Investors are looking to put more of their money into businesses committed to addressing climate change, but want some assurance the investment will deliver results.
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A confidence survey of 524 New Zealanders by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand indicates more than four-in-every-five (81 percent) retail investors think climate-related information is important to their investment decisions, but (83 percent) would feel more confident if it was backed-up with an independent assurance.
Chartered Accountants reporting and assurance leader Amir Ghandar said members were being asked to provide climate risk advice more than ever before.
Despite the high level of interest, the survey finds most investors were still mainly getting climate information from the news (49 percent) or company websites (41 percent), rather than company annual reports (36 percent) or sustainability reports (32 percent).
"The time for 'green washing' has passed, investors are now demanding credible and where possible assured information about climate and sustainability risks that they can rely on to make decisions," Ghandar said.
"Managing climate risk is now becoming a permanent part of doing business in New Zealand, regardless of your industry, politics or location - and retail investors are signalling their intentions loudly in this survey."