GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Scheme Review

GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Scheme Review

GoalsGetter runs 20 KiwiSaver funds open to new members, spanning almost the whole of the register’s risk scale. At 30 June 2026 they held $136.7 million for 3,178 investors. The funds run from risk level 2 to 7, so which fund you pick matters more than which scheme you are in.

Charges across the open funds run from 0.40 per cent to 1.51 per cent.

Over five years the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund returned 6.69 per cent a year while the GoalsGetter Amova ARK Disruptive Innovation Fund returned -7.83 per cent a year, which is the gap between the top and the bottom of what you can choose from.

This review does three things. It sets out what the scheme actually contains. It puts every fund’s fee, risk indicator and return in one place, taken from the Government’s register. And it answers the question that matters most — whether what you get is worth what you pay.

How We Researched This Guide

Every number below is read from our own copy of the Government’s Disclose Register, which is the statutory source managers file against. It carries 20 open funds, all reported as at 30 June 2026.

We also checked the rules that underpin every KiwiSaver account — contribution rates, the government contribution, and default provider appointments — against Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

One thing worth knowing before you read on: the register still carries schemes that are closed to new members. They are listed separately below. We include them so you can identify a legacy account, not so you can join one.

We are not recommending a move in either direction. The point of the exercise is to put the verified numbers side by side, so the decision rests on figures rather than on a brochure.

The Quick Summary (60-Second Version)

Here is the short version before the detail.

• GoalsGetter offers 20 open funds across a single scheme.
• Annual fund charges range from 0.40 per cent to 1.51 per cent.
• The cheapest option is the GoalsGetter Amova NZ Cash Fund at 0.40 per cent.
• The largest fund by value is the GoalsGetter Amova ARK Disruptive Innovation Fund, with $41.0 million invested.
• The strongest five-year record in the range belongs to the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund, at 6.69 per cent a year.
• The weakest five-year record is the GoalsGetter Amova ARK Disruptive Innovation Fund, at -7.83 per cent a year.
• The funds hold $136.7 million in total across 3,178 investors.
• 20 of the open funds do not yet have a five-year figure because they have not been running that long.

What You Pay, and What You Get For It

GoalsGetter charges an annual fund charge, and there are no separate membership, contribution, establishment, switching or termination fees recorded for its KiwiSaver scheme. The charge comes out of the fund’s returns rather than being billed to you, which is why most members never see it leave the account.

It helps to see the charge in dollars. On a $50,000 balance, the lowest charge here, 0.40 per cent, is about $200 a year, and the highest, 1.51 per cent, is about $755. On $100,000, those figures double.

What the Charge Costs at Different Balances

Because the charge is a percentage, its cost rises with your balance. Below is what the cheapest, dearest and middling funds take on three balances. This much is guaranteed: the fee is charged in both a good year and a bad one.

What makes a fund charge costly is its repetition. It is deducted each year from the total balance, so the money it removes cannot earn a return in later years.

The Kinds of Fund in This Range

The register groups every fund by type, and the type tells you more about the risk than the name does. GoalsGetter spans 5 of those groups, which determines how much choice you actually have.

The risk indicator runs from 1 to 7. It measures how much the fund’s value has moved in the past, not how good it is. A 6 or 7 is not a warning; it is a statement that the fund is expected to fall further in a bad year, and it belongs in a portfolio you will not need to touch for a long time.

GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Scheme — the funds

Charges across the open funds run from 0.40 per cent to 1.51 per cent. The strongest five-year figure is the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund at 6.69 per cent a year, and the weakest is the GoalsGetter Amova ARK Disruptive Innovation Fund at -7.83 per cent a year.

GoalsGetter Harbour Active Growth Fund and GoalsGetter Harbour Sustainable Impact Fund in this scheme are closed to new members. If you already hold them, you keep them and pay the charge shown; if you are choosing now, you cannot join them.

What the Funds Actually Hold

Fees are only half the picture. The register records how much of each fund is held in growth assets and how much in income assets, and that proportion is the single best guide to how sharply a fund will rise or fall.

The range here runs from 0% growth assets in the GoalsGetter Amova NZ Cash Fund up to 98% in the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund. A fund at the bottom of that range will barely move in a bad year; one at the top will fall hard when share markets do, and recover just as sharply when they turn. Neither is better on its own — the right split depends on how long the money will stay invested.

Reading the Returns

The figures are net of fees and after tax. Every return shown is net of the fund charge and after tax. The strongest five-year average here is the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund at 6.69 per cent a year, against a range of -7.83 to 6.69 per cent across the open funds.

Read the one-year and five-year columns together rather than separately. One-year figures across these funds span 0.24 to 22.96 per cent, and five-year averages -7.83 to 6.69 per cent. A single year reflects twelve months of market conditions; a five-year average is much harder to flatter, and it is the fairer basis for comparing managers.

