Frequently asked questions

Depending on your situation, you can enroll directly with a provider (like Pathfinder), if:

- you live in New Zealand, and

- you are a New Zealand citizen (or entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely), and

- you do not have an existing KiwiSaver account. (if you are not sure of this, you can check via myIR or contact the IRD)

Because KiwiSaver is a retirement savings scheme, you cannot join KiwiSaver if you have a temporary, visitor, work or student visa.
If you’re under 18 and you would like to open a KiwiSaver account, have a chat to your parent or guardian and they can contact us for more information.

Unfortunately, no KiwiSaver returns are guaranteed. Just like all investments, KiwiSaver returns are likely to go up and down over time.

Our investment team works hard to respond to market conditions and circumstances to grow your savings. It is important that you choose the fund that suits your appetite for risk and your purpose for being invested.

Each fund has a risk indicator that can be helpful when deciding what fund would suit you best as a fund's risk rating can affect your returns.

If you have questions, feel free to email us and we can help.

In some circumstances, yes. It’s important to remember that your KiwiSaver is a first home and retirement savings scheme, which means that, other than in these situations, it can only be withdrawn in very specific instances. These include permanently emigrating, suffering significant financial hardship or serious illness. If you’d like more information, please contact us and we can help.

If you’ve been a member of KiwiSaver for three years, you may be able to use some of your KiwiSaver savings to buy your first home. Please complete our First or Second-Chance Home Withdrawal form and return it to us with all applicable supporting documents. We are here to help if you have any questions or difficulties completing the form.

In most circumstances, you can put your KiwiSaver contributions (that are automatically contributed from your paycheck) on hold after being in the KiwiSaver scheme for 12 months.

This is called a Savings Suspension, and you can apply for a Savings Suspension through the IRD (not through Pathfinder unfortunately). If you do put your contributions on hold, your employer contributions will also be put on hold until the end of your Savings Suspension. Just remember, stopping contributions will reduce the amount you will have for retirement.

You can choose the length of your Savings Suspension (between 3 months and one year). Once the Savings Suspension has expired, you can apply to the IRD to have it extended. You can still make voluntary contributions to your KiwiSaver during a Savings Suspension.

It’s very easy to change your fund type - just fill out the KiwiSaver Plan Switch Form , send it via email to info@pathfinder.kiwi, and we’ll take care of the rest. It will take up to 5 working days for any changes to be reflected in your portal, but we’ll action the request as soon as we can.

Your KiwiSaver funds are accessible once you turn 65. After your 65th birthday, you can choose how you would like to access your funds. You can:

Withdraw some of your savings

Leave your savings invested until you would like to access them

Set up a periodic payment with us. This allows you to decide how much you would like to withdraw on a regular basis (eg. Weekly or monthly) and have it paid to your bank account

Until you have withdrawn your entire KiwiSaver account balance, your funds will continue to be invested and you can continue to save.

Be sure to review whether you are in the right investment for your risk profile. If you would like to set up a call with one of our financial advisors to discuss retirement planning, please contact us.

In most cases, yes. As long as your superannuation scheme in Australia is a complying scheme, you can choose to transfer your funds into your KiwiSaver account – and we can help make this process as easy as possible. Just contact us to chat, we don’t charge a fee and we can gather the forms you need to get the process started.

It is never too early to start saving for your future and you can join at any age.

If you’re under 18 but over 16, you will need at least one legal guardian to co-sign your application. If you don’t have a legal guardian, reach out to your chosen KiwiSaver provider and they can help.

If you’re under 16, you will need the consent of all your legal guardians, so have a chat with them to get your KiwiSaver account set up.

Use the joining form on the website for managed funds. Even though you already have a KiwiSaver account with us, there are different regulations around managed funds and we require slightly different information from you.

It takes a few minutes to complete the form and a few working days for us to run our compliance checks and set up the account.

You will receive an email notification with payment instructions when your account is ready. 

At Pathfinder, we have 3 fund types – Conservative, Balanced and Growth. Each fund has a different risk profile (which means that the funds hold different percentages of assets/equities). The following are some general considerations that you should keep in mind when you are trying to make an investment decision.

Growth funds are generally best if you need higher growth in your investment over the long term, and you won’t panic and want to switch to a lower-risk fund if you see your account balance rise and fall – even by big amounts.

A growth investment is when fund managers buy a certain mix of higher-return, more volatile investments like shares and property, and fewer lower-risk investments with a typically lower, fixed return like bonds and cash. The goal with a growth fund is higher returns over the long term.

