When life happens, you’re ready.

Completely. There are no subscriptions, hidden fees or ads. Just a straight-up app to help you build savings for an emergency.

Akahu is the New Zealand company between Buffer builder and your bank that wrangles your transaction data and manages the digital plumbing that keeps the app up to date and accurate. They're accredited so they can request data on your behalf from your bank. They're certified, use the latest encryption, backed by Westpac and are independently audited.

Akahu creates a secure, read-only connection between your bank account and the Buffer builder app, enabling you to move money between the accounts you choose. They never sell or rent your data.

You may be already using them actually. They’ve got tens of thousands of us connected and more than 130 products already rely on them to work (think Pocketsmith, Feijoa, etc). You can control all your connections at my.akahu.nz.

Here's more about open banking and your rights around your data.

For the moment ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac. Note that to move money from an ANZ account requires the bank's one-time approval. This typically takes a couple of business days, which the app helps you with. 

Two work best. You'll have the one where your pay lands, and you'll need a separate one for your emergency savings buffer. (You may even have another for everyday spending, which works too.) Keeping these apart means your buffer builds up on its own, without getting mixed into everyday spending.

You give a one-off payment approval through your bank, with limits you set, eg, a cap per payment and per week. Money only ever moves into your own buffer account, and you can pause it anytime.

Each time you spend, Buffer builder rounds the purchase up to the nearest $1, $2 or $5 and moves the difference into your buffer. Rounding a $4.20 coffee to the nearest dollar rounds to $5, so 80 cents goes towards your buffer. These are small amounts you'll barely notice, adding up in the background, and you can set them up to double (2x) or triple (3x) if you'd like to build up your savings even faster.

Yes, your savings sit in your own account at your bank, so the money is always yours. Access it immediately through your banking app, just like any other savings account.

Emergency funds are best used if the situation is urgent and unexpected, and if the consequences of not using it will be really bad. The clearer we are about our criteria for using our buffers, the better.

A little up front, then it runs itself. Setup takes about 10 minutes and a couple of approvals (connecting your bank and authorising money to move) but it's a one-time setup. After that your buffer builds in the background. Jump in anytime to see how you're going.

Yes, any time. Delete your account and data in the app under Settings. You can also manage your bank connection at my.akahu.nz. Press pause or restart saving whenever you like.

Buffer builder is available on iPhone and Android.