Categories
ETFs by category
Updated Reviewed quarterly
16 roundups of the ETFs a NZ investor can actually buy, grouped by what the money is doing. Each compares fee, distribution and NZ tax treatment, and states the selection criteria it used — these are categorisations, not rankings.
Core building blocks
The funds most NZ portfolios are actually built from.
- NZ ETFs by category
NZ-domiciled picks across core, dividend, property, ESG and growth — all PIE-taxed.
- Lowest-cost ETFs
Ranked by TER within each asset class, with the after-tax caveat that a lower headline fee is not always cheaper.
- S&P 500 ETFs
VOO, SPY and the PIE-wrapped USF — the same index through three different tax treatments.
- Global ETFs
Broad ex-NZ exposure, PIE wrappers against their US-listed equivalents.
- Bond ETFs
Across the duration and credit spectrum, from T-bills to high yield.
Income
Where the distribution actually comes from, and what it costs in tax.
- Dividend ETFs
US dividend funds and covered-call income compared against the NZX PIE option.
- NZ dividend ETFs
PIE-taxed NZ and Australian dividend funds — no FIF return required.
- Property ETFs
NZ commercial property against global REIT exposure.
Sector and thematic
Concentrated exposure. Higher dispersion, and usually higher fees.
- US sector ETFs
The eleven GICS sectors, and which are reachable from NZ.
- Semiconductor ETFs
Pure-play chip funds against broader tech.
- AI ETFs
What the thematic AI funds actually hold, which is rarely what the name suggests.
Commodities and resources
No cash flow, so the tax treatment and the fee are most of the decision.
- Gold ETFs
Physical bullion trusts against the miners.
- Silver ETFs
Physical silver and silver miners.
- Oil and energy ETFs
Energy equity, futures-based crude, and MLP structures.
- Uranium and nuclear ETFs
Miners against nuclear utilities.
- Crypto ETFs
Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum funds, and how NZ tax treats them.
Comparing two specific funds instead? See thecomparison index, or filter the whole universe in the screener. Selection methodology: how we source and review data.
