Sir Michael Cullen, the political force behind the establishment of NZ Super and the KiwiSaver scheme, has died at 76 after a battle with cancer. The NZ Labour politician, deputy prime minister and finance minister, will likely be remembered more widely for his liberal views, including legalised euthanasia, and generosity of spirit towards the less…
Imminent climate disclosure obligations could dent fund manager profits by up to 1 per cent while increasing retail manager fees as much as 2.2 per cent, according to an NZ Government report. Analysis by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) was released along with the final select committee report on the Financial…
A new academic paper has labeled most investment strategy research as statistically flawed, equating finance industry back-tested analyses with the now-debunked historical medical studies funded by ‘big tobacco’. In the study titled ‘Finance is not excused: why finance should not flout basic principles of statistics‘, authors David Bailey and Marcos de Prado, argue that the…
Aon has put its KiwiSaver and employer master trust schemes on the block, according to industry sources. It is understood Aon has circulated an investment memorandum seeking interest in the group’s two schemes, which collectively manage about $920 million split between the $730 million KiwiSaver and $190 million master trust. The move represents the first…
Aon will pay a US$1 billion break fee to Willis Towers Watson after a proposed marriage between the two global insurance broking and professional services firms fell over last week due to US regulatory problems. In a joint statement (July 27), Aon and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) blamed the end of their 16-month engagement on…
BlackRock, the biggest investment house in the known universe, now holds sway over about a quarter of the NZ retail fund market after cementing a deal with ASB last week to oversee some $20 billion. The ASB move to outsource most investment decisions to BlackRock coincides with the transition of an estimated $10 billion of…
New studies from two big-name consulting firms show the global funds industry struggled to increase profit margins in 2020 despite reporting bumper growth in assets under management (AUM). Reports from both EY and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found double-digit expansion in global funds management AUM during 2020. The BCG study says AUM increased year-on-year…
The Police Superannuation Scheme in NZ will tweak its asset allocation model and launch a new high-growth option after some outsourced soul-searching. The exercise is a case study in matching member expectations. In its latest newsletter, the almost NZ$2.4 billion (A$2.2 billion) PSS says the changes follow the findings of an investment review and member…
An independent review has called for a governance and investment upgrade at the NZ Government Superannuation Fund after finding the fund’s management and board had been at odds over recent performance. In its five-year statutory review, the Australian arm of global consultancy Willis Towers Watson (WTW) found the GSF, a NZ$4.2 billion (A$4.0 billion) fund…
Following its BNZ win in May, State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) has picked up the final large passive institutional mandate abandoned by Vanguard in New Zealand. According to new disclosure documents, ASB will shift its indexed Australasian equities portfolio – of an estimated NZ$4 billion plus – from current manager Vanguard to SSGA this month….
