Fund-vs-fund · Australasian Equities
BetaShares Australia 200 Fund vs Smart Australian Dividend ETF
Both are Australasian Equities funds available to NZ retail investors. Numbers below are sourced from the FMA Disclose register via Sorted Smart Investor and reflect the latest published quarterly fund updates.
Why these two differ
The most material structural difference between these two funds is their investment mandate. The Smart Australian Dividend ETF targets dividend-paying Australian companies, concentrating its top five holdings in Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Transurban, Wesfarmers, and Santos — a mix weighted toward income-generating infrastructure, retail, and energy names. The BetaShares Australia 200 Fund tracks the broad Australian sharemarket, with Commonwealth Bank, BHP, Westpac, NAB, and ANZ dominating its top five — reflecting the Australian market's heavy tilt toward financials and resources. Both sit in the Australasian Equities category, carry a risk indicator of 5 out of 7, and allocate 98.31% to growth assets, making their asset allocation profiles essentially identical at a headline level.
Where they diverge materially is cost and return history. BetaShares Australia 200 Fund discloses an annual fund charge of 0.23%, compared with 0.54% for the Smart Australian Dividend ETF — a 31-basis-point difference that compounds over time. On five-year returns, the Smart Australian Dividend ETF reports 10.24% per annum; the BetaShares Australia 200 Fund's five-year return figure is not available in this snapshot, so a like-for-like performance comparison cannot be made. Fund size is comparable: approximately NZD 52.3 million versus NZD 54.2 million respectively.
Neither fund is a KiwiSaver scheme account. Readers should verify all figures — including fees, returns, and holdings — against the source PDS and latest Quarterly Fund Update on FMA Disclose before relying on any of this information.
Comparison generated 2026-07-05 from each fund's FMA Disclose QFU facts as at that date. If the underlying facts change, this narrative is withheld until it is regenerated — the tables on this page always reflect the current data.
What's different at a glance
- BetaShares Australia 200 Fund charges 0.31% lower in annual fund charges (0.23% vs 0.54%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 58 australasian equities funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.
Annual fund charge
Lower is better
BetaShares
0.23%
Lowest 6% of cohort
Smartshares
0.54%
Lower half of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
BetaShares
—
—
Smartshares
10.24%
Top 9% over 5 years
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
BetaShares
NZ$54m
Lower half by size
Smartshares
NZ$52m
Lower half by size
| Metric | BetaShares | Smartshares | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 0.23% | 0.54% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 5 | 5 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | 10.24% | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$54m | NZ$52m | Larger = more stable, lower close-risk |
| Growth / income split | 98% / 2% | 98% / 2% | More growth = higher long-run return + volatility |
| NZ tax structure | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE (PIR-capped) | PIE = simpler. FIF = annual return. |
| Currency hedging | — | — | Hedged smooths NZD/foreign FX moves at a small cost. |
| Responsible investment screening | No | No | Specific exclusions live in each fund's SIPO. |
| Available via | Direct | Direct | Platforms accepting retail subscriptions. |
Portfolio overlap
How many top-10 positions both funds hold, and at what weight. Computed from each fund's most recently disclosed top-10 holdings — exact-name matched (Microsoft Corp. = Microsoft Corporation), with a Cash / Cash & Equivalents collapse rule.
Matching holdings
3
of each fund's top 10
BetaShares weight in shared
10.5%
of BetaShares Australia 200 Fund top 10 is shared
Smartshares weight in shared
25.1%
of Smart Australian Dividend ETF top 10 is shared
| Holding | BetaShares | Smartshares |
|---|---|---|
 National Australia Bank AU | 4.95% | 5.53% |
| WE Wesfarmers AU | 3.22% | 8.71% |
| TE Telstra Corp AU | 2.34% | 10.90% |
"Min weight" = the smaller of the two weights — a conservative read of how much exposure you'd have to that position if you held both funds.
What each fund says it does
BetaShares
BetaShares Australia 200 Fund
The fund aims to provide an investment return that tracks the performance of the Solactive Australia 200 Index, before taking into account fees and expenses.Full BetaShares BetaShares Australia 200 Fund profile →
Smartshares
Smart Australian Dividend ETF
The Smart Australian Dividend ETF is designed to track the return (before tax, fees and other expenses) of the S&P/ASX Dividend Opportunities Index. The Index is comprised of 50 high yielding companies listed on the ASX and included in the S&P/ASX 300 Index.Full Smartshares Smart Australian Dividend ETF profile →
Common questions
What's the difference between the BetaShares Australia 200 Fund and the Smart Australian Dividend ETF?
Which fund has lower fees, BetaShares Australia 200 Fund or Smart Australian Dividend ETF?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
