Investor Journeys—Kaye-Maree DunnInvestor Journeys—Kaye-Maree Dunn

Tell us a bit about yourself

I hail from Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Mahanga, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and Ngāi Te Rangikoianaake. I grew up in the Manawatu—a place known as Friendly Feilding. I’m the mother of a 15-year-old son, and Company Director of two amazing businesses —Making Everything Achievable (M.E.A) and Ahau NZ Limited where we are helping individuals stay connected to their whakapapa (genealogy).

Why did you start investing?

For the past five years when engaged by Māori Womens Development Inc, I was involved in designing and delivering financial capability programmes (He Papa Putea and He Rautaki Marae) across New Zealand. Constantly I heard stories where so many whānau were struggling financially and were scared of investing, homeownership, and money. I wanted to show how easy investing could be with a platform like Sharesies who take the fear away and make investing—especially ethical investing—doable.

Tell us about your first investment

We started investing as a whānau. We put our money together and looked through the various investment options available. We went for medium to high-risk investments, and chose companies that have good values, a good track record, and that looked after their staff. It’s important that we put our investment decisions through an ethical filter.

Now, we’re still investing as a whānau, and we invest around $100 a month.

How do you typically manage your money and investments?

I have an accountant and a bookkeeper, as well as an amazing mother-in-law who manages my savings. Having a team to hold me accountable helps make my life easy. However, before I had others to help me with my finances, I had to work really hard to get myself out of dumb debt. I had to put a lot of focus and work towards making my money grow without having to go to work to do that.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about investing, or managing your money?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Your accountant works for you, so make them work to help your money grow. Also, become a partner with your banker (they can help you if you let them).

What are you investing towards?

As a whānau, we’re investing towards building multiple income streams so we can invest in property to house our family. We’re also building up a buffer so we’re always prepared for whatever might come up in the future.

I keep my eye on businesses and companies that are doing good. If we can amplify their good through smart investments, then that’s awesome!

How have you and your whānau’s attitudes changed since you started investing?

Since becoming an investor, I read the sharemarket section of the newspaper to get any insight into the companies or funds I may want to invest in. I keep my eye on tech or business trends that can help me make better investment decisions too. I never would have looked out for this information before I started investing. 

With my whānau, it’s opened up conversations around money and investing that wouldn’t have happened before. It’s also grown our confidence to invest in other things, like cryptocurrencies.

People often think you need loads of money to invest. What tips would you give to everyday New Zealanders who might not think it’s possible?

We no longer need to be afraid of investing, or believe that investing is something only the rich and powerful can do. You can start investing through Sharesies with $5. How awesome!