The amount of time matters because if the value of your investments does drop in the short term, you have enough time in your investment horizon for your assets to recover again.

A growth fund is great if you’re okay with seeing your account value occasionally fall and you’re looking for long-term returns.

If you don’t need to spend your KiwiSaver money in the next 8-10 years or longer, then a growth fund is usually best because you’ll have enough time to see it grow over the longer term. However, a growth fund is not suitable to a risk adverse investor regardless of time frame

A balanced fund is one that sits in the middle. For example, it is less volatile than a growth fund but more likely to grow faster than a conservative fund.

A conservative fund is usually the right pick if you’re going to need access to your money fairly soon or if you have low tolerance for ups and downs in your fund’s value.

If you’re willing to take on some changes in value and looking for modest long-term returns, then a conservative fund is probably best. But how soon do you need it? Usually, 3-5 years is the advice for picking one of these funds.

A conservative investment is when fund managers buy a mix of lower-risk investments that come with more typically lower, fixed returns, like bonds and cash. They’ll buy fewer higher-return, more volatile investments like shares and property.  The goal with a conservative fund is moderate to low returns over a shorter time frame.

The amount of time matters because if you’re hoping to spend your money soon – for instance, to buy your first home, then you don’t want too many ups or downs. Higher growth funds are more suitable for getting those longer-term returns.

We recommend using our fund calculator (or quiz) to check what fund type suits your circumstances the best. We also offer the ability to split your KiwiSaver investment across our funds in different percentages (eg. You could choose to have 80% balanced, 10% growth and 10% conservative for 100% of your KiwiSaver contributions).

Once you turn 65, your KiwiSaver fund becomes like any other investment fund. Contributing to your KiwiSaver becomes completely optional. You can stop your contributions at any point, or you can continue to contribute if you would like to.

If you carry on working, your contributions from your pay will continue until you let your employer know you would like them to stop. The compulsory contributions from your employer will stop (however some employers choose to continue these contributions. To find out if this applies to you, have a chat to your employer)

Any direct debits or automatic payments you have set up will continue until you change them or tell us to stop, but the yearly government contributions will cease.

We encourage you to get independent financial advice before making your investment decision. Our sibling company, Alvarium Wealth (NZ) Limited provides financial advice on Pathfinder products, feel free to contact us and arrange a chat with their financial advisers.

You can check your balance (for both KiwiSaver and Managed Funds) online by logging into our member portal (top right-hand corner of the website).

Our online member’s portal allows you to track your balance and see the performance of your chosen Fund (KiwiSaver and Managed Funds). After you join Pathfinder and your funds enter your Pathfinder account, we send through a link to log in to our portal. If the link hasn’t arrived, or if it has expired, contact our customer service team to get another one.

If you have switched to us from another KiwiSaver provider, it typically takes 10 working days for us to receive your funds (the maximum timeframe is 35 days). Once they've been received and invested, you will receive an email with your log in details to our member portal.

If you're new to KiwiSaver:
As part of joining KiwiSaver, the IRD holds your contributions for 2 months (62 days) from the date you become a KiwiSaver member. After the 62 days, your balance is sent to Pathfinder for investment.

In that the first 62 days, you will earn basic interest on your contributions, but your funds are not invested or earning returns until they are released by the IRD.

This is standard practice across all KiwiSaver providers. During these 2 months, you’re still a Pathfinder KiwiSaver member. Once your balance reaches us, you will be automatically sent an email with your login details for our member portal.

For our managed funds, it usually takes three to five working days for funds to be visible to you through your portal. Please note that Public Holidays and weekends can cause delays, but we will send you an email once the process has been complete.

We use a web-based Portal which operates like an App, and you can add it to your phone.

To add the Portal to your IOS device:

- Open the Safari App and go to the Portal website.

- Select the Share icon  from the bottom

- Select Add to Home Screen and add.

To add the Portal to your Android device:

- Open your Browser and go to the Portal website.

- Press the Settings button (3 vertical dots on top right of screen)

- Select Add to Home Screen and add

Absolutely! Members under 16 will need both legal guardians to sign the application form. Members over 16 and under 18 need one legal guardian to sign the application form. When you complete the online joining form, you will be asked for supporting documentation proving your relationship and additional information for guardians. If you need any help with this, or have any questions about the process, contact us.

After you have opened an account, we have received your funds and they're invested, you will receive an email with a link to register for our member portal. If you haven't received your email or the link has expired, please contact our customer service team.

You can log in to our online portal here.

