About

About Mindful Money

Our Story

What is Mindful Money?

We are a charity that promotes ethical investment. We know that many New Zealanders want to invest ethically but don't have the objective information and research to compare the options. We want to empower all New Zealanders to be responsible for how they invest their savings. We started off with KiwiSaver funds and have now introduced Investment Funds. 

On this platform you can find:


What’s our aim?

We aim to empower investors and make investment a force for good. We want money to serve society, not the other way around.

Who is Mindful Money for?

We’re for everyone! It's free for users. Anyone can invest in line with their ethical choices.

We recognise that good financial returns are important to most investors, as well as doing good. There is strong evidence showing that, on average, investing responsibly provides returns that are at least as high as traditional investing. And risks are generally lower. That means you don't need to make a financial sacrifice to choose ethical investment. 

  • Feel good about where you invest
  • Do good for people and the planet
  • Earn good returns

Why Mindful Money?

We want to empower you to make good choices with your hard-earned savings through this platform.

  • It’s absolutely free for users
  • We are independent and objective
  • We make it quick and easy for you to find the investment that’s right for you
  • We are focused on responsible investment and we’re experts in combining good financial returns with doing good
  • We are a charity and all funds go towards improving our people and our planet

How will we do it? 

Our survey in 2018 showed 72% of New Zealanders want to invest responsibly but only 8% invest in a credible fund. The survey identified the barriers to investing responsibly - a lack of objective information, not enough time to research and compare the options, and the lack of credibility for ethical claims. This platform has been set up to overcome those barriers.

As with many charities we don’t have a huge advertising budget, so we rely on your actions to tell others. When you share, people will be grateful. Most New Zealanders didn’t ask questions about the corporations they supported when they signed up for their KiwiSaver account. They'll be shocked to find out where their money is invested and keen to switch to an ethical investment. 

Please tell your friends, family and work colleagues that they can make a positive difference through their KiwiSaver and/or other investments. Invite us to talk about Mindful Money at a workplace seminar or an event. Sign up to join our campaign and receive updates about events, online seminars, campaigns and news.

How does this platform work?

Our role is to introduce you to the KiwiSaver or investment fund that suits you best. We don’t own or manage the funds, and we don’t directly invest your money. That’s up to you and the investment providers who are profiled on this platform.

We have done extensive research on the options, so you don't have to. We tell you what you need to know about the funds (we call it 'radical transparency') and we give you a list of the funds that are the best fit with your criteria. See our methodology for details.

How are we funded?

We earn fees when investors come through our platform and invest. When you switch funds, your new fund will give us a small contribution towards the costs of this platform and our campaign to promote Responsible Investment. This enables us to provide this service completely free of charge.

But it will take at least three years until these contributions cover our costs. We are a registered charity and we are seeking donations to help us gear up and get the message out. Please support us with a tax-free donation.

A few generous folks are helping us by giving charitable grants and donations to get started. Thanks to individual donors and institutional supporters, the key ones of which are listed on our Supporters page - we are very grateful for your support.

How did we start?

Our founder, Barry Coates was involved in the start up of ethical investing in the UK in the early 1990s, using his experience at WWF and his Masters degree from Yale. He then went on to lead NGOs (like Oxfam New Zealand), mainstream fair trade (working with some great allies), get a few awards (like the Sustainability Champion award from the Sustainable Business Network), and become a politician (as Green Party list MP in 2016-17). But he always said he would come back to make ethical investment a force for good. Now’s the time!

What’s the structure of Mindful Money?

We are part of a registered charity, Sustainable Initiatives Aotearoa #51919. We are governed by a Board of Trustees and have established an Advisory Board to provide expert advice on responsible investment issues. 

Mindful Money is not registered as a financial advisor since we are not offering personalised advice - we are making information available about criteria for responsible investing. We are not registered as a financial provider since we are a not-for-profit charity making information available to users without a charge.

Who do we work with?

We are building a movement of all those who have shared interests in making money work for sustainability (in its broad definition). We’re reaching out to environmental NGOs, development NGOs, animal welfare groups, iwi, women’s organisations, student groups, community organisations, faith groups and social justice groups.

We’re a member of the Sustainable Business Network and the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia, and we are working with some great businesses in the financial community and beyond.

If you have any questions, or want to give us feedback, or want to give us some help, please let us know. The best way is by Email at info@mindfulmoney.nz or by mail at PO Box 17228, Greenlane, Auckland 1546.