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Kernel Kiwisaver Plan

Kernel High Growth Fund

Aggressive·KiwiSaver fund·Risk 5/7
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The Smiths take

Kernel High Growth Fund Smiths Rating B

Smiths' editorial rating, our internal opinion based on 10-year returns and risk band fit. Not a formal credit rating or regulated star rating.

Smiths reviews this fund against every other aggressive option in NZ on net-of-fees returns and band fit. The full Sorted snapshot is below.

General information only · Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance · For personal advice please contact us.

At a glance

This fund is for investors seeking

Three quick reads for whether the Kernel High Growth Fund fits your situation.

A 10+ years timeframe

This is a aggressive KiwiSaver fund. The provider's recommended minimum holding period sits in the 10+ years range.

A higher-risk investment

Sorted's risk indicator places this at 5 on a 1–7 scale. Bigger swings, potentially higher long-term returns.

Mostly growth assets

99% growth assets (shares, property) and 1% income assets (bonds, cash). Spread across multiple asset classes.

Snapshot

The headline numbers

Mix

99.05% / 0.95%

Growth / Income · avg 98.25% / 1.75%

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Data as at Q1 2026 (31 Mar 2026).

What the provider says

In their own words

“A diversified fund comprising several of the Kernel Funds, targeting high growth and suitable for long-term investors comfortable accepting higher volatility.”
Fund start date
11 April 2022
Withdrawal rules
This is a KiwiSaver fund. generally you can withdraw only to purchase a first home, after the age of 65, or in cases of significant financial hardship.

Asset mix

What this fund actually holds

Growth assets are 99.05% of the fund, income assets the rest. The mix is the latest snapshot from Sorted, with the average for this risk band's KiwiSaver funds shown alongside.

  • Shares
    this fund
    avg

    96.87%

    avg 87.94%

  • Property
    this fund
    avg

    2.18%

    avg 8.38%

  • Other
    this fund
    avg

    0.00%

    avg 1.93%

  • Bonds
    this fund
    avg

    0.00%

    avg 0.38%

  • Cash
    this fund
    avg

    0.95%

    avg 1.37%

What it owns

Top 10 holdings. 33.88% of the fund

The rest is spread across hundreds of other positions. Full holdings live in the provider's portfolio file.

  • Spdr Portfolio Emerging Markets Etf

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    7.09%

  • Nvidia Ord

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    5.08%

  • Apple Inc

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    4.50%

  • Microsoft

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    4.03%

  • Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ord

    Shares

    Australasian Equities
    NZ
    2.67%

  • Amazon.Com Inc

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    2.52%

  • Auckland International Airport

    Shares

    Australasian Equities
    NZ
    2.33%

  • Alphabet Inc Class A

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    2.04%

  • Broadcom Inc

    Shares

    International Equities
    US
    1.83%

  • Infratil Limited

    Shares

    Australasian Equities
    NZ
    1.79%

Yearly returns

2 years on the books

This fund hasn't had a full five-year history yet. Below is the year-by-year story so far, with the group average alongside.

Returns: living in the past

Seeking returns is the point of investing, but the ones shown above are already gone. they won't continue. Pick a fund based on the right mix for your situation, not on past returns.

Risk indicator

Sorted risk rating: 5 of 7

The Sorted risk indicator is calculated from the last 5 years of price volatility. Higher = more ups and downs but typically higher long-term returns.

Lower risk · lower returnsHigher risk · higher returns
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Fund details

The unsexy stats that matter

Total fund value
$464,950,641
Members
9,887
Asset liquidity ratio
100.00%
Debt ratio
0.02%
Default KiwiSaver fund
No
Fund reference
FND37625

Manager

Kernel Kiwisaver Plan

Licensed with the Financial Markets Authority.

NZBN
9429047045989
FSP number
FSP644609

Smiths Health Check

See whether the Kernel High Growth Fund fits your situation.

Take the 90-second Health Check. We'll grade your current setup and give you a personalised recommendation from our advised panel, benchmarked against every fund in the directory, not just kernel.

Our directory covers every NZ KiwiSaver fund. Our advice panel is five schemes (ANZ, Booster, Fisher Funds, Generate, Milford); recommendations land on four funds across Milford and Booster — how we're paid →

Run free Health Check
Data: Sorted Smart Investor. Returns and holdings refresh quarterly. Data as at Q1 2026 (31 Mar 2026). General information only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.