NZ Super Fund retains A+ for responsible investment

NZ Super Fund retains A+ for responsible investment from UNPRI

By Rebecca Howard

July 24 (BusinessDesk) - The New Zealand Superannuation Fund scored an A+ rating for governance and strategy around responsible investment for the third year in a row in the latest benchmarking report from the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.

The UNPRI is the internationally accepted benchmark for how institutional investors should manage environmental, social and governance issues. Its assessment reports, issued annually, outline how the implementation of responsible investment by its signatories compares year-on-year, across asset classes, and with peers at a local and global level. The NZ Superannuation Fund was a founding signatory of the UNPRI in 2006.

In the 2017 report, the $35 billion Super Fund received A or A+ ratings across all the specific asset class categories reported against, including Listed Equity, Fixed Income, and Listed Equity, it said in a statement published on its web site.

The report puts the NZ Super Fund in the top tier of UNPRI signatories internationally and "our ongoing commitment to responsible investment reflects our belief in its materiality to long-term performance; whether they are governance, social, or environmental risks, responsible investment issues are a key part of how we think about risk and return," said chief executive Adrian Orr.

The NZ Super Fund's most recent monthly report said the fund returned 18.17 percent in the twelve months ended May 31, 2017. The full year results for the fiscal year ended June 30 will be released in September, it said.

(BusinessDesk)

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