Impact Investing Network
Kia ora <<First Name>>,
Welcome to the March edition of impact investing news in Aotearoa NZ and globally.
It was fabulous to celebrate International Women’s Day recently. We’re proud to have the diverse representation of our women leaders contributing to the sound governance of the NAB and the Impact Investing Network's activities.
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Raewyn Jones departs the NAB
Raewyn Jones has officially finished her three year tenure on the NAB. As one of the founding NAB members Raewyn made a pivotal contribution to the NAB and impact investing sector. Alastair Rhodes replaced Raewyn as the Philanthropy New Zealand (PNZ) representative in 2020 as part of the planned transition period.
We asked Raewyn to share her highlights while on the NAB and future opportunities in impacting investing. Read Raewyn’s insights on the IIN website.
Raewyn wished the NAB well and said, “It has been a real privilege to serve with such a great team on the NAB for the past 3 years as the PNZ representative, and it's exciting to see the progress since inception. In the philanthropic sector we’ve gone from the majority of Trusts and Foundations being ‘impact curious’ to actively looking at how they can leverage their investments for impact, and leading the change through blended finance. I look forward to seeing the progress over the next few years”.
David Woods, the NAB’s Chair, said "It’s with very mixed feelings that we say goodbye to Raewyn as a founder member of the NAB. She’s been highly instrumental to our development over the last few years and a huge contributor at every level. While she’s very ably succeeded by Alastair Rhodes as the PNZ delegate on the NAB, we’ll miss her, both professionally and personally".
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Upcoming events
Discover the latest trends and connect with the impact investing community at these upcoming events.
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Webinar - impact investment measurement
Impact measurement is a critical principle of impact investing. However it can be confusing and overwhelming given the multiple approaches available.
The IIN plans to host a webinar to help members navigate this area with NZ and global practices and case studies.
Also, the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) and the Education Outcomes Fund has released a report on results-based finance (RBF) to foster impact-driven economies with outcomes-based government spending.
Please register your interest by 28 March to attend a webinar on impact investment measurement and results-based financing. If we get sufficient interest we’ll host a webinar on Thursday 15 April, 12:00-1:30pm.
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IIN breakfast event - new date confirmed
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Aotearoa NZ Impact Investments
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The Aotearoa Pledge - $100m to build affordable housing
Community Finance, an impact investment platform, has a bold vision to raise $100m in 2021 to increase the new housing supply in Aotearoa.
The Aotearoa Pledge was launched to build affordable homes, through a Community Bond model, by facilitating finance between investors and Community Housing Providers. $51m has already been raised from ANZ Bank, Generate KiwiSaver Scheme, Pathfinder Asset Management, Forsyth Barr, the Lindsay Foundation, Clare Foundation and WEL Energy Trust.
James Palmer, Community Finance’s CEO, said “Impact investing through Community Finance enables investors to obtain the financial returns they seek, while delivering more affordable homes for current and future generations of Kiwis who need it the most”.
Last year, Community Finance successfully raised $40m to build 118 new homes through the Salvation Army Community Bond.
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ACC Impact Fund makes first investment into Robotics Plus
ACC’s Impact Investment Fund has made its first investment into Tauranga-based Robotics Plus.
The technology by Robotics Plus is designed to keep agriculture, forestry and transport workers safe. This impact investment, between $2m to $15m, aligns with ACC's Impact Fund objectives to improve the safety and wellbeing of New Zealanders and provide investment returns.
Martin Goldfinch, ACC’s Head of Private Markets, said "This investment was a perfect fit with our goal to ensure Kiwis stay healthy and safe while contributing to a financially sustainable scheme for the benefit of all New Zealanders”.
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Role of government and impact investment with SDGs
Government has a critical role to play to ensure impact investment is a foundation for meeting the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Particularly given the Covid-19 pandemic. Governments need to be market facilitators, participants and regulators.
This is according to research published by the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The report Towards an Enabling Policy Environment for Impact Investment helps policymakers catalyse impact investment in their economies with research and case studies from the Asia region.
Cliff Prior, GSG’s CEO, said “We have an opportunity to rebuild economies that are more equal and resilient to future shocks, and impact investing should be one of their foundations”.
In Aotearoa NZ, the Government has committed to the 17 SDGs and its "commitment to productive, sustainable and inclusive economic development". Publishing a review of its progress towards meeting the SDGs in 2019.
Members can access the report and article on the IIN website.
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Women’s Livelihood Bond
To acknowledge the recent International Women's Day it’s fitting to share the Women’s Livelihood Bond (WLB) facilitated by the Impact Investment Exchange (IIX).
The IIX is based in Singapore and facilitates impact investing to enable women to grow impact enterprises with microfinance.
The WLB is the world’s first impact investing instrument to be listed on a stock exchange (Singapore). The WLB Series aims to issue $US150million to create sustainable livelihoods for over 3 million women in underserved communities.
The third WLB bond, successfully issued nearly $US28million in December 2020. Along with global investors, New Zealand institutional investors were part of the bond issue including Pathfinder NZ, ANZ and NZ Super Fund.
Paul White, ANZ’s Head of Capital Market, said, “The transaction was well received from a broad spectrum of investors who are searching for a social impact investment and we were especially pleased with the depth of demand from our Australia and New Zealand investor base”.
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Introduction to impact investing
If you’re new to impact investing and curious, these resources are good starting points.
For Aotearoa NZ context, these resources are kindly provided by Steven Moe (Parry Field Lawyers, Seeds podcast) and the Centre for Social Impact.
- Investing with impact. A short introduction to impact investing in New Zealand written for Institute of Directors and media article.
- For an in-depth version read the Overview of Impact Investing in Aotearoa. This report outlines the essential ingredients that set impact investing apart with Aotearoa NZ and global case studies.
Globally, The Case Foundation’s A Short Guide to Impact Investing is an accessible guide with a flexible framework and global case studies.
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IIN resources
We’re continually updating the IIN website to bring curated resources on impact investing from the NZ and global context.
By signing up new members can access news, resources and events.
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