Fund-vs-fund · International Equities
BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund vs Smart Asia Pacific ETF
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 their investment construction. The Smart Asia Pacific ETF (Smartshares) holds a single underlying vehicle — the Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF at 99.92% of the portfolio — giving it concentrated geographic exposure to Asia-Pacific developed markets. The BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund, by contrast, holds a diversified basket of individual global equities screened through a sustainability framework, with its five largest positions (Broadcom 6.88%, NVIDIA 5.97%, Apple 4.25%, Mastercard 3.39%, Home Depot 3.33%) indicating meaningful technology and consumer weighting across multiple regions. Investors are therefore choosing between a single-region, single-ETF wrapper and a globally diversified, ESG-filtered equity portfolio — a difference in both geographic scope and portfolio architecture.
Both funds sit at risk indicator 5 and carry identical growth asset allocations of 98.31%. Fund sizes are comparable: Smart Asia Pacific ETF at NZD 110.9 million, BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders at NZD 117.8 million. The annual fund charge differs — 0.55% for Smart Asia Pacific ETF versus 0.77% for BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders. On performance, Smart Asia Pacific ETF discloses a five-year return of 8.66% per annum; BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund's five-year return figure is not available in this snapshot, likely reflecting the fund's shorter history on the New Zealand market.
Verify all figures against each fund's current product disclosure statement 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
- Smart Asia Pacific ETF charges 0.22% lower in annual fund charges (0.55% vs 0.77%).
- Both are New Zealand PIE funds — investor tax is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
- BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund applies responsible-investment / ESG screening. The other fund does not.
Where each fund sits in its cohort
Percentile rank vs all 81 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
0.77%
Upper half of cohort
Smartshares
0.55%
Lower half of cohort
5-year return p.a.
Past performance — not a predictor
BetaShares
—
—
Smartshares
8.66%
Upper half over 5 years
Fund size
Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
BetaShares
NZ$118m
Upper half by size
Smartshares
NZ$111m
Upper half by size
| Metric | BetaShares | Smartshares | Lower / higher is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fund charge | 0.77% | 0.55% | Lower is better |
| Risk indicator (1–7) | 5 | 5 | Higher = more volatility |
| 5-year return p.a. | — | 8.66% | Higher is better (past not future) |
| Fund size | NZ$118m | NZ$111m | 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 | Unhedged | — | 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 | 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.
What each fund says it does
BetaShares
BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund
The fund aims to provide an investment return that tracks the performance of the Nasdaq Future Global Sustainability Leaders Index, before taking into account fees and expenses.Full BetaShares BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund profile →
Smartshares
Smart Asia Pacific ETF
The Smart Asia Pacific ETF is designed to track the return (before tax, fees and other expenses) of the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index. The Index is comprised of large, mid and small cap companies located in Japan, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand.Full Smartshares Smart Asia Pacific ETF profile →
Common questions
What's the difference between the BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund and the Smart Asia Pacific ETF?
Which fund has lower fees, BetaShares Global Sustainability Leaders Fund or Smart Asia Pacific ETF?
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Does either fund apply responsible-investment screening?
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
