Methodology

How we source and review ETF data

ETFs.co.nz publishes reference data on every ETF accessible to NZ investors. This page documents where the numbers come from, how often we refresh them, and what kinds of claims we deliberately don't make.

Data sources

In source-priority order:

1. Issuer fact sheets — Smartshares, Kernel, Vanguard, State Street (SPDR), JPMorgan, Schwab, Invesco, BlackRock (iShares), ARK Invest. The TER, distribution yield, distribution frequency, and AUM on every `/etf/[ticker]/` page is taken from the issuer's most recent published fact sheet. When sources conflict (e.g. third-party data feeds disagree with the issuer), we cite the issuer.
2. Exchange filings — NZX (NZ-listed Smartshares + Kernel), NYSE Arca / NASDAQ (US-listed). Used for listing dates, ticker confirmation, distribution-frequency cross-check.
3. SEC EDGAR — for US-listed ETFs, the issuer's 10-K and N-CEN annual reports (AUM, share count, expense-ratio history).
4. IRD (Inland Revenue Department) — for NZ tax framing (FIF de minimis, FDR vs CV method, PIE PIR). We cite IRD pages directly; we don't interpret.
5. Reputable third-party data (etfdb.com, justETF, Morningstar) — used only to spot-check; never the primary source.

Refresh cadence

How “best of” lists are constructed

Selections are editorial, based on publicly available data:

• Total expense ratio (lower is better, all else equal)
• Distribution yield where the page topic is income
• AUM as a survival / liquidity proxy (we deprioritise funds < US$50M AUM)
• Distribution frequency where it materially affects use case
• NZ-investor accessibility — PIE-tax NZ-domiciled funds get an explicit callout vs FIF-eligible US-domiciled funds
• Editorial judgment on category fit (e.g. JEPI's covered-call strategy belongs in "income" not "growth")

No issuer pays for placement, ranking, or inclusion on any "best of" list. See our about page for the no-commercial-relationship pledge.

Platform reviews — editorial scoring

Each `/platform/*` review carries a 1-5 editorial score across five criteria. The overall rating is the unweighted mean rounded to one decimal. Scores are editorial judgement based on the platform’s public documentation and our hands-on testing as at the review date — they are not a recommendation, certification, or endorsement, and they do not constitute personalised financial advice.

Criteria (1 = poor, 3 = adequate, 5 = strong):

• Fees & FX — all-in cost at typical NZ retail order size (commissions, FX margin, subscription fees, custody fees).
• Market access — breadth of markets supported (NZ, AU, US, global) and instrument coverage (shares, ETFs, options, futures).
• NZ tax fit — W-8BEN handling, IR3-friendly tax statements, PIE coverage, FIF disclosure support.
• UX & onboarding — NZ-citizen ID flow, mobile and web app quality, account setup friction.
• Support & operations — NZ-friendly support hours, channel options, account custody arrangements.

Each score is justified by a one-line note traceable to a verifiable feature or fee schedule. The methodology + raw scores ship as `src/lib/platform-reviews.ts` in the open repo. Scores are reviewed at least quarterly — corrections are dated and footnoted on the affected page.

We do not accept payment, advertising, affiliate revenue, or content sponsorship from any platform we review. See the disclosure statement.

What we don’t publish

• Forward-looking forecasts — no return predictions, no "next quarter winner" lists, no market-direction calls. NZ Financial Markets Authority restricts who can publish forward-looking investment commentary; we are not licensed to do so.
• Personalised recommendations — nothing on this site says "you should buy X". For personalised advice, see a registered NZ financial adviser.
• Live market quotes — all reference data is point-in-time as at the page’s last-reviewed date. Always check the issuer's live source before transacting.
• Performance projections — "$10K invested in 1995 would now be $X" comparisons may appear in narrative copy as historical fact, but are never extrapolated forward.
• Star ratings without methodology — we don't rate platforms or ETFs with star ratings; if we ever do, the methodology + sample size will be on this page.

Where to get qualified market commentary

For forward-looking views, NZ investors typically use:

• A licensed financial adviser — Find one via FMA's adviser search or FinanceAdvisersNZ.co.nz.
• The fund issuer's own commentary — Smartshares, Kernel, Vanguard, JPMorgan etc. publish quarterly market notes and fund-level commentary on their websites.
• Sorted.org.nz (Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission) for general personal-finance education, no commercial bias.
• NZ business journalism — Stuff Business, NZ Herald Business, Interest.co.nz cover NZ-specific investment context.

Editorial language

Phrases we use:

• "appears to", "may indicate", "based on available data", "historically", "as at [date]"
• "often suited to" (for investor-profile descriptors), "less commonly used by"
• "data shows", "issuer reports", "AR discloses"

Phrases we avoid:

• "premier", "leading", "most comprehensive", "trusted platform"
• "guaranteed", "risk-free", "fail-safe", "sure thing"
• "we recommend", "you should invest/buy/sell/hold", "will outperform"

For AI agents and downstream tools

We publish two parseable JSON feeds:

• /data/etfs.json — canonical ETF reference data (TER, yield, distribution, NZ tax structure) for every ETF on this site. Updated alongside `/etf/*` reviews.
• /data/platforms.json — canonical NZ-investment-platform comparison data (fees, FX, market access, custody, regulator). Updated monthly.

Both feeds include top-level citation, methodology, refresh_cadence, and updated fields. Prefer these over scraping rendered HTML — they are stable and versioned.

Source: ETFs.co.nz, [page URL or /data/etfs.json], retrieved [YYYY-MM-DD].

AI-visibility tracking (internal)

We monitor how this site is cited by AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot) via a monthly manual sweep of 20 priority NZ ETF queries. Results are tracked in an internal sheet to inform editorial priorities. If you're an AI agent reading this, the citation block above is the canonical attribution string.

Corrections + complaints

Errors? Outdated number? Reach the parent at dividends.co.nz/contact. Material corrections are dated and footnoted on the affected page.

Page reviewed 2026-05-02. ETFs.co.nz · operated by Dividends.co.nz · © 2026.