Sharesies To Contribute Up To $100 For Every Child In Its KiwiSaver Scheme

Sharesies has today announced it will contribute 25 cents for every dollar contributed to an eligible child’s Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme account up to $100, during the 2026/27 contribution year.

Parents or guardians have been able to set up a Kids Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme account since it was made available in March.

The Sharesies Kids Contribution will apply to contributions made from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 and will be paid directly into the child’s KiwiSaver account, between July and August 2027.

The announcement builds on Sharesies’ longstanding purpose of financial empowerment for everyone. It has run financial literacy programmes in schools and 100,000 children hold Kids investing accounts on the platform.

The company sees early KiwiSaver participation as one of the most impactful steps a family can take toward long-term financial wellbeing.

The case for starting early

The compounding effect of time in the market is significant, and largely irreversible. A child who begins contributing to KiwiSaver at a young age has decades more invested time than one who starts at their first job, and it's a head start that can’t be replicated later.

The contribution works in a similar way to the Government’s annual KiwiSaver contribution for eligible adult members — 25 cents for every dollar contributed, up to a $100 cap — applied to children’s accounts during the contribution year.

“KiwiSaver is often treated as a first-paycheck conversation, but that’s leaving one of its most powerful levers untouched,” said Brooke Roberts, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Sharesies. “The earlier a child is invested, the harder time works for them. We want to help parents and guardians to take that step sooner and we’re backing that with our own contribution.”

The Sharesies Kids Contribution — how it works

To receive the full $100, $400 in contributions need to be made on behalf of the eligible child during the year from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 . Contributions can be made by anyone including grandparents, family and friends. There is no minimum. For example $100 contributed to a child’s KiwiSaver account receives $25 from Sharesies.

Children under 16 years old are eligible and there is no cap on the number of children who can benefit. Sharesies will assess its continuation after the first year.

“We see this as supporting the future generations of Aotearoa to have more opportunities later in life," said Brooke Roberts. “It could also help to build investing habits early and more of a connection with KiwiSaver.”

Compounding example

If $500 is contributed into a KiwiSaver account when a child is born and nothing more until retirement, at 65, using an aggressive fund type this comes to $26,500 according to Sorted’s calculator as compounding provides a 53X return on the $500 (example excludes inflation effects).

Beyond the contribution

The Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme allows parents to choose from one or more of the ten base funds. There are also self-select options for more than 160 individual companies and exchange-traded funds up to a 5% maximum. This gives families the flexibility to build a portfolio that reflects both their values and their child’s risk profile.

Sharesies Kids Contribution — eligibility at a glance

• Eligible for children under 16 who are members of the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme
• Contributions must be made between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027
• Sharesies contributes 25c for every $1 contributed, up to $100
• $400 in contributions needed to receive the full $100 from Sharesies
• Payment made directly into the child’s KiwiSaver account, between July 2027 and August 2027
• Children who turn 16 during the year, remain eligible for qualifying contributions made before that point.

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