WhānauSaver

Grow your savings with WhānauSaver. Set yourself up for retirement, first home ownership or tertiary education. As well as receiving annual contributions from your Iwi, your money is invested with SuperLife giving you the choice of 6 funds that could help grow your savings even faster.

Benefits of WhānauSaver

First home

Start saving towards your first home.

Tertiary Education

Small contributions now could become a meaningful nest egg for tertiary education.

Retirement

Flexibility to access your savings at age 55, that’s 10 years earlier than KiwiSaver.

Iwi Contributions

Your Iwi will make annual contributions to your account and you’ll also receive Māori Tax Credits. 

Flexibility

Make regular or lump-sum payments at any time. There is no minimum contribution amount.

Emergencies

You can make an early withdrawal for a short-term emergency (up to $500 a year)

How Could it Work?

Saving for your first home
Saving for your tamariki
Saving for retirement

Using WhānauSaver alongside KiwiSaver is a fantastic way to maximise your savings towards a deposit on your first home.


 

How could it work?

In the example below, Tāne and Aroha are both working and earn a combined income of $75,000 per year. In only five years they are able to build up to $45,000 towards their first home deposit.

  • They have both signed up to WhānauSaver and contribute $2 per week each.
  • They both receive annual contributions from their Iwi
  • They contribute 3% of their income to their KiwiSaver scheme and also receive 3% contributions from their employers
  • They each receive the maximum Government Contribution to their KiwiSaver of $521 per year.
  • After they have been contributing to KiwiSaver for 5 years they are each eligible for up to $10,000 in HomeStart grants for their first home.
  • After five years, they have been able to build up to $45,000 towards a deposit for their first home.
  1. (assumes investment return of 5% after fees and tax) 
  2. Receive 3% contributions from employer (less tax)

 


 

WhānauSaver is a great way to save for the future of your tamariki. By saving into a WhānauSave account, your tamariki can also receive Iwi contributions and WhānauSaver earnings, maximising your saving efforts.

WhānauSaver accounts can be set up from birth, and your wider whānau can also contribute. 

If you start early, it only takes small regular deposits to grow a meaningful nest egg for the future of your tamariki. They can use their WhānauSaver earnings towards their Tertiary Education or as a deposit on their first home.


 
How could it work?

In the example below Wiremu’s whānau set up a WhānauSaver account when he was a newborn.

  • Together they invested $4 per week into his account. 
  • Wiremu’s Grandparents also decided to contribute $50 each year (a total of $200 per year)]
  • Wiremu’s Iwi contributed $100 per year
  • Wiremu’s WhānauSaver account earned 5% returns per year (net of tax and fees)
  • Wiremu has almost $18,000 by the time he turns 21
  • Wiremu can use this money towards his Educational Aspirations or put it towards a deposit for his first home. 

 


 

With WhānauSaver, you can withdraw your funds from age 55. That’s ten years earlier than you can access your KiwiSaver funds. 

Similarly to KiwiSaver, you can also withdraw your funds in cases of death, serious illness or significant financial hardship.

Make sure you receive your Iwi Contributions

WhānauSaver Questions and Answers

What is WhānauSaver?
How does it work?
How is it different to Kiwisaver?
When can I withdraw my savings?
Fees and more information
Do I have to be registered with my Iwi to sign up for WhānauSaver?
Who is SuperLife?

WhānauSaver is a powerful way to invest in your financial future and the future of your tamariki. Accounts can be set up from birth and can be contributed to by your wider whānau, including grandparents and your iwi – which over time can grow to create a financial nest egg for retirement, education, housing or financial emergencies.

WhānauSaver has been designed by Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa and Te Kāhui o Taranaki in conjunction with SuperLife

  • WhānauSaver is delivered by Smartshares through SuperLife, using its registered SuperLife Invest and SuperLife KiwiSaver schemes. Smartshares is a proud partner of Ka Uruora as the provider of WhānauSaver, a savings programme with special features and benefits to help whānau achieve their financial goals.
  • Smartshares Limited is the manager of the SuperLife Invest and SuperLife KiwiSaver Schemes. The product disclosure statement is available at www.superlife.co.nz
Joining
  • Available exclusively to registered members of all participating iwi.
  • You can join from any age (including newborns)
  • Parents, grandparents and wider whānau can apply for children
Making contributions
  • You decide how much you save – you can contribute any value at any time
  • Set up an automatic payment or make electronic transfers directly into your account
  • You can also make contributions directly into the account of your tamariki, mokopuna or wider whānau

Iwi contributions
  • Each year your Iwi will let you know how much it will contribute to your savings. As an example, in the past Iwi have matched dollar for dollar up to $100 meaning that if you have contributed just $2 per week, you will have $204 after your Iwi contribution. This includes $104 personal contributions and $100 contributions. Your Iwi will match any contributions regardless of who made them. 
  • Your iwi contributions will include Maori Authority Tax Credits, available for members to offset against tax payable on their taxable income – see more
Investment choices

 For more information on WhanauSaver read the product disclosure statement.

