New Zealand's Financial Market's Authority Podcasts

Feeling unsure about your KiwiSaver right now? You’re not alone.
With rising costs and market ups and downs, many New Zealanders are asking whether they should be making changes to their KiwiSaver.
In this episode of Jess Learns to Invest, Jess speaks with John Duffy from Consumer NZ about what’s happening  and what to think about before making decisions.
In this episode, we cover:
✅ Why KiwiSaver can feel harder to prioritise during cost of living pressure
 ✅ What it means when your balance drops
 ✅ Why reacting in the moment can lock in losses
 ✅ Why it pays to know what fund you’re in
 ✅ How fees impact your savings over time
 ✅ What to watch out for with financial advice online
 ✅ Where to go for trusted KiwiSaver information
If you’ve ever wondered whether you should make changes to your KiwiSaver, or just want to feel more confident about your long-term savings, this episode is a great place to start.

We’ve released updated guidance to help issuers clearly and accurately disclose sustainability‑related characteristics of financial products.
As products are increasingly marketed as ethical, sustainable, ESG or green, good disclosure matters. 
Our updated Sustainability‑related disclosure guidance:
✔ explains how existing fair‑dealing and disclosure obligations apply
 ✔ outlines what good practice looks like
 ✔ is built around four core principles — clarity, substantiation, consistency and effective management of third‑party involvement
 ✔ brings earlier guidance together in one place
Listen to the latest 5 Minutes with the FMA podcast to hear Acting Head of Specialist Supervision, Marcus McMillan, talk through what’s changed and why it matters.
Find the guidance and listen to the podcast on our website: https://www.fma.govt.nz/assets/Guidance/Sustainability-related-disclosure-guidance.pdf

Kiwis are increasingly turning to social media for money advice from finfluencers and online forums to podcasts. Some of this content can be genuinely informative, but other posts can be misleading, heavily promotional, or even linked to scams.
In this episode of our Occasional Conversation podcast, Jess is joined by Anna Godfrey from our Financial Advice team and Elizabeth Asmerom Asfaha from our Regulatory Services team to unpack what to look out for when engaging with money content online.
They discuss:
What “finfluencers” are and why their content is so popular
The difference between general financial information and regulated financial advice
Common red flags, including guaranteed returns, pressure tactics and flashy lifestyle marketing
What to look for in paid promotions, referral links and sponsored content
Simple steps you can take before acting on money advice they see online
The risks for financial advisers and firms using finfluencers or influencer-style content
If you come across money content that feels high pressure, too good to be true, or unclear about incentives, slow down and do your research.
Find our finfluencer guidance here: Staying Safe with Online Money Advice | Financial Markets Authority

Financial advice can make a real difference to people’s financial wellbeing but not everyone in New Zealand is able to access it.
In this episode of 5 mins with the FMA, we talk with Romil Ghelani, Head of Financial Advice at the FMA, about the findings from the FMA’s Access to Financial Advice Review.
The review looks at:
How many New Zealanders are accessing financial advice
Why some groups are under‑represented
What consumers think financial advice is — and what stops them from using it
The role of technology and innovation, including AI
Opportunities for the sector to improve access and outcomes
The review is based on research with 1,000 New Zealanders and extensive engagement with the financial advice industry. It forms the basis for the FMA’s ongoing conversations with industry about how we can collectively improve access to financial advice for New Zealanders.
Find the full reports and more information on our website: https://www.fma.govt.nz/library/reports-and-papers/access-to-financial-advice-in-new-zealand/

In this episode of Jess Learns to Invest, Jess sits down with Tom Hartmann, Personal Finance Lead at Sorted, to unpack one of the most important concepts in investing: portfolio diversification.

Together, they break down what a portfolio actually is, why diversification matters, and how spreading your investments across different assets, industries and regions can help manage risk over time. They also explore how diversification works inside managed funds and KiwiSaver, the difference between diversification and asset allocation, and why “set and forget” doesn’t mean “never check”.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• What a portfolio is (and why it’s more than just one investment)
• What diversification really means and how it helps manage risk
• The difference between diversification and asset allocation
• How managed funds and KiwiSaver can help you diversify from day one
• Why rebalancing matters and how fund managers do it for you
• Common diversification mistakes and how to avoid them
• Why fees matter over the long term

🎧 Jess Learns to Invest is a podcast helping New Zealanders understand investing in a clear, practical way.

🔗 Find tools mentioned in this episode at sorted.org.nz

This podcast is general information only and is not financial advice.