Where a fund has only a short record, none of this can help you, and that is a real limitation rather than a technicality. The longer the published record, the more of it is evidence rather than circumstance.

The table below sets out every figure the register holds for each open fund, over each period it publishes. The longer columns are the ones that matter most, because they are the hardest to produce by luck.

There are 20 open funds in total, and the table above shows the fifteen largest by value. Every fund is listed with its charge and one-year and five-year figures in the tables above, so you can check the rest there.

Twelve of the open funds here have no five-year figure because they have not been running that long. We show a dash rather than a number that would not be comparable, so weigh those funds on their fee and strategy instead.

Where GoalsGetter Sits Against the Alternatives

On entry cost, GoalsGetter is the 15th cheapest of the 29 managers in our KiwiSaver table, with its cheapest fund charging 0.40 per cent. The cheapest manager charges 0.03 per cent and the dearest starts at 4.26 per cent.

Cost is only one side of the ledger. The other is whether the return justifies it, which is what the five-year column is for. Neither number is predictive on its own, and a stretch that suits shares will always make the share-heavy funds look better than they are.

What You Put In, and What You Get Back

Contribution settings come from legislation rather than the provider, so they are identical across all schemes. The difference lies in what the manager does with the money afterwards, and that is where the fee begins to matter.

The default employee and employer rate is 3.5 per cent from 1 April 2026, and it rises to 4 per cent on 1 April 2028. On a $70,000 salary, 3.5 per cent is $2,450 a year from you, matched by your employer, so about $4,900 a year goes into the account before any return.

The Government adds 25 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to a maximum of $260.72 a year. To receive the full amount, you must contribute at least $1,042.86 of your own money between 1 July and 30 June, and employer contributions do not count towards that threshold. If your taxable income is above $180,000 a year, you do not qualify.

The charge applies to the entire balance, not to each deposit. On a $50,000 balance, the lowest charge here, 0.40 per cent, is about $200 a year, and the highest, 1.51 per cent, is about $755. On $100,000, those figures double. Weigh that against the returns, since it is deducted regardless of how the fund performs.

Questions You Might Have

Which fund am I in?

Your KiwiSaver statement, or the online account you use to manage your savings, will show which fund your money is invested in and how it is split if you hold more than one. Check it before anything else, because the fund decides both the return and the charge.

How much will I pay?

Charges across the open funds run from 0.40 per cent to 1.51 per cent. It comes out of the fund’s returns, not your bank account, so you will not see a separate bill.

Is GoalsGetter a default provider?

No. The appointed default providers are BNZ, Booster, Westpac (through BT Funds Management), Fisher Funds, Simplicity and Smartshares, with appointments running to December 2028. GoalsGetter is a scheme you choose deliberately.

Can I change funds without changing provider?

Usually yes. Most schemes let you move between their own funds, or set a different split, through your online account at no cost, and the change takes effect without affecting your membership or your employer contributions. You only need to switch provider if the scheme itself is the problem.

Do I have to pick just one fund?

No. With 20 open funds, you can split your balance across several, which lets you take more risk with part of your savings and less with the rest. The trade-off is that you have to keep track of the split yourself.

What happens to a closed fund?

If you already hold a fund that has closed to new members, you keep it and continue to pay the charge shown. Closing a fund stops new money coming in; it does not force existing members out, and it does not change your balance.

How much do I need to contribute to get the full government contribution?

You need to put in at least $1,042.86 of your own money between 1 July and 30 June to receive the maximum of $260.72. The government adds 25 cents for every dollar you contribute, and employer contributions do not count towards your $1,042.86. If your taxable income is above $180,000 a year, you do not qualify.

How much will I pay at the default contribution rate?

The default employee and employer rate rose from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent on 1 April 2026, and it rises again to 4 per cent on 1 April 2028. On a $70,000 salary, 3.5 per cent is $2,450 a year from you, matched by your employer. You can choose 4, 6, 8 or 10 per cent instead.

Does switching to or from GoalsGetter cost anything?

No. GoalsGetter records no membership, contribution, establishment, switching or termination fees, and switching between KiwiSaver providers does not attract a fee in practice. You apply to the new provider, who arranges the transfer.

Why do some funds have no five-year figure?

Because they have not been running for five years. A fund launched in the last few years cannot have a five-year return, so the register leaves it blank rather than showing a figure that would not be comparable. We show the same dash.

What Matters Most

GoalsGetter is a provider with a wide range of funds. The fee table above shows the current charges for each fund. The funds are numerous enough that you need to choose deliberately.

• The GoalsGetter Amova NZ Cash Fund is the cheapest way in at 0.40 per cent.
• The strongest five-year record is the GoalsGetter Amova Global Shares Fund at 6.69 per cent a year, and it carries the risk that produced it.
• Twelve funds are too new to have a five-year record, so judge them on strategy and fee rather than past performance.
• Check which fund you are in before anything else, because it decides both the return and the charge.