Morningstar to look under the hood of KiwiSaver funds

The company announced yesterday that it plans to research around a dozen KiwiSaver funds using its superannuation methodology - the Morningstar Medalist Ratings.

Its research methodology has three pillars: People, Process and Parent.

The Parent pillar– which assesses stewardship – will have a 25% weight on a KiwiSaver multi-sector strategy compared to 10% applied on a single sector strategy.

“Where applicable, we will also assess the leadership teams associated with the KiwiSaver schemes, particularly when they operate independently of the investment function,” Morningstar Director of Manager Research Ratings Matt Olsen said

Process will make up 50% and People 25%.

About 10 to 12 providers have been identified for potential coverage after initial discussions with a number of key players in the KiwiSaver market.

“It is our intention to engage with these providers, conduct thorough reviews, and publish research on their respective KiwiSaver schemes during the 2026 calendar year,” Olsen said.

Managers will not pay to be rated; rather Morningstar subscribers would pay to access the research.

“As a growth opportunity in New Zealand research coverage, Morningstar has identified an opportunity to roll out its superannuation methodology to cover KiwiSaver products,” Olsen says.