If you have an illness, injury or disability that permanently affects your ability to work, or poses a risk of death, you may be eligible to withdraw your KiwiSaver funds early. You can withdraw the total funds in your account including:

- Your contributions

- Your employer’s contributions

- The $1,000 kickstart if you received this

- Any member tax credits

In the first three months of membership, please contact Inland Revenue. After the first three months, you can apply through Pathfinder, just contact us for the form.

You’re welcome to decide exactly how your KiwiSaver contributions are split between the different fund types, as long as the total adds up to 100%.

For example, you could choose to have your current and future contributions split across all three of our funds: 30% in the Growth Fund, 40% in the Balanced Fund and 30% in the Conservative Fund. The percentages are completely your choice and based on your individual circumstances.

To do this, please contact us and we’ll send you the form you need to complete.

If you have been a member of a KiwiSaver scheme for 3 years, and you haven’t made a first home withdrawal before, you may be able to withdraw some of your KiwiSaver when buying a first home.

To be eligible to make a withdrawal, you must intend to live in the property/on the land you are buying. Unfortunately, you cannot withdraw your KiwiSaver to fund building a house on land you already own.

You can apply to withdraw your full KiwiSaver balance to put towards a home or land, except for:

Balances transferred from Australian super providers

Any government contributions you received while living overseas (not in New Zealand)

$1,000 (there must be $1,000 left in your account)

If you're a KiwiSaver member making contributions from your pay, your employer must also make contributions into your account (these are called your employee/employer contributions). Employer contributions are equal to at least 3% of your pay. This happens at their end, when they process pay roll.

You can choose to contribute more than 3% if you’d like, and the current options are 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% of your pay. If you would like to change your contribution rate, reach out to your employer and they can help you with this.

If you are employed, you must contribute a minimum of 3% of your gross salary or wage. You can choose to increase the 3% to 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%, and to reduce it back to 3% whenever you choose.

If you are not an employee or you are self employed, there is no minimum amount to contribute.

Anyone can make extra contributions directly to their KiwiSaver account – these are called voluntary contributions. There are no restrictions to voluntary contributions. However, the money you contribute will generally not be available to you until you reach age 65. To make voluntary payments into your KiwiSaver account, you can use a direct debit or an automatic/one-off payment. To set up a direct debit, fill out this form and email it to us. To set up a bank transfer, you can find our bank details here.

If you are 18 or older and have been a KiwiSaver member for a year, you will be eligible for the government contribution. The Government contributes 50c for every $1.00 you contribute (through voluntary or employee contributions) up to a maximum of $521.43 for the KiwiSaver year (1st July – 30th June). That means, if you contribute at least $1,042.86 per year, you will be eligible for the maximum government contribution. If you haven’t been a KiwiSaver member for a full year, your government contribution amount will be adjusted for the time you have been a member.

If you are eligible for a first home withdrawal you may be eligible for the extra HomeStart Grant. The HomeStart Grant is separate from the first home withdrawal from your KiwiSaver. It is managed by Kāinga Ora, not your KiwiSaver provider, so to apply for a HomeStart Grant you will need to contact Kāinga Ora through their website.

Management fees are charged on a daily basis to every member (Conservative Fund at 0.94%, Balanced Fund 1.17%, Growth Fund 1.30%), together with the administrator, custodian, and underlying fund managers (if applicable) or asset brokers charges.

If you appoint a financial adviser, they may charge you fees for giving advice in relation to your fund investment. With your consent, these fees may be deducted from your investment account balance.

If you are 18 or over and with a KiwiSaver balance of $1000 or more, you will be charged a membership fee, currently $27 a year.

To help you save, the Government will make an annual contribution into your KiwiSaver account as long as you're between the ages of 18 and 65 and are living in New Zealand. 

The math is simple: for every dollar you put into KiwiSaver, the government contributes 50 cents, up to a maximum of $521.43.

To receive the maximum Government Contribution , you must have paid at least $1,042.86 (that’s just over $20 a week) into your KiwiSaver account between July 1st and June 30th the following year.

If you haven't been in KiwiSaver for 12 months, you'll receive a partial contribution. 

Note that your employer contributions don’t count, it is calculated using your employee and voluntary contributions.

If you contribute less than $1,042.86 from your employee/pay contributions, you can make a voluntary contribution to top up your account so that you do qualify for the full Government contribution.

There are some circumstances that might affect your Government contribution. To find out more, contact us.

Because KiwiSaver is a retirement/first home savings scheme, the funds are locked in place and saved for these instances. If, however, you are suffering, or likely to suffer from significant financial hardship, you can apply for a withdrawal.

