Simplicity Kiwi

What Simplicity Kiwi does

Simplicity Kiwi (legal entity Simplicity NZ Limited) is a New Zealand nonprofit KiwiSaver and Investment Fund manager founded in 2016 and headquartered in Takapuna, Auckland. As of 26 June 2026 the company manages $11.5 billion in funds under management across 194,976 members, offering a six-fund KiwiSaver Scheme (High Growth, Growth, Balanced, Default, Conservative, Defensive), a suite of diversified and single-sector Investment Funds, and First Home Loan mortgages distributed to members via a monthly ballot. The core technology is a digital member platform (app.simplicity.kiwi) built around passive index-linked ESG-screened portfolio construction, with third-party index dependencies on Morningstar (NZ equities) and Bloomberg (NZ fixed income). Notable platform components include the interactive 'Where in the World is My Money' transparency tool, fund-selection and fees calculators, daily-updated member investment breakdowns, and family-linked accounts.

The business model is a flat 0.24% annual fund charge across all KiwiSaver and Investment Funds, with no membership, performance, entry, or exit fees. As a nonprofit owned by the Simplicity Charitable Trust (the Simplicity Foundation), 15% of fees collected are directed to NZ charities (over $13 million donated to date), with no shareholders or profit extraction. Scale benefits are explicitly passed back to members through seven rounds of fee reductions since 2018, taking the headline rate from 0.31% in April 2023 to 0.24% in September 2025. Distribution is direct-to-consumer self-serve online signup, supplemented by automatic member acquisition as a Government-appointed KiwiSaver default provider, plus content marketing through a Research Hub, podcast, workplace education program, and social channels.

The company has expanded beyond pure fund management into adjacent real-asset verticals through wholly-owned subsidiaries: Simplicity Living (a build-to-rent housing initiative targeting 10,000+ homes nationwide) and InfraKiwi (a local infrastructure investment entity established November 2025). Venture capital exposure to 60+ NZ startups is delivered via a partnership with Icehouse Ventures. Leadership is headed by co-founder and Managing Director Sam Stubbs, with a C-suite comprising Andrew Lance (CIO), Amir Bashir (CTO), Jane Gold (CFO), Shamubeel Eaqub (Chief Economist), Ian Miller (COO), and Peter Wells (Chief Risk & Compliance Officer).

Name

Simplicity Kiwi

Legal name

Simplicity NZ Limited

Website

https://simplicity.kiwi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Fund Management

NAICS

Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• KiwiSaver retirement funds
• Low-cost investment funds
• Ethical fund management
• First home loans
• Nonprofit fund manager

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Simplicity charges an annual fund charge of 0.24% across all KiwiSaver and Investment Funds. As a nonprofit owned by the Simplicity Foundation, there are no shareholders or profits to extract. The management fee covers the cost of running the funds, with scale benefits passed back to members through fee reductions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Simplicity is a nonprofit KiwiSaver and Investment Fund manager operating in New Zealand. It offers six diversified KiwiSaver fund options plus broader investment funds at a flat 0.24% annual management fee, with all portfolios 100% ethically/ESG-screened and passively managed. The company also offers first home loans to members, runs a build-to-rent housing program (Simplicity Living), and directs 15% of fees to the Simplicity Foundation for charitable donations.

Product overview

Simplicity Kiwi is a nonprofit financial services provider offering three core product lines: KiwiSaver retirement savings scheme, Investment Funds, and First Home Loans. The KiwiSaver scheme offers six diversified fund options (High Growth, Growth, Balanced, Default, Conservative, and Defensive) that invest in various proportions of growth and income assets. The Investment Funds mirror the KiwiSaver options but provide full liquidity without KiwiSaver restrictions, plus additional single-sector funds including NZ Share, NZ Bond, NZ Cash, and hedged/unhedged global share and bond funds. First Home Loans provides low-cost floating rate mortgages exclusively to members. The products share a unified value proposition of low fees (0.24% per year), ethical investing, and nonprofit structure, with all members accessing the same underlying funds through an integrated member portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simplicity KiwiSaver Scheme: KiwiSaver scheme offering six fund types (High Growth, Growth, Balanced, Default, Conservative, Defensive) with low fees and ethical investments.
• Simplicity Investment Funds
• Simplicity First Home Loans
• Simplicity Living
• InfraKiwi
• Simplicity Foundation
• Research Hub

