KiwiSaver has been going just over two years now, and around 1.2 million New Zealanders are now members.
But how well do all the different providers actually communicate with their members? A new award, sponsored by Workplace Savings NZ, is now trying to find out.
The award, called the "Peoples Choice KiwiSaver Communications Award", is being run by the non profit organisation of super providers - formerly called the Association of Superannuation Funds of New Zealand(ASFONZ).
Previously awards were given to different KiwiSaver providers for good communications, but this year the public can have an input, by voting on the association's website and making comments here at nzherald.co.nz.
People are being asked to vote for, or comment on the KiwiSaver provider they believe has done the best job of communicating with its members.
This can take any form - online statements or printed material, along with campaigns undertaken to inform or educate KiwiSavers.
Workplace Savings executive director Bruce Kerr said previous communications awards had "been about trying to help set an ever-improving benchmark for communications by the retirement savings providers."
As a membership organisation, that had meant looking for providers to
"think about how they communicated from the investors point of view and how they minimise legalese and jargon and put things across in factual, yet simple ways that helps convey the message to average, but non-expert investor."
But that had also meant it had "always been the industry examining the industry's ability to communicate."
"And because KiwiSaver is the new investment product on the block we're tying to move to a point where the investors are telling us what they think," said Kerr.
"It's the starting point to try and move towards an 'outside in' point of view of the industry where the investors are actually moving towards giving feedback directly to the KiwiSaver providers. "
- NZ HERALD STAFF
Vote for the best KiwiSaver communicator here