Significant financial hardship includes difficulties arising because of:

- your inability to meet minimum living expenses; or

- your inability to meet mortgage repayments on your principal family residence, resulting in the mortgagee seeking to enforce the mortgage; or

- the cost of modifying a residence to meet special needs arising from your own or a dependant’s disability; or

- the cost of medical treatment for your own or a dependant’s illness or injury; or

- the cost of palliative care for you or a dependant; or

- funeral costs for a dependant.

Pathfinder can help you make an application for financial hardship but we do not decide the outcome of an application. By law, that decision is made by the Supervisor of the fund. In our case, the is Public Trust.

If you need an application form, please contact us.

After you send your deposit, it takes a couple of days for the funds to be processed and be invested. It takes approximately 2 days after the deposit is sent for it to be processed, but in some cases this can be 4-5 days.

As an example, if you made a deposit late on Monday, we will receive it on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on your bank. It is then processed, and you will be able to see it in your portal on Thursday or Friday.

If you make a deposit on a Friday, it’s unlikely it will appear in your member portal until Thursday or Friday the following week due to the delay from the weekend.

If after 4-5 business days you still can’t see your deposit, please reach out to us so we can look into it for you.

These terms refer to different types of fund providers.

Passive managers follow a set of indexes (that is, a group of investments that is used to measure the performance of a particular market. For example, the index used to measure the performance of the New Zealand stock exchange is the NZX50) and their return reflects the performance of the indexes that the fund follows.

Active managers select the exact stocks and companies that they want to invest in and try to outperform the indexes. Active managers normally have higher fees, as they utilize investment expertise.

Ethical funds managers are typically active managers as this means they can pick and choose their investments and opportunities can be evaluated using an ethical investment policy. Active managers are able to divest if a company stops aligning with their ethical criteria. It also means they’re able to invest in smaller, impact companies to tilt their portfolio towards positive, future focused investments.

Pathfinder are active managers and our investment strategy involves actively aiming to mitigate loss and maximise returns. We have a dedicated investment team who assess and select investments to ensure we’re investing with the wealth and well-being of our members in mind.

Our KiwiSaver Plan targets just under one third of all investments to be held in Trans-Tasman shares, New Zealand fixed interest investments. Read more in our Statement of Investment Policy and Objectives.

NOTE: The New Zealand stock market is very small in a global context, it accounts for less than 0.5% of all shares internationally.

As an ethical fund manager, we need to balance two factors:

(1) our investors’ desire for local investments and,

(2) the need to create properly diversified portfolios to manage risk (which is achieved by investing both locally and globally).

You can redeem your investment at any time. However, at Pathfinder, our investment objectives and strategies reflect our long-term approach to investing. The minimum suggested investment time frame varies depending on the fund you’re invested in. You can see the recommended timeframes in our Product Disclosure Statements.

To make a withdrawal, we require three business days notice and we expect to pay you within 10 business days.

Our Pathfinder managed funds are open to both New Zealand residents and non-residents, trusts and children.

Our digital form will guide you through the requirements. Please read through carefully and supply the requested documentation. 

Just use the details here. Remember, there is an initial minimum investment for Pathfinder KiwiSaver members of $2,500. If you are not a Pathfinder KiwiSaver member, the minimum investment is $5,000.

There are no minimum regular contributions required after your initial investment, it’s totally up to you.

Account Name: Pathfinder Account

Account Number: 03-0566-0224417-000

Particulars: Your Member Number PAMxxx

Code: see below for your Fund code

Reference: Your Surname

Fund codes

Pathfinder Global Water Fund: PGWF

Pathfinder Global Responsibility Fund: PGRF

Pathfinder Global Property Fund: PGPF

Pathfinder Ethical Trans-Tasman Fund: PETTF

Pathfinder Ethical Growth Fund: PEGF

Pathfinder Green Bond Fund: PGBF

From the time your funds are received, it takes 2-3 working days to price and invest. The entire process therefore can take 4-5 working days depending on bank processing times.

Should you need help, please contact our friendly Customer Service team.

Estimated annual fund fees (exclusive of GST, if any) are set out below. Our management fee and external costs are calculated as a percentage of the net asset value of each Fund:

Global Responsibility Fund: 0.93%

Global Water Fund: 1.3%

Global Property Fund: 1.0%

Ethical Trans-Tasman Fund: 1.0%

Ethical Growth Fund: 1.30%

Green Bond Fund: 0.60%

¹ Actual annual fund charges will depend on the expenses incurred by the Fund and will vary from the estimate. Actual fund charges are available in the latest fund updates.

Fees will be deducted from your investment and are explained below:

- Our management fee: This is paid to us for the investment management and operation of the Fund. This covers costs of Pathfinder, the Supervisor, custodian and administration manager.

