There is one fee that is charged when you are a member of the Kernel KiwiSaver Plan; an annual fund management fee.
The annual fund management fee charged depends on the fund which you choose to invest your KiwiSaver balance in. You can choose between one of our four diversified funds - the Kernel High Growth, Balanced, Conservative or Cash Plus Funds - or to customise your KiwiSaver balance using a mix of all the Kernel funds.
Choosing between our four diversified funds
The annual fund management fee for the High Growth, Balanced, Conservative or Cash Plus Funds is 0.25%.
Creating a custom Kernel KiwiSaver Plan
The annual fund management fee charged when customising the Kernel KiwiSaver Plan is based on the individual funds you choose to make up your KiwiSaver balance.
For example, if you choose to allocate 70% of your KiwiSaver balance to a fund with a management fee of 0.25%, any money automatically invested into the fund will be charged at that fee.
If, for the remaining 30% of the balance, you choose to invest in a fund with an annual fund management fee of 0.45%, any money will automatically be invested into the fund charged at that fee.
Here is a breakdown of annual fund management fees relative to the specific funds:
Core index funds | Annual fund management fee |
High Growth | 0.25% |
Conservative | 0.25% |
Australia 100 | 0.25% |
NZ 20 | 0.25% |
NZ Commercial Property | 0.25% |
NZ Small & Mid Cap Opportunities | 0.25% |
Global 100 | 0.25% |
Global 100 (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
Global Infrastructure | 0.25% |
Global Infrastructure (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats | 0.25% |
S&P 500 Unhedged | 0.25% |
S&P 500 (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
NZ 50 ESG Tilted | 0.25% |
Global Property (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
Global ESG | 0.25% |
Global ESG (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
World ex-US | 0.25% |
World ex-US (NZD Hedged) | 0.25% |
NZ Bond | 0.40% |
US Bond | 0.30% |
Specialty index funds | Fund management fee |
S&P Global Clean Energy | 0.45% |
Emerging Markets | 0.45% |
Active funds | Fund management fee |
Balanced Fund | 0.25% |
Cash Plus Fund | 0.25% |
Our March 2027 NZ Bond Fund, March 2029 NZ Bond Fund and Total World Fund are not currently available as part of the Kernel KiwiSaver Plan.
No transaction or foreign exchange fees
We do not charge any transaction, brokerage or foreign exchange or penalty fees.
Costs with changing funds or customising the Kernel KiwiSaver Plan
There is no charge or fee when changing between specific funds or changing the way that your KiwiSaver balance is constructed. Read more to find out how to make changes.