Hatch is a New Zealand-owned platform that gives NZ investors access to US and Australian shares. Launched in 2019 and acquired by Fisher Funds in 2021, it was one of the first platforms to make US stock investing genuinely accessible to everyday New Zealanders.
Best for: NZ investors who want straightforward access to US and ASX shares with a NZ-owned, FMA-regulated platform. Good app, straightforward pricing. Not ideal for: Frequent traders — $3/trade and ~0.5% FX means costs add up. Tiger Brokers or Interactive Brokers are cheaper for high-volume trading. No NZX access.
Hatch at a Glance
| Founded | 2019 (NZ) |
| Owner | Fisher Funds Management Ltd |
| FMA licensed | ✅ Yes |
| US broker | Drivewealth (SIPC-protected) |
| Platform fee | $0 |
| Transaction fee | $3 NZD per trade |
| FX fee | ~0.50% on NZD → USD conversion |
| Minimum deposit | $1 |
| Markets | NYSE, Nasdaq, ASX |
| NZX shares | ❌ No |
| Managed funds | ❌ No |
| Auto-invest | ✅ Yes (US funds and ETFs) |
| Fractional shares | ✅ Yes |
Fees in Detail
Transaction fee
$3 NZD per trade — flat, regardless of trade size. This makes Hatch cheaper than Sharesies for large US trades (Sharesies also charges $3 NZD, but adds a 0.4% FX fee vs Hatch’s ~0.5%).
For very frequent small trades, the flat $3 fee is expensive. A $100 trade costs 3% in brokerage alone.
FX fee
Hatch charges approximately 0.50% when converting NZD to USD. You can also deposit USD directly if you have a USD account, avoiding the FX fee on the way in.
Round-trip FX cost: Buy $5,000 USD of shares = $25 FX fee. Sell = another $25 FX fee. Total FX: $50 on a $5,000 investment. Plus $6 brokerage ($3 buy, $3 sell). Total round-trip: ~$56 on a $5,000 position.
Compared to Tiger Brokers (~0.20% FX), Hatch is more expensive for currency conversion — but the difference is less significant for buy-and-hold investors than for frequent traders.
No platform fee
Hatch charges no ongoing platform or custody fee. You only pay when you trade.
What You Can Invest In
US shares (NYSE, Nasdaq, AMEX)
Access to thousands of US-listed stocks and ETFs — the full range available on US exchanges. Popular choices include individual companies (Apple, Nvidia, Tesla) and US ETFs (SPY, VOO, QQQ, VTI).
Note on US ETFs vs NZ PIE funds: Buying a US ETF like VOO directly on Hatch means you hold a foreign investment — which counts toward your $50,000 FIF threshold. Buying an equivalent NZ-domiciled fund (e.g. InvestNow Foundation Series) does not trigger FIF. This is an important consideration as your balance grows.
ASX shares (Australia)
Hatch also provides access to Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed shares. ASX shares in the S&P/ASX 200 index are exempt from FIF rules — they’re taxed on actual dividends only.
Fractional shares
Like Sharesies, Hatch supports fractional share purchases — you can buy $50 of a $500 share. This is useful for expensive US stocks.
Auto-Invest
Hatch’s auto-invest feature lets you set up recurring purchases in specific shares or ETFs. This is useful for dollar-cost averaging into US positions — set a fortnightly buy of a US ETF and Hatch handles the currency conversion and trade automatically.
App and User Experience
Hatch has a clean, NZ-focused app. It’s less feature-rich than Tiger Brokers for trading tools but more beginner-friendly. Key features:
- Watchlists and portfolio tracking
- Price alerts
- Basic research (price charts, company overview, news)
- Auto-invest management
Customer support is NZ-based (Fisher Funds connection) — stronger local support than Tiger Brokers or Stake.
Safety
Hatch is FMA-licensed and NZ-owned (Fisher Funds). US shares are held through Drivewealth LLC, a US broker-dealer with SIPC protection up to USD$500,000 per customer (including USD$250,000 for cash). This makes Hatch’s safety profile for US shares stronger than platforms without SIPC.
Australian shares are held through an Australian custodian.
Tax
US dividends are subject to 15% US withholding tax under the NZ-US tax treaty. Hatch automatically withholds this and you can claim a foreign tax credit on your NZ tax return.
If your total overseas investment cost exceeds $50,000, FIF rules apply. Hatch provides a transaction history export but does not generate FIF reports — use Sharesight for automated FIF calculation.
Set your PIR rate if holding PIE fund equivalents (most of what Hatch offers is non-PIE direct shares, so PIR is less relevant for Hatch specifically).
Hatch vs Competitors
| Hatch | Sharesies | Tiger Brokers | Stake | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US brokerage | $3 NZD | $3 NZD | From USD$1.99 | $3 NZD |
| FX fee | ~0.50% | 0.40% | ~0.20% | 0.70% deposit; no trade conversion |
| NZX shares | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| ASX shares | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| NZ-owned | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| SIPC protection | ✅ (Drivewealth) | ✅ (Drivewealth) | Confirm in PDS | ✅ (US broker) |
Full comparison: Best Platform for US Stocks NZ 2026
Who Hatch Is Best For
✅ Good for:
- Investors who want NZ-owned, FMA-regulated access to US shares
- Buy-and-hold US stock or ETF investors (low transaction frequency = low brokerage)
- Investors who want SIPC protection confirmed by a familiar NZ brand
- Those wanting ASX access alongside US markets
❌ Less ideal for:
- Frequent traders — $3/trade + 0.5% FX is expensive at high volume
- NZX investors — Hatch doesn’t offer NZ shares
- Fee-focused investors — Tiger Brokers is cheaper on both brokerage and FX
Verdict
Hatch is a solid, trustworthy platform for NZ investors wanting US and ASX share access. Its NZ ownership (Fisher Funds), SIPC protection, and clean app make it a safe choice. It’s not the cheapest for frequent trading — Tiger Brokers wins there — but for buy-and-hold investors, the $3/trade structure is competitive and the NZ support and ownership adds confidence.