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Impact Investing Ecosystem

Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique impact investing network is made up of investors, businesses, governments, service providers, foundations and trusts, and other organisations.

This ecosystem is the foundation to the impact investing landscape, providing a platform to create positive social, environmental, and cultural impact, alongside financial return.

Recent Deals

Date
Name
Size
Details

18 Jun 2024

$220m

Singapore-based fund SC Oscar has acquired Rānui Energy through its subsidiary fund, SC Renewable Energy Plus Fund 1. The funding will enable Rānui to start construction of a solar farm in Northland. Three more green solar projects are in the pipeline for 2025. This will help Aotearoa's transition to renewable energy. 

9 Apr 2024

$7.4m

Loadstone Energy Limited strives to create innovative and clean energy by harnessing solar energy. They achieve this through a growing network of solar farms throughout Aotearoa, with a mission to power 50,000 homes.

3 Apr 2024

$400k

Starboard Maritime provides comprehensive, real-time behavioural insights to help teams within both private and government-related entities analyse maritime activities.

14 Mar 2024

ANDFOODS - Icehouse

$2.7m

ANDFOODS is on a mission to improve the food system. They do this by producing high quality, nutritious, and functional dairy alternatives. Better yet, they make them available to other companies to use in their own products.


17 Feb 2024

$1.5m

Miruku aims to grow dairy products in genetically-modified plants in order to enable the manufacture of dairy without the cow at scale. To do this, Miruku employs a process known as ‘molecular farming’, where plant cells are recruited as mini factories to produce dairy proteins, fats and sugars identical to those that have been traditionally sourced from animals.

6 Feb 2024

(undisclosed)

NovoLabs is a visionary water treatment start-up with a mission to transform the way we disinfect wastewater, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

30 Jan 2024

$1m

Money Sweetspot is a social finance company which provides individuals in a debt trap with a financial reset, consolidating their loans into one repayment with a manageable interest rate. They also provide financial education and rewards can be used towards repayments to encourage borrowers to become debt free.

17 Dec 2023

$1.5m

Soul Capital have led Critical.'s $1.5m seed investment round. 


Critical. are building both the products and the technology platform to transform plastic waste into beautiful, low carbon and endlessly recyclable materials to empower the next generation of buildings that would make our mokopuna proud.

30 Nov 2023

Homes of Choice - Soul Capital 

$6.99m

Homes of Choice provides affordable and accessible housing across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to whānau and individuals living with a disability.

25 Sept 2023

$1.5m

Motion Capital has led $1.5m of investment into Christchurch-based Aspiring Materials.

Aspiring Materials develops carbon capture and abatement materials from commonly found volcanic rocks, which have the potential significantly reduce emissions in industrial processes such as concrete manufacturing.

29 Aug 2023

(undisclosed)

Purpose Capital Impact Fund has become a major shareholder in Cool Group Limited with a 37.50% shareholding. 


Cool Group’s solutions use refrigerant that has significantly lower Global Warming Potential than legacy systems (up to 3,920 GWP vs 466 GWP). They also use much less refrigerant (7kg vs an average of 30kgs). In combination, the company estimates that replacing one legacy system with a Coolsense system instantly removes 90 Tonnes net CO2 equivalent from the average farm.

14 Aug 2023

The Pure Food Co - ACC Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Impact Fund

(undisclosed)

Access to good nutrition is essential to live a healthy life and minimise the risks of falls and illness as we grow older.


ACC’s Investment Fund has invested in The Pure Food Co, the New Zealand developer of nutritional foods and beverages for older people that is now taking its products to the world.

4 Aug 2023

$4m

Agritech firm Hot Lime Labs, which is disrupting the way CO2 is captured, has raised $4 million in an over-subscribed funding round that valued it at $20 million. Investors included Flying Kiwi Angels, Climate VC Fund, Icehouse Ventures, and others.

2 Jun 2023

$1m

Impact investor Soul Capital has committed another $1 million into carbon footprint management fintech company Cogo, which will go towards its push into North America.

19 Oct 2022

$10m

Lodestone will have established five sites across the upper North Island which will generate enough renewable energy to power the likes of Hamilton (NZs fourth largest city). Lodestone is also pioneering agri-voltaics in New Zealand, which is the process of elevating the solar panels enough that the land beneath can continue to be used for agriculture or horticulture.

