, retirement projections, and tax optimisation. Useful eventually, but not when this week's question is “can we afford petrol AND the school camp deposit.”

Or they're built around shame. Spending alerts that feel like a parent telling you off. Red numbers everywhere. A tone that suggests if you'd just be a bit more disciplined, none of this would be happening.

You don't need shame. You don't need investing charts you can't use yet. You don't need an app that loses connection to your bank twice a month.

You need a budgeting tool built for the way New Zealanders actually live, with categories that match what we actually buy, a tone that doesn't make you feel bad, and import that just works.

The cost of inaction

If nothing changes, next year looks the same as this year. Money in, money out, and a vague sense that you should be more on top of this than you are.

Not because you're not capable. Because nobody gave you the tool that fits how your life works.

A year of not quite knowing feels small. Five years compounds. By the time you do get the right system, you've spent half a decade running the same loop, earning well or earning carefully, and still not sure where it went.

That's not a money problem. That's a tool problem.

The shift

Most apps track what you've already spent. You find out you're over budget on Thursday for spending that happened on Tuesday.

My Budget Mate works the other way around. It's zero-based, envelope-style budgeting, built for New Zealanders. You decide what each pay cycle is for before it lands. Money goes into envelopes, groceries, rent, fuel, kids' stuff, the wedding gift in three weeks, and you only spend from what's there.

At launch, your bank connection will run on Akahu, the New Zealand bank data platform that connects to every major NZ bank with your permission and refreshes automatically. Until that goes live, you'll import your transactions from a bank CSV in seconds.

And there's Remy, the companion built into the app. Remy isn't there to lecture you or shame you. Remy notices what's working, asks gentle questions when something looks off, and celebrates the small wins. Like a friend who's good with money and has a soft spot for you.

That combination, zero-based, envelope-style budgeting, easy CSV import now and bank-linked import at launch, and a companion that doesn't make you feel bad, is what My Budget Mate is.

The Founding Mate of My Budget Mate

A founding rate that gets you the first year of the app at well below standard pricing, in exchange for backing the build now. After year one, you continue at standard pricing, or you can leave. Your call.

50 spots only.

What you get now (before launch)

  • Monthly build updates from Deb. Real progress notes from inside the build, not marketing emails.
  • The envelope budgeting playbook, the framework we use ourselves, written plainly.
  • Early access to the CSV import beta when it opens.
  • A direct line to flag bugs and suggest features as we build. Your input shapes what we fix and what we ship next.

What you get at launch

  • Founding Mate badge inside the app. A permanent marker that you were here first.
  • First in line for Akahu integration when it goes live.
  • Founding rate locked in for year one, well below standard pricing.
  • Early access to features as they ship, before the wider rollout.

How it works

1

Step 1: Claim your spot.

Once you pay, your spot is locked. We'll email you within 24 hours with your Founding Mate welcome.

2

Step 2: Get the build updates and flag what needs fixing.

Monthly updates from Deb, plus a direct line to send bug reports and feature suggestions as you test the early CSV import. Your feedback lands with the team, not in a void.

3

Step 3: First access at launch.

When MBM opens publicly, Founding Mates get in first. Akahu integration, full envelope flow, Remy, the whole app. Your year starts when launch starts, not when you paid.

Why back this build

In 2020, Deb started something most New Zealanders remember. The NZ Bear Hunt, bears in windows during Covid lockdown, reached close to one in three households nationwide and over 120,000 bears pinned on the interactive map at its peak. Within weeks it had:

  • Earned a personal endorsement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who put two bears in her Wellington window
  • Featured on a commemorative NZ Post stamp issue, raising funds for NZ Red Cross
  • Won the Golden Foot Walking Award (Best Event category) from Living Streets Aotearoa
  • Ranked Deb in Stuff's top 20 New Zealanders of 2020
  • Reached BBC News, USA Today, the Associated Press, and Kyodo News, with Deb interviewed directly by Japanese national media
  • Been picked up across NZ Herald, Stuff, TVNZ 1 News, Newshub, RNZ, and Seven Sharp
  • Collaborated with More FM, who became a major media partner and sponsored Bear Hunt billboards in Auckland and Christchurch
  • Reactivated by public demand for the 2021 lockdown

She's the kind of person who builds things New Zealanders actually use, not because they're told to, but because the thing works.

Who's behind this

My Budget Mate is built by Deb Hoffman in Christchurch.

Deb is one of three founders at Orchid Horizon, a New Zealand software studio building tools for people, not corporations. Alongside Zaskia (the lead developer) and Lee-Anne (operations), she's been working on this product for over a year, building, testing, rebuilding, and getting the details right.

She's also the developer behind My Budget Mate itself. This isn't an outsourced product. It's been written line by line by someone who needed it to exist.

Pricing

The Founding Mate rate is well below standard pricing, a one-off payment for your first year, not a monthly subscription.

After year one, you continue at standard pricing or leave. No tricks, no auto-billing surprises.

Limited to the first 50 Founding Mates. Once they're gone, founding pricing closes for good.

Claim your Founding Mate spot

A simple promise.

If My Budget Mate doesn't launch, you get a full refund. No paperwork, no questions. Your payment is held for the launch, if the launch doesn't happen, the money comes back.

We don't refund for change of mind, because Founding Mate spots are limited and we want them held by people who genuinely want them. But you're never at risk of paying for a product that doesn't exist.

FAQ

Why is the founding rate so much lower than standard pricing?
Because you're paying before launch. Founding Mates back the build now in exchange for first year access at well below cost. Once the 50 spots are gone, the regular price applies, which is what we'll charge from launch onwards.
When does my year start?
Your year starts the day My Budget Mate launches publicly, not the day you paid. You're not paying for waiting, you're paying for a year of the app.
What happens if I don't like it?
After your year, you can stop. There's no auto-billing trap. We don't lock you in. If MBM doesn't launch, your payment comes back in full.
Is my bank data safe?
Yes. At launch, My Budget Mate will use Akahu, the New Zealand-built bank data platform that connects with your explicit permission and holds the relevant accreditations. We won't store your bank login. You'll be able to disconnect at any time. Until Akahu integration goes live, the early CSV import works differently. You download a transaction file from your bank yourself, and you upload it directly into My Budget Mate. No bank login is shared with us at any point in this stage. Your bank stays in your control, and you choose what we see.
How will I shape the product as a Founding Mate?
Founding Mates get a direct line to flag bugs you find in the early CSV import, and to suggest features you'd like to see in the app. Your reports and suggestions land with the team. We can't promise every suggestion ships, but we read all of them, we build with them in mind, and we tell you what's coming next.
What's the catch?
There isn't one, but here's the honest answer. We need 50 Founding Mates to fund the build through to launch and to validate that there's real demand for an NZ-first budgeting app. Your payment is real money that funds real work. In exchange, you get a year of the app at well below cost, lifetime status as a Founding Mate, and an early seat at the testing table.
When does My Budget Mate launch?
We're in the final stretch. Founding Mates will be told the launch date as soon as we lock it in, you'll know before the public.
50 spots. One pricing window.

50 spots. Founding rate locked in for year one. A real say in how a New Zealand-built budgeting app gets finished.

When the 50 are gone, they're gone. Standard pricing applies at launch, and Founding Mate status closes for good.

Claim your Founding Mate spot

Refunded in full if MBM doesn't launch.