- External costs: This is an estimate of charges we may incur for investing in other funds.

- GST: All fees are exclusive of GST (which is not currently charged on our management fees).

- Additional charges: The Supervisor is entitled to charge “special” fees to a Fund for services of an unusual or onerous nature outside its regular services. While there is no limit on these charges, none have ever been charged to a Fund.

- Performance fee: We do not charge performance fees.

- Financial advice fee: If you appoint a financial adviser, they may charge you fees for giving advice in relation to your fund investment. With your consent, these fees may be deducted from your investment account balance.

- Buy/Sell fees: These vary per fund (Please see our FAQ on Buy/Sell rates)

Yes, you can divide your investment over multiple funds and create your own individual investment portfolio. Instructions on how to invest in our funds will be emailed to you once your account is set up.

Use the joining form on the website for managed funds. Even though you already have a KiwiSaver account with us, there are different regulations around managed funds and we require slightly different information from you.

It takes a few minutes to complete the form and a few working days for us to run our compliance checks and set up the account.

You will receive an email notification with payment instructions when your account is ready. 

When you join our KiwiSaver or Managed Funds, you are buying units in an already established fund (a group of selected assets, including stocks, bonds and cash). We choose these companies based on our strict ethical investing policy, so you can be sure the companies we’ve chosen to invest in meet these criteria.

As you are buying units into an already established fund, your money is pooled with the other investors in that fund.  We therefore cannot exclude a company from your investment.

If there is a company or stock that we hold that you don’t like, please reach out to us to let us know why and we can give you our reasons for being invested.

Pathfinder Managed Funds have a minimum initial investment of $5,000, or $2,500 for Pathfinder KiwiSaver members.

If you'd like to invest less than this, you can invest in Pathfinder funds through platforms such as Sharesies and InvestNow

Ethical Trans-Tasman Fund - 100% invested in New Zealand and Australia.

Ethical Growth Fund - targets approximately one third of all investments to be held in Trans-Tasman shares and New Zealand fixed interest investments. With another 5% allocated to private companies that are not listed on a public stock exchange.

NOTE: The New Zealand stock market is very small in a global context, it accounts for less than 0.5% of all shares internationally.

As an ethical fund manager, we need to balance two factors:

(1) our investors’ desire for local investments, and

(2) the need to create properly diversified portfolios to manage risk (which is achieved by investing both locally and globally).

After you have opened an account, we have received your funds and they're invested, you will receive an email with a link to register for our member portal. If you haven't received your email or the link has expired, please contact our customer service team.

You can log in to our online portal here.

Pathfinder is a licensed KiwiSaver Scheme regulated by the Financial Markets Authority.

When you invest your money with Pathfinder, the money is held by an independent custodian. With Pathfinder, it is Public Trust.

If for any reason Pathfinder ran into difficulties, your investments would not be affected at all, and the Scheme’s investments would be transferred to another manager.

If you find prescribed investor rates (PIR) a bit confusing, you’re not alone. Your PIR is used to calcuate the tax you will pay on your investment.  It is based on your total taxable income for the last 2 years (1 April to 31 March)

There are some great calculators you can use to check your PIR, we have one on our website here. You can also visit the IRD website for more information.

You can provide feedback (including compliments) to us here.

We always appreciate your feedback and we pride ourselves on providing the best customer service we can.

If you have a problem, concern or complaint about any part of our service, please tell us so we can try to fix the problem.

Please contact our Senior Compliance Officer at complaints@alvarium.co.nz.

We have an internal complaints process to address issues, and we will reply to you within 2 working days (excluding public holidays and weekends). We aim to resolve your complaint in a timely manner and will indicate to you how long the complaint may take to resolve.

Dispute resolution process

If your issue is not resolved, or if you decide not to use the internal complaints process, you can contact:

Our Supervisor, Public Trust

Address:  Private Bag 5902, Wellington 6140

Phone:  0800 371471

Email:  cts.enquiry@publictrust.co.nz

Or our external dispute resolution scheme:

Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL)

Address: PO Box 5967

Lambton Quay Wellington 6145

Phone: 0800 347 257

Email: info@fscl.org.nz

FSCL will not charge a fee to any you to investigate or resolve a complaint.

As of February the 1st, 2024, our charitable giving is undergoing some changes; we're excited for when we can announce these, so keep an eye out in early April. 

For now, we've made our last donation to our fabulous charity partners which takes our total donated to local charities since we launched to a grand total of $1.4 million!