10 Oct 2022

Brightlight Group - Te Puna Hapori Series II Social Housing Bond

$37m

This $37 million bond issuance will be utilised to fund a diversified portfolio of six New Zealand community housing projects across Northland, South Auckland and Canterbury.

30 Sept 2022

Nymbl - ACC Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Impact Fund

$3.5m

Falls are the most common cause of injury in Aotearoa, making up 39 per cent of all claims.


In 2022, around 172,000 people aged 65 and over had a fall-related ACC claim – that’s 22 per cent of that age group. It’s a big problem, so ACC are doing something about it.


Introducing Nymbl – a free, fun and easy-to-use app that is fully funded by ACC. Nymbl is designed to help people 50 and older stay on their feet, combining simple body movements with brain games to challenge both the brain and body.

31 Aug 2022

$8.8m

Lower cost finance issued as debt to the registered Charitable Community Housing Provider CORT in support of their social housing programme in the Auckland region. He kāinga pai mō ngā tangata hiahia whare. Good homes for people that need them.

1 Jun 2022

Cleanery - Climate VC Fund

$2.34m

Climate VC Fund is the largest investor in a seed round of $2.34m for Cleanery, the Kiwi eco-cleaning and personal care products company.

1 May 2022

CarbonCrop - Climate VC Fund

$1.9m

Investors: WNT Ventures Fund 3, Impact Enterprise Fund, K1W1, and Icehouse Ventures Climate Fund. CarbonCrop makes carbon credits more accessible to landholders and aim to increase native forestry in New Zealand, increasing the carbon sequestered from our atmosphere in the process.

1 Mar 2022

$13.7m

Generate KiwiSaver Scheme made a $13.7m impact investment. The deal structured by Brightlight Group and aims to deliver social impact, alongside fixed interest returns and payments from long-term leases. Te Puna Hapori, is a Trust Waikato and Brighlight partnership, meaning 'wellspring of life for communities', read more.

Recent Deals
Impact funds

Impact Funds

Impact Funds
Description
Impact Priorities
Investments
Stage
Target IRR
Status
Target Size

Aims to future-proof New Zealand’s farmlands by applying large scale regenerative farming techniques to environmentally degraded and financially distressed dairy farmlands.

Regenerative farming

Early-stage, growth

Undisclosed

12-15%

Beginning phase

Undisclosed

Through targeted investment and actions, we're accelerating the development of tools and technology to help New Zealand farmers reduce biogenic methane and nitrous oxide emissions from ruminant animals.

We’re scanning the world for solutions and we’re strategically deploying venture capital and catalyst funds to drive affordable and effective solutions for pasture-based farming.

Carbon Emissions

Early stage, growth

Open

The fund is looking to invest across Australasia and the Pacific into early-stage ventures generating market returns and with potential for out-sized and mitigation of climate risk and/or its impact.

Mitigation of climate risk and/or its impact

Early stage, growth

20%+

Open

$50m

Provide low-cost finance to New Zealand’s Community Housing Providers to build new, safe and affordable homes for Kiwis.

Housing, health, wellbeing, social

Early stage, growth

Priced to current interest rate market with a margin above the corresponding swap rate

Open

$500m

Investments focus on expansion opportunities in fast growing sectors such as sustainable food production, agriculture technology, healthcare, clean energy, and education.

Multi-sector: Social or Environmental

Early stage, Growth

15%+

Closed

$9m

Investing in kiwi technology companies that help the world decarbonise.

Carbon emissions

Early stage, growth

Portfolio

Not disclosed

Open

Undisclosed

A Fund that purchases existing homes throughout New Zealand and leases these properties to the government for the accommodation of vulnerable children and young people and their caregivers.

Housing of NZ's most vulnerable children and youth.

8%+

Raising

$70m

A follow on fund to the Impact Enterprise Fund. Investments focus on expansion opportunities in fast growing sectors such as sustainable food production, agriculture technology, healthcare, clean energy, and education.