WhānauSaver is intended to complement your KiwiSaver account. 

Kiwisaver
  • The Government makes a contribution (up to $521 per year) – see more
  • Your contributions are automatically deposited by your employer (a percentage of your income)
  • Your Employer makes contributions (3% of your income) – see more
  • You can use KiwiSaver to apply for the HomeStart grant (up to $10,000) – see more
  • KiwiSaver can be withdrawn when you purchase your own home or at age 65
WhānauSaver
  • You make deposits when you like and at the amount you choose.
  • Your Iwi will make annual contributions.
  • WhānauSaver can be withdrawn for tertiary education, your first home, financial emergencies or at age 55

 For more information on WhanauSaver read the product disclosure statement.

 

 

  • Short-term emergencies
    You can make an early withdrawal for a short-term emergency (up to $500 a year).
  • Tertiary education
    Use your savings to finance your studies in an NZQA equivalent course – Tertiary Education Withdrawal policy
  • First home
    Use your savings to help buy your first home – the same withdrawal rules apply to those for KiwiSaver – see more.
  • Retirement
    Access your savings from age 55.
  • Death, serious illness or significant financial hardship
    Similar to KiwiSaver, you can also access your savings when in these circumstances.

 For more information on WhanauSaver read the product disclosure statement.

 

Fees

  • An admin fee of $12 pa ($1 / month) + fund charges of 0.46% – 0.6% per year depending on which investment strategy you choose.
  • You can read the full rules and product disclosure statement here

More information

  • For more information on Ka Uruora WhānauSaver, please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement
  • You can get in touch with us at any time if you have any questions. Get in touch using the form on our contact page, here or email tewaka@kauruora.nz
Yes.

You must be a registered member of one or more of the eligible participating Iwi.

If you are a member of more than one of the eligible Iwi, you could receive multiple contributions to your WhānauSaver – there’s never been a better time to ensure you’re registered with all the iwi that you whakapapa to. 

Currently, Taranaki and Te Atiawa are the two eligible Iwi, but more are on the way. If your Iwi isn’t a participating Iwi partner, get in touch with your Iwi Trust Board and ask them to enquire about joining.

 

Register with your eligible Iwi now

Taranaki

Te Atiawa

 

 

 

 

Superlife

For more than 20 years SuperLife has been caring for and nurturing the financial wellbeing of New Zealanders. The programme is delivered by Smartshares through SuperLife, using its registered SuperLife Invest and SuperLife KiwiSaver schemes. 

  • Smartshares is a proud partner of Ka Uruora as the provider of WhanauSaver, a savings programme with special features and benefits to help whanau achieve their financial goals.
  • Smartshares Limited is the manager of the SuperLife Invest and SuperLife KiwiSaver Schemes. The product disclosure statement is available at www.superlife.co.nz

 

A passive investment philosophy

SuperLife believes that a passive approach to investing will deliver better long-term results. Passive investing means SuperLife will either invest in a fund designed to track an index or in a number of assets for the long term. SuperLife do not think that constantly changing investments (that is, trading regularly and seeking short-term gains), consistently adds value to investors.

 

Low fees
  • Our fees are among the lowest in the market. We don’t charge performance-based fees or commissions.
  • Fees matter. The impact of even small fee differences each year can be significant over time.
  • We make decisions based on what is practical, sensible and for the long term. All decisions must be cost-effective – the return to you is improved by the careful management of costs

 

Flexibility
  • Your money is invested with SuperLife giving you the choice of six funds that could help grow your savings even faster.
  • You can set and change their investment strategies at any time, free of charge.

 

Transparency
  • This means being honest about what we can and can’t do for you.
  • We will always quote investment returns after (net of) total fund charges and taxes. This is because we believe this information is more useful for you.

 

Exceptional customer service
  • We are focused on providing you with information to help you make informed decisions. This does not include personalised financial advice.

 

Smartshares Limited is the manager of the SuperLife Managed Investment Schemes.  The product disclosure statements are available at www.superlife.co.nz

Ready to start saving for the future of your Whānau?