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Bringing Investor Choice to our members has long been a goal for our scheme. We are creating options for all whānau – no matter your age, Whai Rawa savings balance or life stage. You can now choose a fund that better reflects your personal needs and risk appetite.

On 1 October the Whai Rawa Fund changed to be invested in Mercer Investment Trusts New Zealand’s Socially Responsible Conservative Portfolio. We had previously invested in a standard Mercer conservative investment Fund that did not have socially responsible investing as a core requirement. Since then we have further expanded the offering to Mercer Investment Trusts New Zealand’s Socially Responsible Conservative, Balanced and Growth Portfolio’s.

What does socially responsible mean?

Socially responsible means sustainable and ethical investments. We live on an increasingly ecologically- stressed planet and there is rising concern over the impact of companies on individuals, the environment and communities. There is also a growing movement of investors who recognise the connection between investment and real-world impact. Socially responsible investors want their funds to reduce pollution or exploitation, and to invest in companies with high ethical standards. Even better, several studies have now shown that on average, responsible investing earns as much or more than conventional investing. Investing responsibly is as much about what we invest in, as what we don’t.

The fund manager (Mercer NZ Limited) has developed a framework which outlines how they assess what sectors or companies not to invest in on the basis of their failure to meet socially responsible investment criteria. Our change to socially responsible investing also means actively choosing to invest in assets which are likely to have a positive environmental impact, as well as delivering on financial objectives.