Multi-sector: Social or Environmental

Early stage, Growth

15%+

Raising capital

$30-$60m

An equity fund called Positive Property (managed by Positive Capital) that co-owns new social housing supply in partnership with registered charitable community housing providers.

Housing, health, wellbeing, social.

Early stage, growth

Target pre-tax cash return of 4.5% or above

Open

$500m

Purpose Capital is a private equity stage fund whose mission is to drive social and environmental change and demonstrate a new way to make money work.

Affordable housing, social inequality, climate change, environmental degradation.

Growth, asset-backed

Risk adjusted returns

Accepting EOI for co-investment and fund 2

$36m (AUM)

Soul Capital invests in enterprises and projects whose purpose is to tackle societal or environmental problems head on with innovation and scalable business models.

Multi-sector: Social or Environmental

Early stage, growth

Varies

Awhi Fund: Fully Deployed
Te Pae ki te Rangi Fund: Investing, open to investor interest

$75m

The Te Puna Hapori (meaning "spring of wellbeing") Community Infrastructure Strategy aims to deliver safe, warm and healthy communities for individuals and families to build a home, be educated, grow and flourish.

Community Infrastructure

Social protection, education and health infrastructure

3-4%

Raising capital

Building a system to create new value for climate action. Through new impact assets, markets and network infrastructure we can allow the true value of regenerative action to be recognised and traded. We are on a mission to unleash impact investment to the frontline with urgency, and at scale.

Climate action, environment regeneration

Early stage, growth

Undisclosed

Undisclosed

Open

Undisclosed

Trusts and Foundations

Trusts and Foundations

Trusts and Foundations
Description
Impact Priorities
Programmes

Community trust focused on community welfare in the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. The trust manages over $250m of investment capital with 10% of this capital targeted for impact investments and impact loans and the proceeds from all investments directed to community grants, impact loans and impact investments.

Kaitiakitanga, Community wellbeing, Tū Maori Mai
Healthy, Secure and Affordable Housing

Guardian of community endowment of over $258 million. We help a wide range of groups and people here in the south every year by distributing millions of dollars in grants, scholarships and community loans.

Health, Wellbeing and Active Lifestyles; Community and Economic Development; Education; Arts, Heritage and Culture

Provides grants and support to community organisations operating in the Gisborne Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Tararua, Manawatu, Horowhenua and Wairarapa districts.

Children and young people; Māori; Families affected by disadvantage; Older people.

Provides funding and support to initiatives large and small to respond to their communities now and for generations to come. In doing so, we support community-based initiatives in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Tokerau.

Increased Equity, Social Inclusion, Regenerative Environment, Community Support

We are focused on making the Waikato the most generous region on the planet. A better Waikato for everyone, forever.

Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, Economic Vitality, Education, Environment, Health, Recreation & Sport
Strong Communities.

Community-owned charitable trust that provides grants to assist community projects that make a positive contribution to Otago communities.

Empowered communities; Improved health and wellbeing; Increased access to opportunities; Thriving children and young people.

Supporting a wide range of not-for-profit organisations and groups from across the Rotorua community.

Vibrancy, Health, Environment, Education, Community

South Island’s largest philanthropic funder. Each year we grant around $20 million to invest in community organisations in Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and the Chatham Islands.

Learn, Support, Connect, Participate, Sustain

As a community-focused trust, we provide support for local initiatives, facilities and events that bring vibrancy, connectedness, growth and economic benefits to the Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga regions.

Community Facilities, Development and Events

Private philanthropic family foundation working throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. We are helping to build a stronger, sustainable nation so that family, communities and our environment thrive now and in the future.

Family, Community, Environment

To support our communities to build a thriving, inclusive and equitable Taranaki.

Environment, Opportunities, Child and Youth Wellbeing, Māori Aspiration

Dedicated to investing in a wide range of energy projects, spanning across Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki, Kawerau, and Kaingaroa Village.

Community Leadership, Community Pride, Sustainable Energy, Work-ready Rangatahi, Employed Locals

Aims to achieve transformational change for people, families, communities and places where the need is greatest.

Arts and culture, Education, History, Social services, Sports and recreation, Youth, The environment

Provider of community funding to Hamilton City & Waikato District.

Thriving Communities, Healthy Environment, Equitable Outcomes and Māori Aspirations.

