Your stage · Long-term retirement
You're playing the long game with your KiwiSaver.
Small differences in fund choice and fees compound massively over decades — what feels like a 0.4% fee gap today can mean a six-figure difference by 65. The good news is the long horizon makes most of the right answers very straightforward.
Where your KiwiSaver actually stands
You don't know — and that's the most common answer.
Around 70% of New Zealanders have their KiwiSaver with one of the major banks (ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac, Kiwibank). In the Morningstar Q4 2025 survey, the bank-scheme funds typically rank in the bottom half of their Morningstar category for 5-year returns — and they often charge higher fees than specialist providers. If yours is one of these, the simplest first step is to find out which fund you're in.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Find your fund name on your last KiwiSaver statement or in your provider's app — then the rank is one click away.
- Over 20+ year horizons, fund choice and fee structure typically explain more of the final balance than contribution rate does.
- Conservative-fund settings made sense for first-home savers, but they’re rarely the right setting for retirement-mode KiwiSaver — even close to 65, blended approaches usually beat all-conservative.
- Annual reviews are the cheapest insurance you can buy against drift — provider rules, default settings, and your own circumstances all change more than people expect.
Get our free KiwiSaver guide →
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Plan your retirement numbers
If you'd rather see the numbers first, the Investment Planner walks you through retirement projections in four short steps.
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This quiz provides general information only and is not personalised financial advice. For advice tailored to your situation, book a strategy session.