Timber and food tycoon Graeme Hart has been named New Zealand’s richest man with a NZ$2.75bn fortune, according to the National Business Review’s (NBR) Rich List.
Mr Hart is the owner of forest products company Carter Holt Harvey, which he bought for NZ$3.3bn in 2006. Soon after the purchase he sold the company’s forest assets to the US-based Hancock Timber Group for about NZ$1.5bn.
He is known for keeping a low media profile and owns a 58m-long yacht worth around NZ$100m.
NBR’s Rich List contained 176 entries this year, with the minimum qualifying wealth raised to NZ$50m from NZ$25m.