The NZ Super Fund has received an A+ rating for responsible investment governance and strategy in a 2016 benchmarking report by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).

The Fund also received A or A+ ratings across all the specific asset class categories it reported on to the UNPRI.

The UNPRI is the internationally accepted benchmark for how institutional investors should manage environmental, social and governance issues.

Matt Whineray, Chief Investment Officer of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, the manager of the Fund, said the UNPRI report provided confirmation that the Fund was being managed in line with global best practice.

“Responsible investment practices are becoming much more widely adopted and sophisticated both in New Zealand and globally,” said Mr Whineray. “We’re therefore very pleased to remain in the top tier of UNPRI signatories internationally. We expect that the bar will continue to be raised and are continuing to embed responsible investment skills and processes across the Guardians.”

Mr Whineray said responsible investment went hand-in-hand with strong financial returns. “There is strong empirical evidence to support responsible investment as a way to control risk and a source of investment opportunities. We believe it is material to long-term financial returns.”

Mr Whineray says current priorities for the Guardians include continuing to engage with NZX listed companies on corporate governance, and finalising a climate change strategy to be released later this year.

The Fund was a founding signatory of the UNPRI in 2006.

ENDS

Further information:

• The full UNPRI report, and a complementary Transparency Report, are available here.

• Further information on the UNPRI’s reporting methodology is available within the NZ Super Fund’s report and at www.unpri.org.

• A 2015 white paper issued by the Guardians, “Why we believe responsible investing pays off”, is available in our Papers, Reports, Reviews section.