Your ESG number is emailed to you when you join Pathfinder as a KiwiSaver member. If you can’t find it, send us an email and we can send it through to you.

If you have switched to us from another KiwiSaver provider, it typically takes 10 working days for us to receive your funds (the maximum timeframe is 35 days). Once they've been received and invested, you will receive an email with your log in details to our member portal.

If you're new to KiwiSaver:
As part of joining KiwiSaver, the IRD holds your contributions for 2 months (62 days) from the date you become a KiwiSaver member. After the 62 days, your balance is sent to Pathfinder for investment.

In that the first 62 days, you will earn basic interest on your contributions, but your funds are not invested or earning returns until they are released by the IRD.

This is standard practice across all KiwiSaver providers. During these 2 months, you’re still a Pathfinder KiwiSaver member. Once your balance reaches us, you will be automatically sent an email with your login details for our member portal.

For our managed funds, it usually takes three to five working days for funds to be visible to you through your portal. Please note that Public Holidays and weekends can cause delays, but we will send you an email once the process has been complete.

You can check your balance (for both KiwiSaver and Managed Funds) online by logging into our member portal (top right-hand corner of the website).

Our online member’s portal allows you to track your balance and see the performance of your chosen Fund (KiwiSaver and Managed Funds). After you join Pathfinder and your funds enter your Pathfinder account, we send through a link to log in to our portal. If the link hasn’t arrived, or if it has expired, contact our customer service team to get another one.

We use a web-based Portal which operates like an App, and you can add it to your phone.

To add the Portal to your IOS device:

- Open the Safari App and go to the Portal website.

- Select the Share icon  from the bottom

- Select Add to Home Screen and add.

To add the Portal to your Android device:

- Open your Browser and go to the Portal website.

- Press the Settings button (3 vertical dots on top right of screen)

- Select Add to Home Screen and add

You can find your IRD Number:

- using your myIR login on the IRD website,

- on payslips,

- on letters or statements you’ve received from IRD,

- on income details from your employer

Or you can phone the Inland Revenue Department on 0800 227 774, (+64 4 978 0779 if overseas) and ask, “What is my IRD number?”

Absolutely! Members under 16 will need both legal guardians to sign the application form. Members over 16 and under 18 need one legal guardian to sign the application form. When you complete the online joining form, you will be asked for supporting documentation proving your relationship and additional information for guardians. If you need any help with this, or have any questions about the process, contact us.

The buy spread and sell spread belongs to the Fund and are intended to cover transaction costs in relation to the units issued or redeemed. These amounts are not paid to us. We may change the buy spread and/or the sell spread at any time if transaction costs change.

There are no other individual action fees currently being charged to any of the Funds.

There is no GST charged on the buy spread or sell spread. As an example, if you invested $1,000 into the Global Water Fund, the buy spread would cost you 50 cents

Your investment is valued by the number of units in the fund you own and the unit price for the fund.

All units in a fund have equal value.  The value of the units will go up and down over time. Any change in value of the fund’s assets, as well as any fees and expenses, are reflected in the unit price.

Unit pricing is calculated on working days only, not weekends or public holidays. It is then reflected on our website and member portal 2-3 working days later.

If you permanently move overseas, your KiwiSaver can either move with you or be withdrawn, depending on the country you have moved to.

If you are moving to Australia, you cannot withdraw your KiwiSaver funds. You can either leave your funds in place with your New Zealand provider or transfer them to a complying superannuation scheme in Australia. These funds can then be withdrawn at retirement.

For those permanently emigrating to other countries, you can either leave your funds in place with your New Zealand provider, or you can withdraw your funds one year after your move. You will be required to provide documentary evidence of such a move including airline tickets, proof of employment and proof of address in the country you’ve moved to. 

Contact us if you have permanently emigrated.

The cost to redeem your investment fund varies between 0% and 0.05% (this is called a sell spread) depending on the fund you are withdrawing from. There are no other withdrawal costs. For more information, see our FAQ on Buy/Sell spreads.

After you send your deposit, it takes a couple of days for the funds to be processed and be invested. It takes approximately 2 days after the deposit is sent for it to be processed, but in some cases this can be 4-5 days.

As an example, if you made a deposit late on Monday, we will receive it on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on your bank. It is then processed, and you will be able to see it in your portal on Thursday or Friday.

If you make a deposit on a Friday, it’s unlikely it will appear in your member portal until Thursday or Friday the following week due to the delay from the weekend.

If after 4-5 business days you still can’t see your deposit, please reach out to us so we can look into it for you.

These terms refer to different types of fund providers.

