Investing shapes the world we live in, let’s shape a better world

Read our 2024 Sustainability Report

Our principles:

Think holistically | Lead Bravely | Be Change Makers | Be Good Ancestors

At Pathfinder, ethical investing means using a framework, based on our principles, to filter out which investments to avoid and which to select.

We seek to avoid investments that do not respect people, animals or our planet. And we consider factors such as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Metrics, our positive investment themes and our interest in low-carbon solutions to climate change when we select investments.

On behalf of our investors, and wider stakeholders, we're on a mission to generate both individual wealth and collective well-being.

Our Impact Stories

Walking the Talk

We are a UNPRI signatory (which means we agree with and uphold the UN Principles for Responsible Investment), a Certified B-Corp with our own bespoke Ethical Investment Policy, an Ethics & Investment Committee, an annual Sustainability Report and a commitment to improving things through advocacy.

The following Pathfinder funds are certified by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA): KiwiSaver Growth, Balanced & Conservative, Global Responsibility Fund, the Global Water Fund.
Read our Ethical Investing Policy

Investing and climate change

We see climate change as possibly the single greatest threat to the future of our society and ecosystems. To address this, we strive to select investments with lower-than-average emissions to drive down the overall emission profile of our investing. We report on the overall Weighted Average Carbon Intensity of our funds in our Ethical Scorecards. We offer a Green Bond Fund for direct investment into projects that correspond to the long-term vision of a low-carbon future & take environmental impact into account when assessing potential investments. The logos below represent some investments we’ve made that are more directly addressing climate change – click on them to learn more.

  • First Solar logo
  • Lodestone Energy logo
  • Mint Innovation logo
  • Contact energy logo

What we invest in

Our investment process aims to avoid harm, benefit investors and other stakeholders and contribute to solutions. We're active managers who think carefully about how to drive strong returns, while maximising the ethical positioning of our investing. Below are a range of companies we invest in, from some of the largest publicly traded companies in the world to private companies- click below to view specific holdings for each Fund.

  • Organo logo
  • Enphase logo
  • First Solar logo
  • Vestas
  • Sharesies Logo
View our Holdings

What we don’t invest in:

We seek to avoid investments in activities that disrespect people, our planet and animals (some examples below). Note that this list is not exhaustive and we may still hold investments in these areas as we apply revenue thresholds and grant exceptions in limited circumstances. We may also have limited information about an investment’s involvement in a particular activity. Please hover over any ? icons for more details or read our Ethical Investment Policy or our Exceptions Register.

  • Factory Farming

  • Alcohol?

    We allow investments in companies that do not derive more than 5% of identifiable revenue from alcohol beverage production, processing, manufacture, or sales. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Palm Oil & GMOs?

    We permit investments in companies that derive no more than 5% of identifiable revenue from the commercialised production and sale of GMOs, or no more than 5% of revenue from the sale of palm oil and palm oil products. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Weapons?

    We permit investment in companies that derive no more than 5% of identifiable income from the production and distribution of conventional weapons and their components. We allow investments in companies that earn no more than 50% of identifiable income from non-weapons related services or products to the military. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Adult Entertainment?

    We permit investments in companies that derive no more than 5% of identifiable revenue from the production or distribution of adult entertainment material. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Tobacco?

    We allow investments in companies that do not derive more than 10% of identifiable revenue from the sale of tobacco related products and services. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Gambling?

    We will allow investments in companies that derive no more than 5% of identifiable revenue from owning or operating gambling establishments. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details.

  • Fossil Fuel?

    We permit investments in companies that do not derive more than 5% of identifiable revenue from the exploration, extractive, conversion (with respect to thermal coal) or distribution (except by rail) of fossil fuels. See our Ethical Investment Policy for more details. We can (and do) in exceptional circumstances permit investment in a company connected with Fossil Fuel - such exceptions are approved on a case-by-case basis by the Ethics and Investment Committee. A register of exceptions is available under the 'Documents and Forms' page.

  • Animal Testing?

    Animal testing is a complex area for investing. See our Ethical Investing Policy for details of our approach. We can (and do) in exceptional circumstances permit investment in a company connected with animal testing - such exceptions are approved on a case-by-case basis by the Ethics and Investment Committee. A register of exceptions is available here.

The impact of ethics on returns

Our ‘investible universe’ (think: things we can invest in) is smaller than fund managers who aren’t ethical investors. However, we believe the investments in this reduced list will be both better for people, our planet, and animals AND have the potential to generate strong returns.

Why? We believe that companies who think widely about their impact consider future events that could adversely affect their earnings and plan to avoid or mitigate them – potentially making them higher-quality companies.
Review our performance

Are you ready to invest in better?

  • Grab your IRD number, drivers license, or passport.

  • It'll take around 3 minutes.

  • Ready to start?