ManagedFunds.nz

Fund-vs-fund · NZ Fixed Interest

Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust vs NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds

Both are NZ Fixed Interest 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

Both funds sit in the NZ Fixed Interest category, but their underlying credit exposure represents the most material structural difference. The NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds fund concentrates its top holdings in bank-issued instruments — Westpac bill paper, ANZ subordinated debt, BNZ and Kiwibank securities — with its largest single position at 15.97%. The Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust, by contrast, anchors its portfolio in NZ Government Bonds, with three sovereign issues collectively occupying around 19.77% of reported weight, pointing to a materially different credit-quality profile despite both funds carrying the same category label.

Fee and risk indicator data reinforce this distinction. NZ Funds charges an annual fund charge of 1.44% against Fisher Funds' 0.97%, a 47-basis-point difference that compounds over time. The FMA risk indicator is 4 for NZ Funds and 3 for Fisher Funds, meaning NZ Funds sits one band higher on the standard 1–7 scale. Over the five years to the latest quarterly fund update, NZ Funds returned 0.97% per annum versus Fisher Funds' 0.38%, though past returns are not a reliable indicator of future performance. NZ Funds is the larger vehicle at approximately NZD 144.7 million; Fisher Funds' fund stands at approximately NZD 80.6 million. Growth asset allocations are minimal in both cases (0.07% and 0.13% respectively), consistent with fixed-interest mandates.

Verify all figures against each fund's current PDS and latest Quarterly Fund Update on FMA Disclose before relying on any of this information.

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

  • Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust charges 0.47% lower in annual fund charges (0.97% vs 1.44%).
  • 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 14 nz fixed interest funds we've matched on Sorted Smart Investor. Mechanical only — no opinion, no forward-looking view.

Annual fund charge

Lower is better

Fisher Funds

0.97%

Highest 11% of cohort

NZ Funds

1.44%

Highest 4% of cohort

5-year return p.a.

Past performance — not a predictor

Fisher Funds

0.68%

Bottom 19% over 5 years

NZ Funds

0.97%

Lower half over 5 years

Fund size

Larger = more stable, lower close-risk

Fisher Funds

NZ$77m

Lower half by size

NZ Funds

NZ$145m

Lower half by size

Metric Fisher Funds NZ Funds Lower / higher is
Annual fund charge 0.97% 1.44% Lower is better
Risk indicator (1–7) 3 4 Higher = more volatility
5-year return p.a. 0.68% 0.97% Higher is better
(past not future)
Fund size NZ$77m NZ$145m Larger = more stable, lower close-risk
Growth / income split 0% / 100% 0% / 100% 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 InvestNow · 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.

0 overlapping top-10 holdings. The two funds disclose disjoint top-10 sets — useful diversification signal if you held both.

What each fund says it does

Fisher Funds

Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust

The fund aims to provide stable returns over the long term by investing in New Zealand fixed interest assets
Full Fisher Funds Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust profile →

NZ Funds

NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds

The objective of the New Zealand and Australian Bonds fund is to generate gains by investing in income assets and other authorised assets with active management. The fund is anticipated to mainly own and trade New Zealand and Australian bonds over the minimum suggested timeframe.
Full NZ Funds NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds profile →

Documents

Crawled directly from each manager's website. How we record provenance →

Common questions

What's the difference between the Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust and the NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds?
Both are nz fixed interest funds available to NZ retail investors. Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust charges 0.47% lower in annual fund charges (0.97% vs 1.44%).
Which fund has lower fees, Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust or NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds?
Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust has the lower annual fund charge (0.97% p.a. vs 1.44% p.a.). Source: each fund's most recent Quarterly Fund Update on the FMA Disclose register.
How do the 5-year returns compare?
Fisher Funds New Zealand Fixed Income Trust's 5-year return p.a. is 0.68% and NZ Funds New Zealand and Australian Bonds's is 0.97% (after fees, before tax). Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Are both funds PIE-taxed in NZ?
Yes. Both are NZ Portfolio Investment Entities (PIEs). Investor tax on the fund's income is capped at the Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR), maximum 28%.
Where can I read the official documents for these funds?
Both funds publish their Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Statement of Investment Policy (SIPO) and Quarterly Fund Update (QFU) on the FMA Disclose register at disclose-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz. Always read the current PDS before investing.
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Important: This comparison is general information only — not personalised financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. The right fund for you depends on your personal circumstances. Read each fund's Product Disclosure Statement and consider speaking to a licensed financial adviser.