Aotearoa New Zealand Stewardship Code

The Responsible Investment Benchmark Report Aotearoa New Zealand 2024 has officially launched, revealing the continued momentum of responsible investment. Assets under management (AUM) of the research universe grew to $294 billion in 2023, up 13% from the previous year.     However, greenwashing remains a critical challenge as the industry continues to evolve. Concern about greenwashing has become the key deterrent to market growth, rising from 35% last year to 61% in 2023. At the same time, Kiwi’s lack of awareness of responsible investment dropped to 30% in 2023, from 43% the previous year. Transparency efforts, such as stewardship reporting, are gaining traction, with 51% of organisations now offering detailed disclosures, up from 40% in 2022.     “The growth of responsible investment in New Zealand is representative of the increasing awareness of ESG issues in investment decision making, and the increasing scrutiny over how returns are generated. This year’s RIAA benchmark marks another significant milestone, with concerns over greenwashing top of the list of priorities,” said Pip Best, EY’s Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability Services.     “Responsible investment has shifted from niche to necessity, it’s now a foundation of how the financial industry operates. But rising greenwashing concerns put the spotlight on integrity and accountability. It’s positive to see investment managers being much more careful when making claims and labelling products. But there are also industry standards that could be better supported by government and regulators to give everyone the clarity and confidence they deserve,” said Dean Hegarty, Co-CEO of RIAA.    Explore the full report for deeper insights into progress of New Zealand’s responsible investment market, its drivers and barriers: https://lnkd.in/d8UUzjk    This study is made possible through the generous support of our Industry Partner PIMCO and Research Partner EY.     We would also like to thank the investment managers that participated in the study through the survey - we are extremely grateful for your input.     #benchmarkreport #responsibleinvestment #sustainablefinance  

Today the FRC launched its consultation on significant updates to the UK Stewardship Code, focusing on supporting economic growth and investment and delivering increased transparency for millions of UK investors, savers and pensioners. The UK Stewardship Code has raised standards of Stewardship in the UK and is recognised globally as driving best practice in the industry. Have your say by 19 February 2025: https://lnkd.in/eydRj2ve #stewardship

Investors and businesses are facing increasing stakeholder expectations to assess and address modern slavery risks and provide or enable remediation if cases of modern slavery are identified in their operations, supply chains and investments. https://lnkd.in/gwwA4qzk In collaboration with Walk Free, SII published the ‘Investor and Remedy Guidance’, which examines the role investors can play in facilitating remedy and provides examples of remediation in practice. The report provides an overview of investor responsibility in connection with human rights impacts, risks facing investors and businesses if they fail to effectively manage modern slavery risk, and suggests remedial actions investors can pursue before, during and after finding cases of modern slavery. #SustainableInvestmentInstitute #FirstSentierInvestors #MUFG #InvestorEngagement #Engagement

We have updated our Responsible Investment Spectrum to reflect the global industry guidance which provides harmonised definitions for the following responsible investment terms: • Screening • ESG integration • Thematic investing • Stewardship • Impact investing   We are proud to have contributed to this guidance with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, the CFA Institute, and the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance.   View the updated RI Spectrum: https://lnkd.in/dYV3mmKz   Please note that this Spectrum is only intended as a guide to understanding different responsible investment approaches and their features and that the boundaries defining each strategy are not set in stone, open to varying definitions, interpretations and executions.

We are thrilled to share the Responsible Investment Leaders for 2024! RIAA uses a two-tiered approach to the assessment of responsible investors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand based on RIAA’s Responsible Investment Scorecard. Approximately the top 20% of investment managers in the research universe are recognised as Responsible Investment Leaders.      Responsible Investment Leaders are investment/asset managers that demonstrate: a commitment to responsible investing; the explicit consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investment decision making; strong and collaborative stewardship; and transparency in reporting activity, including the societal and environmental outcomes being achieved. Being a Responsible Investment Leader recognises an investment manager’s whole of organisation attributes.     Congratulations to all of our Responsible Investment Leaders! You can view the full list on our website: https://lnkd.in/gV-AXHFR