Products and services

• Simplicity KiwiSaver Scheme A KiwiSaver retirement savings scheme offering six diversified fund options (High Growth, Growth, Balanced, Default, Conservative, Defensive) with low fees (0.24% p.a.) and 100% ethical/ESG-screened investment focus, available to individual New Zealand residents.
• Simplicity Investment Funds Diversified and single-sector investment funds offering full access to money at any time, with the same low fees (0.24% p.a.) as KiwiSaver. Includes High Growth, Growth, Balanced, Conservative, Homes and Income, NZ Share, NZ Bond, NZ Cash, Hedged/Unhedged Global Share, and Hedged Global Bond funds for individual investors.
• Simplicity First Home Loans Low-cost floating rate home loans (4.20%) available exclusively to Simplicity KiwiSaver members for first home purchases, plus refinancing options for existing first home owners. Distributed through a monthly ballot system with no early repayment fees.
• Simplicity Living (Build-to-Rent Housing) A build-to-rent initiative that builds and rents quality homes nationwide, with a long-term goal of 10,000+ homes across New Zealand. Operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simplicity.
• InfraKiwi (Infrastructure Investment) A wholly-owned subsidiary entity focused on domestic infrastructure investments in New Zealand.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Simplicity LivingcoreOthersSimplicity Living builds and rents quality homes with a long-term goal of 10,000+ nationwide. Part of Simplicity's investment in domestic infrastructure and housing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BlackRock (iShares): World's largest asset manager with deep passive/index capabilities. Relevant as a global benchmark for index-based fund construction and scale-driven fee compression, though it does not operate a retail KiwiSaver product.
• Vanguard: Global low-cost passive fund manager and a benchmark for Simplicity's fee philosophy. Comparable in pioneering low-cost index investing and ESG-screened funds, though operating at vastly larger global scale.
• ANZ Investments (KiwiSaver): One of New Zealand's largest bank-owned KiwiSaver providers. Comparable as a major KiwiSaver incumbent, though its scale, distribution (bank channels) and broader product suite differ from Simplicity's specialist model.

Direct peers

• InvestNow: New Zealand low-cost investment platform offering access to a wide range of third-party managed funds. Comparable as a digital-first, low-cost distribution channel for KiwiSaver and investment fund products.
• Kernel Wealth: New Zealand digital, low-cost KiwiSaver and investment fund manager. Closest direct competitor in the NZ passive, low-fee segment, with a similar direct-to-consumer digital proposition targeting cost-conscious KiwiSaver members.
• Booster KiwiSaver: NZ-owned KiwiSaver and investment manager with a diversified fund range including ethical options. Direct competitor for KiwiSaver market share, particularly among members seeking ethical or diversified portfolios.
• Fisher Funds (Kiwi Wealth): One of New Zealand's largest KiwiSaver and investment managers, formed via merger of Fisher Funds and Kiwi Wealth. Competes head-to-head in KiwiSaver with a multi-product fund range and active management tilt.
• Smartshares: NZX-owned New Zealand issuer of low-cost ETFs and KiwiSaver funds. Direct competitor offering passive, low-fee investment products to KiwiSaver members with a comparable index-based approach.
• Generate KiwiSaver: New Zealand KiwiSaver provider offering actively managed funds. Comparable in being a focused, non-bank KiwiSaver specialist competing on performance and fees against Simplicity's passive model.

Emerging players

• Sharesies: New Zealand investment platform with a younger, retail-skewed user base. Partial competitor in democratising NZ investing, though its core offering is brokerage/ETFs rather than managed KiwiSaver funds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SimplicityNz
• Facebookfacebook.com/simplicitykiwi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10852815
• Instagraminstagram.com/simplicity_kiwi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simplicity Kiwi