PHOTO: Anna and Nick Mowbray. FILE
🌏 Move Over Australia – New Zealand’s Elite Are Playing on a Whole New Level
Forget Melbourne’s Toorak set or Sydney’s harbourside dynasties — across the Tasman, New Zealand’s ultra-wealthy are quietly making global moves. From Auckland’s leafy enclaves to Queenstown’s alpine retreats, the country is crawling with self-made billionaires, old-money dynasties, Hollywood creatives, and a surprising surge of offshore tycoons building nuclear bunkers in paradise.
So, who really rules the Kiwi high-society tier list? Buckle up.
👑 THE A-LIST: Billionaires at the Top of the Kiwi Pyramid
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The Mowbray Siblings (Mat, Nick & Anna)
Founders of Zuru Group, the toy-to-tech empire that pumps out global bestsellers like Robo Fish and Bunch O Balloons. With an estimated family fortune north of NZ$20 billion, the trio transformed a scrappy start-up in Guangzhou into a world-dominating juggernaut.-
Mat & Nick now run Zuru solo after Anna cashed out — but Anna’s still in headlines thanks to her romance with ex-All Black Ali Williams and her controversial helipad plans in Auckland.
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Anna and Nick Mowbray
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Graeme Hart
Once New Zealand’s richest man, Hart built his multibillion-dollar empire through a string of high-stakes leveraged buyouts in the global packaging sector. Though recently dethroned from the NBR Rich List’s #1 spot, Hart’s influence still towers over NZ business.
Graeme Hart
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The Todd Family
One of the nation’s oldest dynasties, worth an estimated NZ$4.3billion via the Todd Corporation. With deep interests in energy, property and infrastructure, their clout runs as deep as their oil reserves.
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🚀 THE B-LIST: Space Kings, Film Gods & Digital Disrupters
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Peter Beck
The Rocket Lab founder put New Zealand on the global aerospace map. With a personal net worth of around NZ$4 billion, Beck’s Electron rocket and upcoming Neutron launch vehicle have redefined space access for governments and private clients alike. -
Sir Peter Jackson
Worth an eye-watering NZ$2.9 billion, the Lord of the Rings director isn’t just NZ’s most famous filmmaker — he’s a business mogul who cashed out US$975m when he sold his stake in WETA Digital to gaming giant Unity.
Renowned filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson
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Sam Morgan
The brains behind Trade Me, New Zealand’s biggest online auction site. He sold it to Fairfax for NZ$700m at just 30 years old, and has since become a heavyweight tech investor.
Sam Morgan
🎶 THE C-LIST: Culture Shapers & Rising Society Names
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Neil Finn
With a career spanning Split Enz and Crowded House, Finn’s net worth hovers around NZ$50m. He remains one of New Zealand’s most celebrated cultural exports.
New Zealand musician Neil Finn
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Tobi Innes
Influencer, entrepreneur and daughter of Sara Tetro (model/TV host) and Craig Innes (All Black). Known for her fashion & beauty clout, she’s part of a new generation of Kiwi high society.
Tobi’s mother is Sara Tetro, a prominent New Zealand model and businesswoman, and her father, Craig Innes, a former All Black rugby player
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Georgia Cherrie & Paris Mitchell Temple
Founders of cult fashion label Paris Georgia, whose pieces are worn by Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Ciara and Kate Hudson. -
Georgia Cherrie and Paris Mitchell Temple
🏡 HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Foreign Billionaires Digging In
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Peter Thiel (PayPal co-founder) – owns a 477-acre estate near Lake Wānaka, reportedly being turned into a luxury survival bunker.
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Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO) – rumoured to have a “refuge arrangement” with Thiel’s New Zealand property.
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James Cameron (Titanic & Avatar director) – snapped up multiple estates in South Wairarapa, where he’s building a sustainable, plant-based farming haven.
Titanic filmmaker James Cameron
⚡ Why This Matters
New Zealand is no longer just a postcard paradise. It’s a global bolt-hole for billionaires, a playground for dynasties, and a launchpad for innovators rewriting the rules of tech, film, and finance. Whether you’re on the A-list with billions or grinding on the C-list with “just” a few million — the Kiwi elite are living in a league of their own.
SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL