Celebrating Excellence: Finalists For 6th Annual Ethical & Impact Investment Awards

Congratulations to the New Zealand leaders in ethical and impact investing. For the past five years, the Mindful Money awards have set the standard for excellence, with high standards and a credible judging process. The finalists for the 2026 awards are truly the leaders in their field.

The finalists across eight categories were selected from a competitive entry pool by a panel of 23 independent and skilled judges. They have generously donated their time and expertise to provide expert judging for the awards, bound by strict rules on confidentiality and conflict of interest.The judges play a vital role in upholding the credibility and objectivity of these awards.  

Mindful Money’s Founder and Co-CEO, Barry Coates commented: “The categories and criteria for these awards have been updated this year to reflect the shift towards investing for positive outcomes and the important role of foundations and other organisations that hold pools of funds.  

“We are excited to see new entrants, as well as previous winners entering again. It is especially exciting to see the entries achieving higher standards across the award categories - New Zealand and overseas investment funds, impact investors, asset owners, financial advisers and media.”

“The work of these leaders is important. The investment choices that we make shape our future. These awards honour those working to build a better future for the climate, our communities and the environment.”

Mindful Money’s Co-CEO, Kate Vennell explained: “We are grateful to our judges who bring rigour and expertise to the judging process. And we are especially appreciative of the time, quality and effort from all entrants in applying for these awards”

“There is already a sense of expectation building towards the big reveal on Thursday 18th June, when the winners and those highly commended will be announced. We are looking forward to inspiring ocean swimmer, Jono Ridler, opening the awards ceremony and the multi-talented Jesse Mulligan orchestrating the show.”

Best Ethical Fund Provider (sponsored by Public Trust)

This year, the category has been combined to cover retail investment funds as well as KiwiSaver, now covering over 1000 funds, with $280 billion under management. The finalists in the awards (in alphabetical order) are:

Harbour Asset Management
Pathfinder Asset Management
TAHITO
Trust Investments

Best Positive Outcomes integration

Surveys show that the New Zealand public are not only looking to avoid harm in their investments but growing numbers of investors are also seeking funds that contribute to positive social and environmental outcomes. These mainstream funds are integrating investments for good into their portfolios The finalists are:

Generate KiwiSaver
Pathfinder Asset Management

Best Ethical or Impact Asset Owner

This is a new category that recognises the crucial role played by the owners of capital. The trusts and foundations, charities and other holders of capital set the framework for ethical and impact investing through their investment mandate. The finalists are:

Bay of Plenty Community Trust Inc
Clare Foundation

Best Impact Investor

For many investors, the ideal fund has positive real world outcomes as well as good returns. Impact investment funds, available to wholesale and professional investors, aim to achieve both. The finalists are:

Climate Venture Capital Fund series
Motion Capital
Te Pae ki te Rangi, Soul Capital

Best New Ethical or Impact Fund

This category is for the fund launched over the past year that provides innovative new offerings into the New Zealand investment market. The finalists are:

Climate Venture Capital Fund 2
New Zealand Housing Fund - Te Piringa
Trust Investments ESG International Bond Fund

Best Ethical Overseas Fund

Overseas funds marketed in New Zealand bring diversity and scale to the New Zealand market, providing new options for investment advisers, wealth managers and their clients. The finalists are:

Australian Ethical Emerging Companies Fund
Pella Global Generations PIE Fund
Vontobel Global Environmental Change Fund

Best Ethical Financial Adviser

Financial advisers are a hugely valuable part of the investment system. They play a crucial role in discovering their client’s ethical preferences and providing them with pathways for ethical and impact investment. The finalists are:

Carey Church, Moneyworks
Melaney Clark, Ethical Investing NZ
Melissa Allen, Milestone Financial
Dr. Rodger Spiller, Money Matters

Best Media Reporting on Ethical Investment

This has been an exciting year for reporting on ethical and impact investing, and the related issues of climate change, the environment and human rights. The judges were looking for strong audience engagement, education and influence. The finalists are:

Frances Cook, Making Cents podcast
John Berry, Pathfinder
Steven Moe, Seeds podcast
Susan Edmunds, RNZ

Jono Broome, Morningstar Sustainalytics, commented that “These awards demonstrate that Aotearoa New Zealand is leading the way in many aspects of responsible investing. Meanwhile these responsible funds continue to enjoy strong investor demand with successive quarters of positive inflows. We're pleased to support Mindful Money in acknowledging industry leaders in 2026."

Public Trust returns as principal sponsor for the third consecutive year. "The Ethical and Impact Investing Awards raise vital awareness about ethical investing while celebrating industry excellence," says David Callanan, Public Trust’s General Manager Corporate Trustee Services.

As the country’s biggest KiwiSaver supervisor, Public Trust plays a significant role in investment fund oversight. Public Trust also sponsors the Best Ethical KiwiSaver Provider award. "Ethical investing continues to be a focus among KiwiSaver investors, with continued innovation to meet demand. As a supervisor, we're proud to support and guide fund managers working in this space."

Barry Coates concluded: “The New Zealand ethical and impact investing sector is in an exciting phase, with growth, new entrants and innovation. The standard of entries this year was high and the judges had real difficulty in being able to shortlist a small number of finalists in each category. We are grateful for all the entrants. The finalists for these awards deserve their place as leaders, and we look forward to celebrating the winners on 18th June.”

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