Our commitment to responsible investing
This video explains what responsible investing means to us and how we do it.
About responsible investing
Responsible investment is a broad-based approach to investing that considers people, society and the environment, along with financial performance, when making investment decisions. It means that when we’re considering whether to invest in a company, we don’t just look at their financial performance, we also consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, so we can add value for our investors over the long term.
Sustainability issues like climate change and biodiversity loss affect all of us and must be included in our investment decision-making. It’s also important that our investors can see how we do this.
Engaging directly or through our external managers with the companies we invest in to influence their decisions and activities, including using our voting rights, is an important part of being an active investor. If we believe our engagements will not be successful, we should exit.
Note: The term ‘companies’ or ‘company’ is used broadly by us to refer to companies and other issuers and may include government entities, except for those categories in section 1 of ‘What we don’t invest in’ below, where government entities are not included.
How we invest responsibly
Responsible Investment Framework
Our Responsible Investment Framework sets out our responsible investment approach and the key principles that guide our investment decisions.
What we don't invest in
1. We exclude companies involved in the following activities
Click to view further information on each excluded activity.
2. We also exclude companies that earn material revenues from the following activities:
We may change the list of exclusions from time to time. Implementation of the exclusions can be affected by the accessibility and accuracy of data, and depends on accurate information, interpretations or assessments from our third-party service providers or by our external fund managers.
We regularly review our current and potential investments to help us to assess if an investment is still appropriate and whether our exclusion settings and broader ESG standards remain effective.
We also don’t invest in some companies, across a range of industries that have severely breached global norms or standards – for example, through severe abuses of human rights or the environment.
We maintain and regularly review a register of excluded companies.
For more information on how we manage our exclusions, see our Responsible Investment Framework.
Environmental, social and governance factors
When we’re deciding whether to invest in a company, we don’t just look at financial performance. We also look at how well they integrate ESG considerations into their business, because ESG factors can have a significant impact on a business’s long-term success.
Where we use external fund managers, we assess their capability before appointing them and require regular reporting on their activities and outcomes.
Climate change
We believe that climate change affects all of us. Climate-related risks and opportunities can materially impact investments so we’ve developed a climate-related goal supported by an interim target, and a specific climate strategy as part of our investment framework.
Active ownership through engagement and voting
Two ways that we demonstrate active ownership of the companies we invest in are through engagement, and proxy voting.
Our Select International Share Fund
While we apply responsible investment principles across all ANZ-managed KiwiSaver schemes and investment funds, the OneAnswer KiwiSaver Scheme Select International Share Fund has additional environmental, social and governance (ESG) and climate-specific measures. The fund invests mainly in international equities with a focus on ESG considerations. Its investment strategy focuses on companies that:
- Score highly on ESG factors
- Have a low carbon intensity and score well on their ability to transition to a low carbon economy
- Score well on quality, including measures of profitability and return on equity.
We monitor and measure the Select International Share Fund’s performance against four ESG indicators specific to this fund. We measure whether the fund has:
- Carbon intensity at least 50% lower than the relevant market index
- Fossil fuel reserves at least 50% lower than the relevant market index
- An average ESG score higher than the relevant market index
- An ISS Carbon Risk Rating higher than the relevant market index.
The results are made available on a quarterly basis:
Our memberships and certifications
We're RIAA certified
The RIAA Responsible Investment Certification Program is the leading initiative for distinguishing quality responsible, ethical and impact investment products and services in New Zealand and Australia.
We’re proud to say the following funds are certified by RIAA according to the strict operational and disclosure practices required under the Responsible Investment Certification Program:
The Responsible Investment Certification Program does not constitute financial product advice. Neither the Certification Symbol nor RIAA recommends to any person that any financial product is a suitable investment or that returns are guaranteed. Appropriate professional advice should be sought prior to making an investment decision. RIAA does not hold a Financial Advice Provider Licence. See www.responsiblereturns.com.au for details.
Contact us
Important information
ANZ New Zealand Investments Limited (ANZ Investments) is the issuer and manager of the ANZ KiwiSaver Scheme and the OneAnswer KiwiSaver Scheme. For the schemes’ guides and product disclosure statements see KiwiSaver documents and forms.
ANZ Investments is also the issuer and manager of the ANZ Investment Funds, the OneAnswer Multi-Asset-Class Funds and the OneAnswer Single-Asset-Class Funds (‘schemes’). For the schemes’ guides and product disclosure statements see Investments documents and forms.