We’ve cast the spotlight on plenty of Australian power players in recent months, charting the movers and shakers who dominate business, culture and high society.
Now it’s time to venture across the Tasman.
From Auckland’s leafy enclaves to Queenstown’s alpine retreats, New Zealand is home to a cast of high-flyers as varied as its landscapes.
This is a country where old-money dynasties rub shoulders with self-made tech tsars, Hollywood creatives, and a surprising number of offshore billionaires quietly snapping up secluded patches of paradise – just in case the world goes pear-shaped.
So who are the elites holding court?
Let’s start at the top.
From Auckland’s leafy enclaves to Queenstown’s alpine retreats, New Zealand is home to a cast of high-flyers as varied as its landscapes. (Pictured: Anna and Nick Mowbray)
THE A-LIST
At the top of New Zealand’s pecking order sit toy tycoons the Mowbray siblings – Mat, Nick and Anna – founders of the Zuru Group with an estimated combined net worth of over NZ$20billion.
Mat and Nick launched Zuru – then a small toy manufacturing business – in the early 2000s after they dropped out of university and moved to a remote part of Guangzhou, China.
Their sister Anna followed a few years later, helping her siblings to grow the business that would one day turn over NZ$1.75billion a year.
Zuru pumps out some of the world’s most popular toys – including Robo Fish and Bunch O Balloons – and has since expanded into robotics, construction and household products.
Mat and Nick now wholly own Zuru after Anna left the business with what has been described as a ‘significant cash-out’.
Anna has, however, remained in the headlines thanks to her high-profile relationship with former All Black Ali Williams, and for sparking neighbourhood uproar over plans to add a private helipad to their Auckland home.
The Mowbrays are followed by mega-rich businessman Graeme Hart, who built his fortune through a shrewd series of leveraged buyouts in the packaging and paper industries, transforming modest beginnings into a multibillion-dollar global empire.
At the top of the pecking order sit toy tycoons the Mowbray siblings – Mat, Nick (pictured) and Anna – founders of the Zuru Group with an estimated combined net worth of over NZ$20billion
Graeme Hart (pictured) built his fortune through a series of leveraged buyouts in the packaging and paper industries, transforming modest beginnings into a multibillion-dollar global empire
Hart was last year nudged from the National Business Review Rich List top spot by the Mowbrays, but still remains a formidable influence in both New Zealand’s corporate world and the global packaging sector.
The Todd family also makes an appearance on the A-list thanks to their status as one of New Zealand’s oldest and most influential business dynasties.
The family’s primary wealth stems from the Todd Corporation, a privately held conglomerate with major interests in energy, property, infrastructure and investments.
The family has played a pivotal role in shaping New Zealand’s economy, particularly through Todd Energy, which is one of the country’s leading oil and gas producers.
The company has an estimated worth of NZ$4.3billion.
THE B-LIST
Topping our B list is Peter Beck, founder and CEO of private aerospace company Rocket Lab.
Beck founded Rocket Lab in 2006 with the aim of making space more accessible through frequent, cost-effective launches.
Under his leadership, Rocket Lab has become a significant player in the global space industry, known for its Electron rocket and the upcoming Neutron rocket.
As of August 2025, Beck’s estimated net worth is approximately NZ$4 billion.
Renowned filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson (pictured) is estimated to be worth NZ$2.9billion
Up next is internationally renowned filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson, best known for directing and producing the blockbuster Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Estimated to be worth NZ$2.9billion, Jackson’s films have grossed more than NZ$9.4billion worldwide.
Jackson also enjoyed quite the payday in 2021 when he sold his Wellington-based WETA Digital for $1.28billion (US$975million).
Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh owned a 60 per cent stake in the company, a special effects empire, before selling it to 3D gaming giant Unity Software.
Sam Morgan (pictured) also earns his place in the middle tier. The prominent Kiwi entrepreneur founded Trade Me, the country’s largest online auction and classifieds website, in 1999
Sam Morgan has also earned his place in the middle tier.
