Latest NZ Rich List

Check our top and see how the New Zealanders built their fortune. Until last year, the NZ rich people could be featured on the NBR Rich list just for their wealth. However, the requirements have changed, and now they must show how they contribute to the country.

Top 10 NBR List

1. Graeme Hart – $11b
2. Todd family – $4.3b
3. Goodman family – $3.1b
4. Mowbray family – $2.5b
5. Sir Michael Friedlander – $2 billion
6. Rod Drury – $1.95 billion
7. Talley family – $1.2 billion
8. Sir Robert Jones – $1.1 billion
9. Bruce Plested – $1.02 billion
10. Jim and Rosemari Delegat – $1.01 billion

Graeme Hart – $11b

Graeme Richard Hart is the richest person in New Zealand. He chooses to stay out of the general media and makes few public impressions. Hart states that he lacks interest in making money for his benefit. He describes his wealth as a “by-product” of what he does.

Industry: Investment

Todd family – $4.3b

The Todd Corporation is an NZ company owned and controlled by the Todd family and their 200 household members. The Todd Group’s business interests span the oil and gas, winemaking, healthcare, and technology sectors.

Industry: Investment

Goodman family – $3.1b

They own and manage industrial real estate globally, including logistics facilities, warehouses, and business parks. In NZ, Goodman owns, develops, and operates high-quality urban logistics space. The portfolio is investing exclusively in the Auckland region.

Industry: Property

Mowbray family – $2.5b

Anna Jane Mowbray is a New Zealand entrepreneur and businessperson. Together with her brothers Matt and Nick, she leads the Chinese toy manufacturer ZURU. Anna Mowbray says the secret to the family’s success is hard work, tenacity, and naivety.

Industry: Make and sell

Sir Michael Friedlander – $2 billion

Samson Corporation Limited is a family-run company of the Friedlander family. They have been proud owners of commercial property and developers in Auckland since the 1940s. Sir Michael Friedlander was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to philanthropy, in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Industry: Property

Rod Drury – $1.95 billion

He made his initial fortune through Glazier Systems, a New Zealand software development and consulting company sold in 1999. Afterward, he established Context Connect and an email technology company called Aftermail.

Industry: Tech and Services

Talley family – $1.2 billion

Talley family established Talley Group Limited in 1936 in Motueka as a seafood manufacturer. It has matured into one of the largest agribusiness companies in NZ.

Industry: Agribusiness

Sir Robert Jones – $1.1 billion

He is a property investor, author, and former politician in New Zealand. He has developed a reputation for making highly controversial off-the-cuff remarks during various political campaigns.

Industry: Property

Bruce Plested – $1.02 billion

Mainfreight Limited is a New Zealand logistics and transport company headquartered in Auckland founded by Bruce Plested. He listed the company on the New Zealand Exchange in 1996. Mainfreight commenced operations in Auckland in 1978 and is one of the largest freight companies in NZ.

Industry: Tech and Services

Jim and Rosemari Delegat – $1.01 billion

The founders of Delegat Group are on a mission is to build a dominant global wine exporter out of existing New Zealand’s most significant household producer.

Industry: Agribusiness

From NBR Rich List to NBR List

In 2021 the editorial team decided to drop the word ‘rich’ from the famous ‘NBR Rich List’ to put an equal focus on profit and purpose. The NBR list recognizes people building enterprises, growing New Zealand’s finances, creating jobs, and giving back.

NBR List categories

• Property;
• Make and Sell;
• Investment;
• Agribusiness;
• Tech and Services.

What changed on the NBR List?

Although their wealth still ranks them, there is much more in-depth research, and it checks what they’re doing with their money, what kind of business they’re building, and how they’re contributing back.

Although their wealth still ranks them, there is much more in-depth research, and it checks what they’re doing with their money, what kind of business they’re building, and how they’re contributing back.

Giving back comes in all sorts of forms, whether they’re investing in other businesses or whether they’ve been involved in a climate change initiative.

There was also a decision to exclude those based overseas that contributed little to the New Zealand business community.

NZ billionaires & their world rank

Why are billionaires across the world setting in NZ?

New Zealand has become popular in recent years with so-called “preppers” — those who try to prepare for catastrophic events that may represent a threat to humanity.

The prepper craze was first put under the spotlight in January 2017, when an article in The New Yorker titled ‘Doomsday Prep for the super-rich.’ The feature showed how NZ is essentially a mecca for wealthy preppers due to its remote, geopolitically stable, and sparsely populated characteristics.

Importantly, it could also become completely self-sufficient in water, food, and energy if it ever needed to. Thus, some of the wealthiest Silicon Valley billionaires have reportedly acquired remote properties in New Zealand.

How NZ rich people build their fortune

According to the Inland Revenue, more than 350 New Zealanders have more than $50 million in assets. While $50m is a lot of money, it pales compared to the wealth amassed by some of NZ’s biggest success stories.

Let’s check out some of New Zealand’s billionaires and how they made their fortunes.

• Richard and Christopher Chandler

The Chandlers have received their wealth due to their family’s retail empire. However, the brothers have turned that into billions through a series of successful investments in emerging markets companies.

The Chandlers made their investments with their old company named Sovereign Asset Management. They invested in Korean industrial conglomerates, Russian oil companies, and telecoms companies in Brazil, netting the brothers a fortune outside NZ.

• Peter Cooper

Cooper began building his fortune in NZ, working as a lawyer. He spent 11 years in the legal field, including a spell as a partner at Russell McVeagh, specializing in commercial and property law.

Because of the stock market crash of the late 1980s, he left New Zealand to move to the US with his family. He has forged a successful real estate mogul and private equity investor. Cooper interests now come under the Cooper & Company umbrella that is best recognized for completing Auckland’s Britomart development.

• Sir Robert Jones

Jones paved the way as a commercial property investor in 1962, aged just 22 when he bought a building in Lower Hutt. He has forged an empire across Australasia and Scotland, investing in substantial commercial developments through Robert Jones Holdings.

The property tycoon has amassed a fortune through smart investments, cashing in on the NZ real estate boom and demand for commercial sites. Benefiting from the record-low interest rates and inflated asset prices, plus the absence of a capital gains tax in NZ, has significantly consolidated his wealth.

NZ rich people: Citizenship concern

Larry Page

Source: bbci.co.uk

Immigration New Zealand stated that Page first applied for residency in November under the visa open to people with at least 10 million NZ dollars – $7 million – to invest. The citizenship application was processed and approved on 4 February 2021.

Public opinion

Opposition lawmakers said this incident raised questions about why Page was approved so quickly while many experienced workers or separated family members trying to enter NZ were turned down.

Peter Thiel

Source: inc.com

In 2017, it became known that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel had been able to gain New Zealand citizenship despite never living in the country.

Thiel’s citizenship was approved after a top lawmaker decided his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable to the nation and could make significant contributions.

Public opinion

The Citizenship Act used in this case said ministers must determine that it is in the public interest to put off the usual prerequisites for citizenship. Requirements include living in NZ for most of the past five years or being born to native parents. However, since no requirement was fulfiled, NZ citizens began to raise their concerns regarding the rich buying their way.

Do you like reading about wealthy individuals and how they came to their fortunes?

You can also check out our list featuring the highest paid rugby players who have made great fortunes our of their talent!

Conclusion

As our research concluded, Graeme Hart remains the richest person in New Zealand and the head person in the NBR List. As the NBR Rich list became the NBR list, we saw shifts in the perspectives of the nominees and more emphasis on their contribution to the NZ economy.