What Is KiwiSaver?
KiwiSaver is a New Zealand savings and investment scheme designed to help people build money for their future.
Saving for the long term
KiwiSaver is generally connected to employment. Money can be contributed regularly and invested. It's intended primarily for long-term goals, particularly retirement, and there are rules around when and how it can be accessed.
Contributions
🧑 You
Your own contributions.
💼 Employer
Employer contributions, when applicable.
🏛️ Government
Government contributions, when eligible.
We won't go into exact contribution rates or payment amounts here — they can change over time.
KiwiSaver money is invested
Different KiwiSaver funds can invest in different mixes of these — this is just an introduction to the idea.
A real example of long-term thinking
KiwiSaver demonstrates why starting to save and invest early can give money a long time to potentially grow — the same ideas covered in Long-Term Investing and Compound Growth.
KiwiSaver isn't guaranteed growth. Like any investment, its value can rise and fall.
Access rules
KiwiSaver is designed for long-term saving, and there are rules about when you can access the money. Those rules can change over time, so we won't go into specifics here.
A lifetime of contributing
Start saving
Keep contributing
Keep contributing
Keep contributing
Many years to grow
Why might starting earlier give money more time to grow?
More years means more time for contributions to build up and for any investment growth to compound on itself, the way we saw in Compound Growth.
This lesson is about understanding the concept, not making decisions about KiwiSaver. You're welcome to explain your own KiwiSaver contributions if you're comfortable doing so.
Where to next
More on long-term investing and compound growth.