Aussie researcher making inroads in NZ

Australian fund researcher Lonsec sees a bright future on this side of the Tasman, after a whistle-stop tour of the North Island received a positive response from advisers.

Thursday, March 22nd 2012, 7:51PM

Lonsec arrived in New Zealand in 2010, only months after fellow Australian research house van Eyk also entered the New Zealand market.

However, according to Lonsec’s New Zealand sales and marketing manager Chris Schroder, the company already has good name recognition among financial advisers in this country, and that should translate to increased demand for its research in future.

In the past few weeks he has been to at least 20 regional towns in the North Island as part of Lonsec’s “When research hits the road” series organised in collaboration with Heathcote Investment Partners.

Schroder said a similar tour of the South Island took place last year, and it also received good feedback.

“We’ve been talking about our methodology, about what goes on in manager meetings and what the outcome is in research reports, as well as how advisers can use that report to assist them in their planning business,” he said.

The meetings had an “intimate” atmosphere, he said, with “between some meetings with three to four” through to “no more than ten” advisers in the room at one time.

“You don’t know who’s going to be there – you might get only five or six responses and the weather has been terrible on a few of the days but the turnout has been great. People have been interested in hearing about our research.

“It’s very important to have unbiased research, independent research to help advisers when they are looking at the universe of funds. There are so many funds available in Australia and New Zealand that it’s important to have that filter.”

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