Seymour welcomes Sharesies’ youth investment policy

David Seymour has welcomed Sharesies’ announcement that it will contribute to KiwiSaver savings for children under 16.

“Sharesies’ new KiwiSaver kids contribution is a generous initiative that will help more young New Zealanders get started on the path to saving, investing, and ownership,” says Mr Seymour.

“Earlier this year, I spoke about the need to give young New Zealanders a practical introduction to investing. I believe if we stop treating young people as passive observers in the economy and start equipping them to become active creators of wealth, young New Zealanders will have more profitable lives.

“I made a proposal for the Government to put $500 in a controlled investment account for every year 11 student, with a structured pathway into real investing. Approximately five per cent of the annual KiwiSaver subsidy would fund this.

“If we introduce young New Zealanders to these concepts earlier in life, and help them get real skin in the game, we’ll be setting them up for a much more prosperous future.

“A generation of savvy, financially literate young Kiwis will increase productivity more drastically than almost anything else. Imagine the culture change. Instead of being taught to channel their economic frustration into blaming others’ success. We would be teaching young Kiwis to see themselves as owners, investors, participants, and decision-makers.

“I congratulate Sharesies on this initiative and look forward to seeing its impact over the year ahead.”

Under the initiative, Sharesies will contribute $0.25 for every $1 contributed to eligible children’s KiwiSaver accounts between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. The Sharesies contribution is capped at $100 per eligible child and will be paid between July and August 2027.