Passive managers follow a set of indexes (that is, a group of investments that is used to measure the performance of a particular market. For example, the index used to measure the performance of the New Zealand stock exchange is the NZX50) and their return reflects the performance of the indexes that the fund follows.

Active managers select the exact stocks and companies that they want to invest in and try to outperform the indexes. Active managers normally have higher fees, as they utilize investment expertise.

Ethical funds managers are typically active managers as this means they can pick and choose their investments and opportunities can be evaluated using an ethical investment policy. Active managers are able to divest if a company stops aligning with their ethical criteria. It also means they’re able to invest in smaller, impact companies to tilt their portfolio towards positive, future focused investments.

Pathfinder are active managers and our investment strategy involves actively aiming to mitigate loss and maximise returns. We have a dedicated investment team who assess and select investments to ensure we’re investing with the wealth and well-being of our members in mind.

Pathfinder is a licensed KiwiSaver Scheme regulated by the Financial Markets Authority.

When you invest your money with Pathfinder, the money is held by an independent custodian. With Pathfinder, it is Public Trust.

If for any reason Pathfinder ran into difficulties, your investments would not be affected at all, and the Scheme’s investments would be transferred to another manager.

Pathfinder is a licensed fund manager and KiwiSaver provider. As the manager of your investment, we are responsible for the investment, management and adminstration of the funds. This includes using our investment expertise to carefully choose investments for our funds that align with our investment objectives and our ethical investing policy. We then invest your money (via KiwiSaver or managed funds) in the fund(s) of your choice with the aim of growing your wealth.

We’re proud to be a certified B Corp. A business gets a B Corp certification for meeting high standards of verified social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

In order to achieve certification, a company must:

1) Demonstrate high social and environmental performance

2) Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders (not just shareholders).

3) Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Labs standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.

B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue. And the process to achieve and maintain certification is rigorous and requires engaging teams and departments across the company.

Learn more here.

These terms refer to different types of fund providers.

Passive managers follow a set of indexes (that is, a group of investments that is used to measure the performance of a particular market. For example, the index used to measure the performance of the New Zealand stock exchange is the NZX50) and their return reflects the performance of the indexes that the fund follows.

Active managers select the exact stocks and companies that they want to invest in and try to outperform the indexes. Active managers normally have higher fees, as they utilize investment expertise.

Ethical funds managers are typically active managers as this means they can pick and choose their investments and opportunities can be evaluated using an ethical investment policy. Active managers are able to divest if a company stops aligning with their ethical criteria. It also means they’re able to invest in smaller, impact companies to tilt their portfolio towards positive, future focused investments.

Pathfinder are active managers and our investment strategy involves actively aiming to mitigate loss and maximise returns. We have a dedicated investment team who assess and select investments to ensure we’re investing with the wealth and well-being of our members in mind.

Your KiwiSaver funds are accessible once you turn 65. After your 65th birthday, you can choose how you would like to access your funds. You can:

Withdraw some of your savings

Leave your savings invested until you would like to access them

Set up a periodic payment with us. This allows you to decide how much you would like to withdraw on a regular basis (eg. Weekly or monthly) and have it paid to your bank account

Until you have withdrawn your entire KiwiSaver account balance, your funds will continue to be invested and you can continue to save.

Be sure to review whether you are in the right investment for your risk profile. If you would like to set up a call with one of our financial advisors to discuss retirement planning, please contact us.

Once you turn 65, your KiwiSaver fund becomes like any other investment fund. Contributing to your KiwiSaver becomes completely optional. You can stop your contributions at any point, or you can continue to contribute if you would like to.

If you carry on working, your contributions from your pay will continue until you let your employer know you would like them to stop. The compulsory contributions from your employer will stop (however some employers choose to continue these contributions. To find out if this applies to you, have a chat to your employer)

Any direct debits or automatic payments you have set up will continue until you change them or tell us to stop, but the yearly government contributions will cease.

We encourage you to get independent financial advice before making your investment decision. Our sibling company, Alvarium Wealth (NZ) Limited provides financial advice on Pathfinder products, feel free to contact us and arrange a chat with their financial advisers.

In some circumstances, yes. It’s important to remember that your KiwiSaver is a first home and retirement savings scheme, which means that, other than in these situations, it can only be withdrawn in very specific instances. These include permanently emigrating, suffering significant financial hardship or serious illness. If you’d like more information, please contact us and we can help.

When you join our KiwiSaver or Managed Funds, you are buying units in an already established fund (a group of selected assets, including stocks, bonds and cash). We choose these companies based on our strict ethical investing policy, so you can be sure the companies we’ve chosen to invest in meet these criteria.

