Greg Smith: KiwiSaver from birth has promise, but design will make or break it

OpinionOpinion byGreg SmithNZ Herald·19 May, 2026 05:00 PM9 mins to readGreg Smith is an investment specialist at GenerateNew Zealand First leader Winston Peters has announced a proposal to automatically enrol every newborn New Zealand citizen into KiwiSaver, with a one-off $1000 government contribution paid at birth. Photo / Dean Purcell

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has announced a proposal to automatically enrol every newborn New Zealand citizen into KiwiSaver, with a one-off $1000 government contribution paid at birth. The policy has been framed as the start of a “KiwiSaver Generation”, alongside the party’s longer-standing call for compulsory KiwiSaver and