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Mainstreaming Impact Investing Report
16th Jan. 2024
Are you interested in directing your investments towards companies that are actively doing good in the world? You're not alone. Our commitment is to amplify investments in companies that drive positive change across New Zealand.
The aim of the Mainstreaming Impact Investment project is to deepen understanding of the opportunities for impact investment within the portfolios of mainstream fund providers, seek opportunities for collaboration and catalyse a programme of action to accelerate positive impact investing.
There was strong support throughout the project for finding well-coordinated ways to take this agenda forward. The process of research and analysis was considered valuable, and the emphasis from those interviewed was to find ways to make tangible progress on increasing the level of investment in positive impact companies.
This paper provides recommendations for accelerating investment in positive impact companies by Managed Investment Schemes. It draws on a research overview of international experience and New Zealand initiatives. The main findings were derived from a survey and follow up interviews with 13 of New Zealand’s leading fund managers (including 8 of the 10 largest).
The draft findings were then incorporated into a background paper and presented to a forum of those fund providers, together with key stakeholders including the Centre for Sustainable Finance (CSF), Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) and the Impact Investing Network (IIN). The forum, held on 27th October 2023, provided an opportunity for discussion of the recommendations and other suggested actions, and processes for taking these forward.
Further interviews and discussions after the forum have been important in identifying coordinated approaches to taking this work forward, to achieve tangible changes in portfolio construction towards companies that are delivering positive impact to people, the environment and a safe climate.