As you are buying units into an already established fund, your money is pooled with the other investors in that fund.  We therefore cannot exclude a company from your investment.

If there is a company or stock that we hold that you don’t like, please reach out to us to let us know why and we can give you our reasons for being invested.

Ethical investing is the practice of using an ethical framework, based on principles, as a primary filter for how to select investments.

Pathfinder is a licensed fund manager and KiwiSaver provider. As the manager of your investment, we are responsible for the investment, management and adminstration of the funds. This includes using our investment expertise to carefully choose investments for our funds that align with our investment objectives and our ethical investing policy. We then invest your money (via KiwiSaver or managed funds) in the fund(s) of your choice with the aim of growing your wealth.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing refers to a set of metrics that companies report on, which investors can use to screen potential investments.

Environmental criteria consider how a company safeguards the environment, such as corporate policies addressing climate change. Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

Because there’s sound evidence that companies who address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues perform better and are more resilient than companies who don’t, Pathfinder considers a company’s ESG score as part of our investment process. We actively seek out high performing ESG companies (relative to industry).

However, it’s worth noting that ESG data doesn’t necessarily rate many of the ‘real world’ impacts of a company. This is why we don’t consider ESG data alone as sufficient for making ethical judgements on potential investments. To learn more about how we invest ethically, read our Ethical Investment Policy.

We’re proud to be a certified B Corp. A business gets a B Corp certification for meeting high standards of verified social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

In order to achieve certification, a company must:

1) Demonstrate high social and environmental performance

2) Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders (not just shareholders).

3) Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Labs standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.

B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue. And the process to achieve and maintain certification is rigorous and requires engaging teams and departments across the company.

Learn more here.

Pathfinder has no holdings in Israeli companies nor Israeli government bonds.

It’s important to point out that we haven’t been investing our KiwiSaver in shares of companies listed in emerging markets, and for this reason, we don’t hold companies in Israel, Russia or the Ukraine.  Nor do we hold corporate bonds or government bonds in any of those countries.

Our holdings are publicly available on our website here. 

We've written a blog called Pathfinder's Position on Gaza if you'd like to learn more.

We invest in line with our Ethical Investment Policy, where our focus on respecting animals and avoiding animal exploitation goes further than any other provider. 
This includes exclusions for animal testing, factory farming, livestock exports and animals for entertainment (see pages 16 and 17 of the Policy).  This animal testing exclusion is broad – it covers not only beauty products and other consumer goods but also pharmaceutical products. Our Ethical Investment Committee can, on rare occasions, grant an exception. You can view our Exceptions Register here. This could be, for example, where a company is providing a ‘transformative leap’ in terms of the significant change its product creates within an industry. Such exceptions are not common.

We appreciate people's moral principles will be different, ours are on our website and in the policy linked above. We're very open about how we invest and respect people's decision to choose us if our investing matches their values. 
A good resource for comparing us with different KiwiSaver providers and their approach to animal exploitation is the tool available for free on Mindful Money.

Short answer: yes. We hold a small number of companies that test on animals for medical purposes. You can view these companies here on our exceptions list.
You can click here to learn how we go further than most fund managers In relation to animal testing.

Short answer: yes. Although we seek to exclude companies who make more than 5% of their revenues from fossil fuels, we have granted one exception for a NZ energy company called Contact. You can view our exceptions list here, and you can click here to learn more about Pathfinder’s position on fossil fuels.

No. Pathfinder doesn't invest in Motorola, or any of the other companies listed by the United Nations as operating in the Occupied Territories. Pathfinder have used the UN list, in addition to our Ethical Investment Policy, to screen our investing.

We have scheduled a review of our Ethical Investment Policy for next year. This will include a holistic approach to issues concerning human rights, conflict and weapons. The UN list related to the Occupied Territories and the BDS movement list will be provided to our Ethics and Investment Committee for consideration as part of this.

The 2020 UN list comprised 112 companies which was reduced to 97 in the 2023 list.
Given the UN list seems to be updated periodically (there was a 3-year gap between 2020 and 2023 for instance) and the list is getting shorter not longer, it is possible we may find clear evidence that a company on the list has ceased its activity/connection in the Occupied Territories. In these circumstances our investment team may consider investing in these companies, assuming they meet all other criteria laid out in our Ethical Investing Policy.

This review will aim to produce high-level principles that apply to any conflict zone, so our approach is robust and broadly applicable.

Until we've completed this, we won't be able to provide finer detail, but rest assured Pathfinder considers human rights a critical ethical issue and something we currently, and will continue to, take seriously.