What can the NZ Funds New Zealand Property and Retirement Villages actually invest in?
The fund's Statement of Investment Policy and Objectives (SIPO) defines the asset classes it can hold and the allowable target / min / max weights for each.
Strategic asset allocation ranges
| Asset class | Target | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | 2% | — | 50% |
| New Zealand fixed interest | 4% | — | 50% |
| International fixed interest | 4% | — | 50% |
| Australasian equities | 30% | — | 100% |
| International equities | 0% | 0% | 50% |
| Listed property | 60% | — | 150% |
| Alternative Securities | 0% | 0% | 50% |
Mandate flexibility (sum of max − min across all ranges): 100%. Narrow range — index-tracking style with limited drift.
Responsible-investment approach
NZ Funds has adopted a responsible investment policy considering ESG factors as material to long-term investment returns. The policy excludes securities from companies involved in activities such as nuclear weapons, controversial weapons, tobacco, civilian firearms, pornography, unsustainable palm oil, alcohol (≥10% revenue), armaments (≥10% revenue), gambling (≥10% revenue), fossil fuel exploration/production (≥10% revenue), fossil fuel power generation (≥10% revenue), fossil fuel services (≥50% revenue), and fossil fuel distribution (≥50% revenue). Exclusions do not apply to derivatives.
Derivatives policy
NZ Funds uses derivatives to both increase returns (active positions) and reduce risk (hedge positions), including creating leverage where a derivative produces the same gain or loss as a much larger investment in the underlying asset. Book value is used to measure derivative value except for equity index futures, commodity futures, options, crypto asset futures and certain swaps where full notional value may be used.