Asset and Investment Managers

Asset and Investment Managers

Asset and Investment Managers
Description
Impact Priorities

We exist to transform lives through purposeful investing. We provide scalable investment solutions to help our value-led investors achieve our shared goal of a more socially and environmentally just world.

Cure Kids Ventures (CKV) is New Zealand’s predominant seed and early stage healthcare investment fund that invests in New Zealand’s emerging healthcare companies which can positively impact the health of children.

Cure Kids Ventures (CKV) is owned by Cure Kids Foundation, New Zealand’s largest private funder of child health research. Since 2008, CKV has invested in a portfolio of companies with products and services covering medical devices, medications, diagnostics, health information and healthcare delivery systems.

Offers a world-class team of advisers right here in New Zealand, delivering innovative financial services and investment opportunities, supported by award-winning local and global research.

First KiwiSaver Scheme to make an impact investment into social housing with a $15m investment in Salvation Army community bonds.

Through our digital platform, world-class investment funds and quality financial resources, Kiwis now have an effective way to grow their savings over the long-term.

The Guardians has a long-standing commitment to Responsible Investment. We believe environmental, social and governance considerations, including climate change, are fundamental to long-term risk and return.

New Zealand Green Investment Finance is a green investment bank established with the purpose of accelerating investment to enable Aotearoa New Zealand’s low carbon future.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With a broad and flexible mandate, their investments take many forms, from debt to equity, with the ability to take risk positions that help attract co-investors.

Read about their investments here: https://nzgif.co.nz/investing/our-investments/

Not only do we invest ethically, excluding sectors that do harm, but we actively invest in companies doing good.

Simplicity is a non-profit funder manager, owned by the Simplicity Foundation.

Advisory and service providers

Advisory and service providers

Advisory and service providers
Description
Impact Priorities
Programmes

Ākina is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading impact development consultancy.

Our specialists have backgrounds in sustainable finance, social finance, funds, charitable structuring, corporate governance, iwi and government.

Through targeted packages of pro-bono (financial and business advisory) support, the accelerator connects Deloitte professionals to collaborate with game-changing enterprises that fulfill our purpose, by helping you achieve yours.



Our purpose is building a better working world. The insights and services we provide help to create long-term value for clients, people and society, and to build trust in the capital markets.

We partner with for-purpose organisations to design solutions that secure financial resources that enables them to deliver greater impact.

Home to the innovators, the dreamers, and the entrepreneurs who are creating tangible solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Impact Ventures is a founding member and partner in the Impact Enterprise Fund, New Zealand’s first impact investing fund. Provides impact investing and corporate finance advisory services.

ImpactLab was created to empower funders and service providers to make informed decisions.

Provide legal services aimed at getting to the heart of what matters to our valued clients.

We help clients integrate sustainability into their long-term strategic vision.

Law firm, known as the go-to team for tackling complex legal problems.

Help clients solve complex problems and optimise for positive impact.

New Zealand Resources and Initiatives

NZ Resources

New Zealand Resources and Initiatives
Description
Impact Priorities

Auckland Climate Response Grants are one-off grants open to a range of groups particularly those who have not previously engaged with climate action activity or are rapidly building capacity in this area.

We will give priority to applications in these areas: Transport; Energy; Food; Māori-led projects.

The Auckland Climate Strategic Grant supports programmes and activities aligning with one or more priority activity themes (Transport, Food, Energy, or Māori-led) with tangible or clearly quantifiable emissions reduction and/or resilience outcomes. Strategic grants will be expected to have more significant impacts than response grants.

We will give priority to applications in these areas: Transport; Energy; Food; Māori-led projects.

Our purpose is to accelerate progress towards a sustainable, equitable and inclusive financial system in Aotearoa.

We instigate and participate in collaborations across three focus areas: Galvanising leadership;
Changing norms, rules and standards; Building capability.

We are a charity that promotes ethical investment and empower all New Zealanders to be responsible for how they invest their savings.

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) champions responsible investing and a sustainable financial system in Australia and New Zealand. RIAA is dedicated to ensuring capital is aligned with achieving a healthy society, environment and economy.

