Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 › Milford
#28 of 100 – Financial Services

Milford

New Zealand active fund manager and KiwiSaver provider with over 220,000 clients; people invest through the Milford website, track their money in its client portal and app, and get advice from its own arm, Milford Private Wealth; the outside financial adviser channel opened in 2019 and reached NZ$2 billion of its KiwiSaver funds in July 2025.

By Abhimanyu Ghosh, Chairman, WCRC, with the WCRC Business Intelligence Unit · November 2026

Consumer Trust 86/100
Milford ranked #28 in Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 by WCRC
Trust Score81.36out of 100
ANZ D2C rank#28 of 100
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
Founded2003
Latest revenueNZ$304.6M fee revenue, Milford Funds Ltd (FY2026, year ended Mar 2026)
Trust pillar86/100

The Milford story

Milford was founded in New Zealand in 2003 by Brian Gaynor and partners and is owned today by Private (Milford Asset Management Ltd); majority New Zealand-owned, with significant staff ownership. It is one of 9 Financial Services brands in this year's ranking, where it places #3.

Why people trust Milford

Milford's site lists Canstar's KiwiSaver Provider of the Year 2026 as its seventh year running, and says its employees are owners in the business.

The watch-out

Its income moves with markets and performance: Milford Funds earned no performance fees in the latest year, against NZ$83.5M in its 2024 financial year.

Why Milford ranks #28

Strongest of the four trust-led pillars

Consumer Trust & Sentiment, scored 86 out of 100.

Room to grow

Brand Recall, scored 70 out of 100.

The WCRC D2C Trust Score gives 80% of the weight to Consumer Trust, Brand Recall, Positioning and Brand Love. Milford scores 81.36 overall.

Pillar profile

Consumer Trust & Sentiment (32%)
86
Brand Recall (18%)
70
Brand Positioning (15%)
84
Brand Love (15%)
80
Product, Innovation & Delivery (10%)
84
Digital & Financial Soundness (6%)
84
Governance & ESG (4%)
80

Versus its nearest rivals

26RACQMobility · 81.6427BellroyFashion · 81.4028MilfordFinancial Services · 81.3629LSKDFashion · 80.8430RACTMobility · 80.30

Questions people ask

What rank is Milford in WCRC's Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026?

Milford ranks #28 of 100 in WCRC's Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026, with a WCRC D2C Trust Score of 81.36 out of 100.

Why is Milford trusted?

Milford's site lists Canstar's KiwiSaver Provider of the Year 2026 as its seventh year running, and says its employees are owners in the business.

What is Milford's revenue?

NZ$304.6M fee revenue, Milford Funds Ltd (FY2026, year ended Mar 2026), as per company filings.

Who owns Milford?

Milford is owned by Private (Milford Asset Management Ltd); majority New Zealand-owned, with significant staff ownership. It was founded in 2003 in New Zealand and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

What is Milford's biggest challenge?

Its income moves with markets and performance: Milford Funds earned no performance fees in the latest year, against NZ$83.5M in its 2024 financial year.

Key facts

BrandMilford
Company / ownerPrivate (Milford Asset Management Ltd); majority New Zealand-owned, with significant staff ownership
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
Founded2003
Founder(s)Brian Gaynor and partners
Latest revenueNZ$304.6M fee revenue, Milford Funds Ltd (FY2026, year ended Mar 2026), as per company filings
SectorFinancial Services
Country of originNew Zealand

Sources

  • Financial accounts lodged with the regulator (ASIC or the New Zealand Companies Office) or published by the company
  • Company website, official announcements and press releases
  • Published interviews and statements by the founders and leadership
  • WCRC Business Intelligence Unit research: consumer ratings and reviews, complaint records, search demand and social data
Want the full picture? For the detailed methodology, a brand's full assessment report, or the other factors behind a score, contact the WCRC Business Intelligence Unit at consulting@wcrcint.com.
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Disclaimer
  1. Who was considered. Only brands whose owners publish financial results, or that have publicly stated their own revenue, were considered. Brands that do not publish revenue have not been assessed or ranked. Not being on this list says nothing about a brand's quality.
  2. Eligibility. Ranked brands were founded in Australia or New Zealand, are controlled there today, and sell mainly direct to consumers: online, by app, by phone or mail order, or through their own stores under their own label. The rules are applied as of November 2026.
  3. Independent opinion. This ranking is WCRC's independent research and opinion, based on publicly available information as of November 2026. It is not an endorsement of any brand.
  4. Not advice. Nothing on this site is investment, financial, insurance, medical, legal or purchasing advice. Do not rely on it to make decisions of that kind.
  5. Scores. WCRC D2C Trust Scores are provisional assessments by the WCRC Business Intelligence Unit at the time of research. They are opinions, not measurements, and may be revised.
  6. Revenue and facts. Revenue is shown as lodged with the ASX or NZX, with ASIC or the New Zealand Companies Office, or published in company results, or, where marked, as stated by the company itself. Figures are in Australian or New Zealand dollars unless noted, and are not converted. Some figures are for a parent company segment, as noted. WCRC has not audited any figure. Facts are checked twice against public sources, but errors are possible.
  7. Trademarks. Brand names, logos and trademarks belong to their owners. Their use here is for identification only and does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by WCRC.
  8. Use of the badge. Ranked brands may use the WCRC badge only as provided, linked to their page, and unaltered. Any other use of the WCRC name, badge or data needs WCRC's written permission.
  9. Rights and AI. © 2026 WCRC. All rights reserved. The WCRC D2C Trust Score and its methodology are proprietary. Copying, text and data mining, and use of this content to train artificial intelligence models are not permitted without written permission; WCRC expressly reserves these rights, including under Article 4 of EU Directive 2019/790.
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