Newsletter: March 2025

The New Zealand Government has an ambitious economic growth agenda that aims to unlock New Zealand’s potential, grow the economy and ease the cost of living for New Zealanders. 

These growth aspirations are set in the context of unprecedented change, which has the potential to destabilise economies, strain public resources, disrupt labour markets, and increase vulnerability to global conflicts. 

Making capital flow to the right places to respond to these goals and challenges is difficult. This is partly due to a short-term focus, as well as a lack of tools to effectively assess trade-offs and accurately price social and environmental risks.  

To achieve the Government’s desired outcomes from growth, we continue to foster leadership from financial institutions supported by clear and cohesive government policies and regulation that can effectively attract, mobilise and direct both public and private capital. 

Thank-you to our partners 

ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Chapman Tripp, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, Ministry for the Environment, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, New Zealand Green Investment Finance, New Zealand Super Fund, PwC, Rabobank, Westpac. 

And our associate partners  

HSBC New Zealand, New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA), Tower Insurance. 

Welcome to the CSF Partners’ Hub 

If you are a staff member of one of our partner organisations contact us to access the CSF partners’ hub which contains the latest news, events and resources from CSF.  

Catch up on our discussions on voluntary carbon markets, simplified SME reporting in the UK, and global developments in transition planning.  

CSF have hosted several local and international experts for discussion with our Partners in this first quarter. Visit our partners’ hub for recordings of these events. 

A strategy for financing sustainable growth

CSF has partnered with the Government to develop a strategy for financing sustainable growth in New Zealand.  

Stay up to date here. 

Directing capital to sustainable agriculture and forestry 

Consultation begins on the NZ Taxonomy mitigation criteria for the agriculture and forestry sectors in June 2025. Learn more here. 

Accelerating finance solutions for affordable, abundant clean energy 

The first phase of this programme is now complete, involving a review of financial products available for financing the energy transition internationally and domestically, identifying barriers to finance, gathering insights, and identifying a range of potential opportunities. Ongoing updates on this workstream will be published here.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Opened Consultation on Enabling KiwiSaver Investment in Private Assets 

The majority of KiwiSaver investors have long investment horizons but they have little option to take advantage of this by way of investing in private markets. In alignment with CSF recommendations, MBIE has recently consulted on ways to address potential impediments to institutional investment in private assets. Read our recommendations and a joint legal opinion from MinterEllisonRuddWatts and Chapman Tripp here.

XRB publishes transition planning guidance for staff 

The XRB has completed the final installment of its transition planning guidance for Directors, Executives, Staff and a general overview.  Access the guides on the XRB website. 

What is the state of sustainable finance in 2025?

How much progress are we making toward supporting a financial system that supports long-term resilience and prosperity in Aotearoa New Zealand?

View our Sustainable Finance Monitor here.