Fund-vs-fund · International Equities
BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) vs Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund
Both are International 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 cost: the Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund charges an annual fund fee of 0.03%, while the BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) charges 0.79% — a gap of 76 basis points that compounds significantly over time on similar-sized pools of capital (approximately NZD 41.5 million and NZD 42.3 million respectively).
Both funds sit in the International Equities category and hold near-identical growth asset allocations of 98.31%, but they differ in construction and risk profile. Foundation Series achieves its exposure through a single holding — the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF at a reported 105.23% weight, reflecting the use of derivatives or leverage consistent with a hedged structure — plus a small cash balance at BNZ. BetaShares, by contrast, holds a diversified basket of individual global equities screened for sustainability criteria, with Broadcom Inc (6.88%), NVIDIA Corp (5.97%), and Apple Inc (4.25%) among the largest disclosed positions. This distinction matters: Foundation Series tracks a single US large-cap index, while BetaShares applies an ESG screen across a broader global universe.
The risk indicators also diverge — Foundation Series sits at 6 (higher volatility band) versus BetaShares at 5 — consistent with the concentrated US-market focus of the former. Five-year return data is unavailable for both funds in this snapshot. Neither fund is a KiwiSaver scheme account product based on the data provided.
Always verify fees, holdings, and risk indicators against each fund's current PDS and latest Quarterly Fund Update on FMA Disclose before relying on any figures here.
Cached comparison generated 2026-05-21 from each fund's latest FMA Disclose QFU. Regenerated when the underlying facts change.
What's different at a glance
- Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund charges 0.76% lower in annual fund charges (0.03% vs 0.79%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
- BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) applies responsible-investment / ESG screening. The other fund does not.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 82 international equities funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.
Annual fund charge
Lower is better
BetaShares
0.79%
Upper half of cohort
Foundation Series
0.03%
Lowest 1% of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
BetaShares
—
—
Foundation Series
—
—
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
BetaShares
NZ$42m
Lower half by size
Foundation Series
NZ$42m
Lower half by size
| Metric | BetaShares | Foundation Series | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 0.79% | 0.03% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 5 | 6 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | — | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$42m | NZ$42m | 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 to NZD | Hedged to NZD | Hedged smooths NZD/foreign FX moves at a small cost. |
| Responsible investment screening | Yes | No | Specific exclusions live in each fund's SIPO. |
| Available via | InvestNow · Direct | InvestNow | 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.
What each fund says it does
BetaShares
BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged)
The fund aims to provide an investment return that tracks the performance of the Nasdaq Future Global Sustainability Leaders Currency Hedged NZD Index, before taking into account fees and expenses.Full BetaShares BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) profile →
Foundation Series
Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund
The fund aims for high long-run returns by investing in an Exchange-Traded Fund ('ETF') that invests in shares of the largest companies listed on stock markets in the United States.Full Foundation Series Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund profile →
Documents
Crawled directly from each manager's website. How we record provenance →
BetaShares
Common questions
What's the difference between the BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) and the Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund?
Which fund has lower fees, BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund (NZD Hedged) or Foundation Series Hedged US 500 Fund?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Does either fund apply responsible-investment screening?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
