Five ways to keep your KiwiSaver growing after having a child
This article is a collaboration between Crayon and Mark White-Robinson and Ben Davin, the co-founders of Feijoa. We've included factual information about options available to New Zealand KiwiSaver members. While we mention Feijoa’s product where relevant, this content is designed to be educational.
A baby often brings a drop in income, a rise in expenses, and the fog of sleepless nights, making the idea of contributing to KiwiSaver feel like a bridge too far.
But with women making up 95% of primary carers on parental leave in New Zealand and some mothers opting to return part-time, it's an unfortunate consequence that women's KiwiSaver balances are, on average, 25% lower than men's.
In this article, we step you through five ways you can keep your retirement savings ticking along in the background - even when things are tight and life gets busy - so you're continuing to build your financial future during the baby years.
#1: The $21-a-week habit
Each year, the NZ government contributes $0.25 for every $1 you put into KiwiSaver between 1 July and 30 June if you earn less than $180,000 before tax and you're between 16 and 65 years old.
The government contribution is capped at $260.72, which means you need to contribute at least $1,042.86 of your own money, which includes:
Employee contributions from income, including employer-paid parental leave
Your contributions from government-paid parental leave
Any voluntary contributions
1.2 million eligible Kiwis miss out on the maximum government KiwiSaver contribution each year and forgo a 25% return on their contributions even before their money has been put to work in investments.
Rather than having to find $1,043 at the end of June, a simple way to make sure you don't miss out is to set up an automated transfer of $21 a week from your bank account to your KiwiSaver provider.
Over a year: That's $1,092
If you do this for 10 years (at an average 5% annual return): Around $14,000
If you do this for 18 years: Around $33,000
When you're juggling feeds, naps, and bills, relying on willpower to "remember to save" isn't realistic for most of us. Through your banking app or online portal, you can set up a contribution of any amount to repeat daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
The key here isn't the amount - it's the consistency. If $21 a week isn't feasible, find an amount that is. Even $5 a week is a statement: I'm still building my future, even in this season of chaos.
#2: The round-up
If money feels tight, a round-up can be an easy way to keep building wealth while hardly noticing it.
Round-up apps automatically invest your spare change from everyday purchases. You typically choose whether to round up to the nearest $1, $2, or $5. For example, with a $1 round-up, if you buy a $5.70 flat white, 30c gets invested.
For KiwiSaver specifically: Feijoa is currently the only app in New Zealand that rounds up directly into your KiwiSaver account. According to their user data, people average $2-$3 per day in round-ups based on their spending patterns. This typically equates to around $17.50 a week and $910 a year, getting you most of the way towards the full government KiwiSaver matching, even if you're not employed or contributing through payroll.
Over 10 years at a 5% return, that small daily amount could grow to $11,500, entirely from spare change.
Note: Other round-up apps exist in New Zealand, but they invest into separate investment or savings accounts rather than KiwiSaver.
#3: The team approach
A simple but powerful move: if one parent is taking unpaid leave, the working partner can set up a temporary KiwiSaver savings top-up for them.
Example: The parent in paid employment contributes an extra $100 per month to the KiwiSaver account of the full-time parent. Over 12 months, that's $1,200, more than enough to unlock the full government KiwiSaver matching.
Some apps, including Feijoa, allow you to split round-ups between multiple people's KiwiSaver accounts, making it easier to support a partner on leave (or even children or grandchildren!).
It's a small act of financial equality that compounds over decades and helps reduce the retirement gap that often grows when one parent pauses paid work to raise a family.
#4: The “replace a cost” approach
As children grow, there’s often a shift in weekly spending. One way to keep building your KiwiSaver is to set up an automatic payment to your KiwiSaver account when child-related costs fall, redirecting part of those savings.
For example:
Your baby stops needing formula when they turn one (around $30/week)
Your baby toilet trains and nappies drop off your shopping list (around $30/week)
20 Hour ECE subsidies kick in when your child turns three (amount varies depending on hours and type of care).
Of course, children often bring new costs too. But even redirecting a portion of what you save from nappies or formula still makes a meaningful difference. You won't feel the financial impact because the money was already leaving your account, but your retirement savings get a boost.
#5: Use credit card points
Some credit card issuers in New Zealand allow you to convert your reward points into KiwiSaver contributions. This means you can save for retirement through your existing everyday spending, which is particularly helpful if you’re on a reduced income during parental leave.
Typically, your KiwiSaver and your credit card must be with the same provider to convert the points. Contact your credit card issuer or KiwiSaver provider to learn more.
Why this matters
The retirement savings gap between men and women doesn't happen because of one big financial decision, but rather accumulates over time, through life events such as parental leave. These years may feel like a pause, but for your KiwiSaver, time keeps moving.
The strategies in this article aren't about finding large sums you don't have. They're about maintaining momentum through automation and small, sustainable habits. By setting up systems now, your retirement savings continue growing in the background, even when you're too exhausted to think about it.
Building your KiwiSaver during these years is also an investment in your child's future. Financial self-sufficiency in retirement means you won't need to rely on them for support when they're navigating their own careers, mortgages, or possibly raising children of their own.
Every contribution, no matter how small, is an investment in your future self and in your child's freedom to build their own life.
How Crayon and Feijoa support new parents
Feijoa is on a mission to help New Zealanders optimise the power of KiwiSaver every day. They’ve built a powerful and simple app that makes saving as easy as spending.
As part of Nest: Financial Baby Prep, Crayon helps expecting parents understand the impact having a baby will have on their KiwiSaver.
Now for the important legal part: The information we provide is general and not regulated financial advice for the purposes of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Please seek independent legal, financial, tax or other advice in considering whether the content in this article is appropriate for your goals, situation or needs. The information in this article is current as at 14 October 2025.
Mark White-Robinson
Co-founder, Feijoa
Ben Davin
Co-founder, Feijoa
Stephanie Pow
Founder and CEO, Crayon