The prominent Kiwi entrepreneur is best known for founding Trade Me, the country’s largest online auction and classifieds website, in 1999.
Morgan, then just 23 years old, developed the platform after a frustrating experience trying to purchase a heater for his apartment.
In 2006 he sold Trade Me to Australian media company Fairfax for NZ$700million, and went on to found Jasmine Investment Holdings, through which he has invested in various start-ups and emerging companies.
As of 2024, Morgan’s net worth was estimated at NZ$670million.
THE C-LIST
Topping our (still respectable) C list is famous New Zealand musician Neil Finn, who boasts an estimated net worth of NZ$50million.
Finn’s musical journey began in the late 1970s with Split Enz, a band known for its eclectic style and theatrical performances.
After the band’s disbandment in 1984, Finn formed Crowded House, which achieved international success with hits like Don’t Dream It’s Over.
Topping our (still respectable) C list is famous New Zealand musician Neil Finn, who boasts an estimated net worth of NZ$50million
Finn is widely recognised for his contributions to the arts, and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2001.
Tobi Innes also deserves a mention.
The New Zealand-based influencer and entrepreneur is known for her formidable presence in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle space – boasting more than 30,000 followers on Instagram and 10,000 on TikTok.
Tobi Innes (pictured) also deserves a mention. The influencer and entrepreneur is known for her formidable presence online in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle space
Tobi comes from good stock: her mother is Sara Tetro, a prominent New Zealand model and businesswoman, and her father, Craig Innes, a former All Black rugby player
Tobi comes from good stock: her mother is Sara Tetro, a prominent model and businesswoman, and her father is Craig Innes, a former All Black rugby player.
She’s also close friends with Albert Cho – an Auckland restaurateur who is good friends with Grammy-winning singer Lorde.
Cho famously opened a restaurant in Ponsonby named Tobi – presumably named after Tobi Innes.
Then there’s Georgia Cherrie and Paris Mitchell Temple (both pictured), founders of prominent New Zealand fashion label Paris Georgia
Then there’s Georgia Cherrie and Paris Mitchell Temple, founders of prominent Kiwi fashion label Paris Georgia.
The childhood friends launched the label in 2014 and have since expanded their presence across the globe.
Paris Georgia has a dedicated following among celebrities, with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Ciara and Kate Hudson wearing its apparel.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
New Zealand has also attracted a roster of foreign billionaires and celebrities, many of whom have established secretive retreats or significant investments locally.
Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley billionaire and co-founder of PayPal, has quietly invested in New Zealand real estate over the years and reportedly views the country as a refuge due to its political stability and quality of life.
In 2015, the businessman bought a 477-acre estate near Lake Wānaka for NZ$13.5million, reportedly with plans to transform it into a five-star doomsday bunker.
PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel (pictured) has invested in New Zealand real estate over the years and reportedly sees the country as a refuge due to its political stability and quality of life
In 2015, the businessman purchased a 477-acre estate near Lake Wānaka for NZ$13.5million, reportedly with plans to transform it into a luxury doomsday bunker (the plans are seen here)
Titanic filmmaker James Cameron has also invested in local real estate, buying a bolthole estate near Lake Pounui, in the Wellington region, in 2012
Sam Altman – the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT – has reportedly begun discussions about luxury doomsday bunkers, with sources claiming he has an arrangement to seek refuge at one of Thiel’s New Zealand properties in the event of a major catastrophe. Neither Altman nor Thiel has confirmed this publicly, however.
Meanwhile, Titanic filmmaker James Cameron has also invested in local real estate, buying a bolthole estate near Lake Pounui, in the Wellington region, in 2012.
In 2015, he purchased additional properties in the South Wairarapa District, including a 250-hectare working dairy farm and an 817-hectare hillside block overlooking Lake Pounui.
These acquisitions are part of his broader plan to establish a sustainable, plant-based agricultural haven. He hasn’t explicitly described the properties as doomsday boltholes.
Cameron has often expressed his deep affection for New Zealand – the place where he filmed the Avatar sequels – and has expressed his intention to make the country his permanent home.
