ASB recognised for KiwiSaver Investing Excellence

ASB is proud to be recognised as a finalist for Fund Manager of the Year - KiwiSaver, in the 2025 Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence in New Zealand. 

ASB is one of only three finalists in the KiwiSaver category and the only New Zealand bank to be a finalist in this year's awards.

"We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our dedicated asset management and product teams, which together with our investment partner BlackRock, are responsible for the management of more than $18 billion of savings for our KiwiSaver members.

We invest for the long-term, however we are proud of the results our partnership with BlackRock is delivering for our customers, including a 30% increase in the average ASB KiwiSaver Scheme account balance in the first three years of working together*. 

We have a unique partnership with BlackRock in the New Zealand market where we work together effectively as one team, meaning we can leverage their global reach and world-class expertise in asset allocation and currency management, along with ongoing thought leadership on areas such as artificial intelligence, infrastructure and other key megatrends. This has  helped us lift our own capability and has given our customers a value-add through the insights and analysis we're able to offer at client events," says Adam Boyd, ASB Executive General Manager Personal Banking. 

Looking at performance over the last three years to 31 December 2024, all of the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme funds are in the top half best performing KiwiSaver funds, with three improving their performance to be in the top 25%. The ASB KiwiSaver Scheme Aggressive Fund, which launched more recently in November 2023, is not included in this data. This performance across funds highlights our commitment to strong long-term returns for our members. 

Key achievements from the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme in 2024 include: 

• Achieving more than $2.2 billion in investment returns for members
• Helping nearly 6,500 customers to buy their first home 
• Supporting more than 35,000 over 65s with managing their KiwiSaver savings (in retirement)
• Providing KiwiSaver advice to over 90,000 customers through our nationwide team of experts and our digital advice tool.

The Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence recognise funds and asset managers that have not only delivered strong risk-adjusted returns in the past but are deemed capable of serving investors well going forward. 

"With peak inflation, growth uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, the U.S. Elections, 2024 was a challenging year to navigate, even for the best investors," said Matt Olsen, Morningstar Australasia's Director, Manager Research.

"Despite the turbulent past year, our nominated fund managers demonstrated an ability to deliver quality, high-performing investments and have stood above peers with exceptional returns over the longer term."

Finalists and winners chosen based on research by Morningstar's manager research analysts; risk-adjusted medium- to long-term performance track records; and performance in the 2024 calendar year. 

The winners will be announced on 6 March 2025. 

*as at 31 July 2024

Morningstar Awards 2025 © Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The ASB KiwiSaver Scheme is nominated for Fund Manager of the Year, KiwiSaver category, New Zealand.

BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock, Inc is based in the US and is a leading global provider of investment management services with over US$10.5 trillion in assets under management as at 31 March 2024.

Interests in the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme (Scheme) is issued by ASB Group Investments Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASB Bank Limited (ASB). ASB provides administration and distribution services for the Scheme. No person guarantees interests in the Schemes. Interests in the Schemes are not deposits or other liabilities of ASB. They are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of income and principal invested. For more information see the ASB KiwiSaver Scheme Product Disclosure Statement available from this website and the register of offers of financial products at www.disclose-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz (search for ASB).