Private Markets

Milford Asset Management has always been intensely interested in private markets because of their potential to deliver strong long-term returns for clients.

Milford employs an active management approach in Private Markets investments, partnering with strong founders and executive teams to target attractive risk-adjusted returns with a long-term investment horizon.

Milford’s Private Markets track record include numerous investments made within the Milford Active Growth Fund since 2011, which have contributed positively to Fund performance over that time. In 2016, Milford launched the dedicated Private Markets Fund, Milford Private Equity Fund II (MPEII) with a total of NZ$150M of capital commitments from Limited Partners and the Milford Active Growth Fund. Following the success of MPEII, Milford launched Milford Private Equity Fund III (MPEIII) in 2021, which was oversubscribed and capped at a hard close of NZ$192.5M of investor commitments.

MPEII and MPEIII employ a total-return focus with active portfolio management, and target private companies with significant growth potential. The Funds may also invest in turnaround opportunities and provide an attractive succession route for founders.

Milford believes there are significant opportunities available for Private Markets to deliver strong returns for investors over time. We note however that these products are only suitable for wholesale or eligible investors with a higher risk appetite who are willing to forgo liquidity in the quest for potentially higher returns.

Please note that the Milford Private Equity Fund II and Fund III are closed to new investment.

Current investor?

Private Markets Team

Brooke Bone

Investment Director

John Johnston

Investment Director

Tom Monti

Senior Investment Manager

Kylie Lee

Investment Manager

Mihnea Enache

Investment Manager

Private Markets Investment Committee

The Private Equity Investment Committee is comprised of:

Collectively, they have over 100 years of investment knowledge between them. Over half this experience has been focused on investing in New Zealand private and public markets, with the remainder gained in offshore markets.

Current Investments

The New Shoots Group comprises a portfolio of managed and owned childcare centres with a vision to providing the best learning and care outcomes for children, parents and teachers.

The Group also owns and operates Curiate, a distributor of early childhood resources to centres in New Zealand.

Cluey Learning is a provider of high quality online-enabled tutoring services to primary and secondary school children in Australia.

Since July 2018, Cluey has improved educational outcomes for thousands of students through its user-friendly and educationally comprehensive platform that allows bespoke tutoring sessions to be conducted from the convenience of a student’s own home. As of December 2020, Cluey is now publicly listed on the ASX. Milford Private Equity Fund II retains a minority stake in Cluey following the IPO.

Comvita is the largest exporter of Manuka honey and bee products from New Zealand. The business has substantial supply operations throughout New Zealand and distribution channels worldwide.

Comvita is considered the ‘premium’ supplier of Manuka honey in China and the rest of Asia, in particular, and commands a substantial price premium over other brands.

Academy Xi is a provider of very high quality, contemporary training programs in the key digital skills areas that are relevant to modern businesses.

Academy Xi offers both early career and mid-career intensive training courses in digital marketing, software engineering, data science, user experience, and customer experience (amongst others). These capabilities have become crucial in many businesses as economies digitise rapidly, and businesses are finding it extremely difficult to find suitably skilled talent.

Southern Honeycrisp New Zealand (formerly MA Orchards) comprises five mature organic apple orchards in the Timaru region, planted with the premium Honeycrisp varietal.

Honeycrisp is a well-established and highly popular apple variety in the USA, occupying a premium price point over the other varieties due to its desirable eating characteristics. The organic status of the orchards further increases this premium. New Zealand is uniquely placed to supply the large USA market in its offseason, with basically no major ‘fresh’ competition. Milford has partnered with New Zealand’s leading organic horticulturalist, John Bostock, to oversee the operation and undertake the USA marketing of the fruit.

Real Group (branded Real NZ) is a leading tourism and experience operator in New Zealand. Founded in Fiordland in the 1950’s by tourism and conservation pioneers Les and Olive Hutchins, the business offers tourism experiences from Stewart Island to Queenstown.

These include the TSS Earnslaw steamship and Walter Peak High Country Farm, cruises on Milford and Doubtful Sound, the Te Anau Glow-worm Caves and the Rakiura Stewart Island Ferry and cruises. Real NZ also owns and operates the Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone ski fields near Wanaka.

AECC Global is a leading international student recruitment agency headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 2008, AECC has a global footprint spanning over 15 countries and represents over 500 universities and institutions worldwide with a high commitment to quality and integrity.

The company offers comprehensive services to prospective students such as academic counselling, course selection and expert visa assistance. AECC also owns and operates StudyReach, a B2B student recruitment platform that provides end-to-end application management to selected recruitment partners.

BlackBull Markets is a multi-asset broker offering access to more than 26,000 tradable instruments including stocks, forex, CFDs, and commodities.

Although founded in Auckland in 2014, BlackBull Markets now serves tens of thousands of traders from over 180 countries and has established itself as a trusted name with a global reach.

Bridgit is an Australian non-bank lender, helping homeowners buy now and sell later. Its proprietary platform powers fast, transparent credit decisions and a broker-first experience, making short-term property finance simpler and more reliable.

By combining real-time data with their own decision models and automated workflows, Bridgit deliver lightning-fast approvals and a clear path from scenario to settlement. With national broker coverage and a focus on service, speed and responsible lending, Bridgit helps customers keep moving.