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Our Story

We believe everyone should have access to world-class advice to help grow and manage their wealth.

We deliver clients the benefit of investment advice from qualified, experienced Advisers, supported by a highly-awarded team of research analysts, with access to some of the world’s best research.

You are in expert hands

Our reputation has been built on delivering the highest quality advice. All our Investment Advisers are qualified and NZX accredited. Our entire team is focused on delivering against six key principles.

Our clients’ best interests come first

Our understanding of your goals, and what will create success for you, drives everything we do.

We deliver impartial and informed advice

As a majority staff and New Zealand-owned NZX firm, we are entirely independent in the advice we deliver and the specific investments that we recommend.

We are motivated to deliver

Delivering outstanding service and performance is what enables us to build long-term trusted relationships.

We operate to best practice standards

We are committed to delivering to industry best practice and actively participate in many industry bodies.

We offer services that fit

Our full range of investment services are designed to fit your unique wealth management needs.

We deliver global opportunity

We partner with leading international institutions to ensure access to global connections and research.

A little history

Forsyth Barr was established in Dunedin in 1936, when Robert ‘Peter’ Forsyth Barr founded a small sharebroking firm in Dunedin’s Express Company Building.

The firm was built on trust, relationships, and forward thinking from day one and the end of World War II brought a new era of growth and ambition when he was joined by Murray Sidey and Keith Skinner.

Together the three partners built the business based on a shared commitment to delivering quality advice with the highest levels of service.

The 1970s saw the entrepreneurial team broadening the business from its core stockbroking operation. Forsyth Barr was first into the New Zealand market with a broad range of investment solutions, including a fixed interest monitoring service. This innovation continued with the introduction of cash management and nominee services in the 1980s, along with portfolio management services and the first low-cost retirement fund in the 1990s.

The company grew rapidly through that period, opening offices in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Invercargill, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North and Napier. This growth has continued, with Forsyth Barr now operating 25 offices across the country with more than 600 staff, providing investment advisory and portfolio management services covering over $30 billion of clients' investments.

As the firm looks toward 100 years, its future remains shaped by the same values that defined its beginning: vision, aspiration, strong relationships, and a commitment to making tomorrow better.

1970s	Forsyth Barr broadens beyond stockbroking and becomes one of the first firms in New Zealand to offer a wider range of investment solutions, including a fixed interest monitoring service.
1980s	Forsyth Barr introduces cash management and nominee services as technology and investment markets rapidly evolve. Following the 1987 sharemarket crash, the firm stands firmly beside its clients while expanding further into Invercargill, Auckland, and Wellington.
1990s	Portfolio management services are launched with the ‘Thinking About Tomorrow’ Retirement Fund' signaling growing capability in managed funds and long-term wealth management. Offices are opened in Invercargill, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, and Napier as the firm continues its nationwide growth.
2000s	NZX firms Frater Williams, Munro Hubbard, Esam Cushing, Cavill White, Young & Co, and Ross Sinclair & Co join with Forsyth Barr, broadening capability and extending national reach. Purchase of Leveraged Equities Finance Limited. The firm continues to grow into Hamilton, Hastings, Nelson, and Tauranga.
2010s	Forsyth Barr acquires NZX firms in Timaru and Ashburton and expands into Whangarei, North Shore, Cambridge, New Plymouth, Queenstown, and Kapiti. In Christchurch, the firm supports clients and the region following the earthquakes, while Forsyth Barr Stadium opens in Dunedin as a reflection of the firm’s commitment to New Zealand communities. Forsyth Barr Asia opens, alongside the launch of the Summer KiwiSaver Scheme. In 2018, former All Black captain and business leader David Kirk becomes Chairman.
2020s	Forsyth Barr continues expanding with new offices in East Auckland, Masterton, Orewa, Marlborough, and Wanaka. The acquisition of Westpac’s financial advice business, a strategic partnership with Australian investment bank Barrenjoey, investment in digital services, and the acquisition of Hobson Wealth mark the next phase of growth. In 2025 Mercury Capital completes the acquisition of a 25% shareholding in Forsyth Barr Group.

Last updated: 6 December 2024