A network that enables system change in the areas of climate, waste and nature.

In October 2021, the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was passed and received Royal Assent. As a result, the XRB now has a mandate to issue climate standards as part of a climate-related disclosures framework, and guidance on non-financial matters.

Indigenous

Indigenous
Description
Impact Priorities

Indigenous ethical investing, Te Kōwhiringa Tapu is the process. We apply ancestral Māori knowledge to determine
a set of key principles to guide and drive investment behaviours and decisions.

Indigenous investing, regeneration

Economic wellbeing of our communities and Te Taiao at its core.

Impact investment fund seeking to deliver on three focus areas (increased equity, social inclusion, regenerative environments) in Tamaki Makaurau and Te Taitokerau.

Increased Equity/Hāpai te ōritetanga, Social Inclusion/Whakauru mai, Regenerative Environments/Whakahou taiao

We collaborate closely with investors, funders, local and indigenous communities to design systemic investment programmes and projects.

Tikangi-led, Climate Innovation, Housing

Indigenous

Government

Government Agency
Description
Size
Programmes

Supports problem-solving and innovation in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector by co-investing in initiatives that make a positive and lasting difference.

~ $40m per year

Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund

Supports projects that will minimise plastic waste and its harm on the environment.

$50M over 4 years

Plastics Innovation Fund

Seeks to strengthen Pacific resilience through mid-size investments that generate inclusive employment and sustainable development.

$50M

InvestPacific

Education

Education 
Company/Organisation 
Programme
Description
Cost

The CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing offers you both practical application and technical knowledge in the fast-growing field of ESG investing — an opportunity to both accelerate progress and demonstrate purpose.

$1,050

In the course, you’ll learn to improve decision-making for positive impact on people and planet in line with the SDG Impact Standards and the Operating Principles for Impact Management

Free

With two flexible learning routes to choose from – online self-paced via the GRI Academy (route A) or blended and instructor-led (route B) –GRI Professional Certification program provides a unique opportunity to gain expertise and global recognition in sustainability reporting with the GRI Standards.

$1,050 - 2,050

A treasure trove of free how-to resources for impact-led organisations including; impact investment, measurement and models; social procurement; social lean canvas; social enterprise business models.

Free

The FSA Credential is designed for professionals who benefit from understanding the link between financially material sustainability information and a company’s ability to drive enterprise value.

Two Part test
Part one $730
Part two $1,050

Government
Education
Global

Global 

Global Organisation/Intiative
Description

GIIN focuses on reducing barriers to impact investment so more investors can allocate capital to fund solutions to the world's most intractable challenges. GIIN does this by building critical infrastructure and developing activities, education, and research that help accelerate the development of a coherent impact investing industry.

The Global Reporting Initiative is an international independent standards organisation that helps businesses, governments and other organisations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human rights and corruption.

A registered UK charity since November 2017, The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) currently has 35 member countries. Chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen, the GSG brings together leaders from finance, business and philanthropy to solve some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. GSG is an independent organisation catalysing impact investment and entrepreneurship to benefit people and the planet.

The IMP has brought together a range of different organisations to build and further global consensus on how to measure, assess and report impacts on people and the environment.

The mission of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Project is to drive the creation of financial accounts that reflect a company’s financial, social, and environmental performance. Its ambition is to create accounting statements that transparently capture external impacts in a way that drives investor and managerial decision making.

SASB Standards guide the disclosure of financially material sustainability information by companies to their investors. Available for 77 industries, the Standards identify the subset of environmental, social, and governance issues most relevant to financial performance in each industry.

The Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures provides information to investors about what companies are doing to mitigate the risks of climate change, as well as be transparent about the way in which they are governed

The Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures will develop recommendations that organisations can follow when disclosing information about the exposure of their companies to natural hazards.

Toniic is a global community of asset owners seeking deeper positive net impact across the spectrum of capital

The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation

The Value Reporting Foundation is a global nonprofit organisation that offers a comprehensive suite of resources designed to help businesses and investors develop a shared understanding of enterprise value—how it is created, preserved or eroded over time. The resources— including the Integrated Thinking Principles, the Integrated Reporting Framework and SASB Standards—can be used alone or in combination, depending on business needs.

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