Australasian ESG funds don't live up to hype, says academic

Australasian ESG funds don't live up to hype, says academic
Sebastian Gehricke says there's no standardised way to measure a company's ESG performance. (Image: University of Otago)
Greg Hurrell
Fund managers who have signed up to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment principles often perform no better, or even worse than, other funds on those benchmarks.Dr Sebastian Gehricke is a senior lecturer at the University of Otago and is a member of its Climate & Energy Finance Group. He told a Sharesies’ Shared Lunch webinar that even on the easiest measured metric of greenhouse gas emissions, many fund managers substantially underreported the data.The University of Otago had published a preliminary paper calle...

More Sustainable Finance

The United States' anti-sustainability drive is here to stay
Sustainable Finance

The United States' anti-sustainability drive is here to stay

Many US investors are keeping their heads down without ditching ESG principles.

Greg Hurrell 22 Sep 2025
Responsible investors defy detractors
Sustainable Finance

Responsible investors defy detractors

The hard gains of sustainable finance need to be defended: Auckland conference.

Greg Hurrell 19 Sep 2025
NZ should welcome Chinese cleantech expertise: Lord Turner
Climate change

NZ should welcome Chinese cleantech expertise: Lord Turner

The election of Donald Trump meant a ‘wrenching change’ in US climate policy.

Greg Hurrell 10 Sep 2025
Asset managers caught between two visions of climate change
Sustainable Finance

Asset managers caught between two visions of climate change

NZ's climate-related disclosure regime has focused investors' minds.

Greg Hurrell 04 Sep 2025