Zuru Toys co-owner Nick Mowbray. Photo: Supplied / Zuru
The National Business Review’s annual rich list has found Aotearoa’s wealthiest people are collectively worth $129 billion, up from $102b last year.
New Zealand now has 26 billionaires, eight more than on the 2025 list.
Co-founders of Zuru Toys, brothers Nick and Mat Mowbray retain the top spot with a $20b valuation.
NBR co-editor Hamish McNicol said the list has 19 new members worth a combined $10.22b, and the technology sector is a major source of growth in the list.
McNicol said 11 of the 19 newcomers this year are in the Tech and Services category, which profiles 35 people worth $31.93b, more than double last year’s $14.64b total for that category.
Rocket Lab founder, Sir Peter Beck, recorded the most significant increase in wealth across the list, from around $650m last year to a peak of about $11b this year.
Rocket Lab founder, Sir Peter Beck. Photo: Rocket Lab
Beck has also backed several other New Zealand tech companies, such as Halter, whose founder Craig Piggott debuted on this year’s list after his company was valued at $3.4b in March.
Another newcomer is Paul Copplestone, after the database company he co-founded, Supabase, was valued at US$10b this month.
“There have been several notable capital raises for New Zealand-based and New Zealand founded tech firms over the last 12 months,” McNicol said.
“Many talk up New Zealand’s opportunity to become a tech-export hub, and there is a lot of momentum in the sector to build on.”
This year’s is the 40th edition of NBR’s Rich List, and profiles 150 Kiwi individuals and families.
The top ten are collectively worth $64b, while the average net worth is $984m for individuals, $704m for families, and $1.68b for duos.
“In 40 years, the number of profiles has nearly tripled, while the collective wealth has increased 23-fold. Over that time, the Rich List has chronicled the story of wealth in New Zealand through times of boom and bust, providing the most thorough account of who the country’s wealthiest people are, how they created their wealth and where the money flows are going,” McNicol said.
Amongst the newcomers, Skipp Williamson is the third woman to feature on the Rich List in her own right, alongside Lucy Liu and Anna Mowbray.
An engineer, Williamson earned a reputation as Australia’s top management consultant, and in 2024 sold her firm, Partners in Performance, to global consulting firm Accenture, for a reported $450m.
McNicol said those on the list employ thousands of people and generate billions of dollars of economic activity.
“They carry enormous financial and political influence, invest into the next wave of entrepreneurs, and give back to their communities. They each have stories full of lessons to tell.”
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Meanwhile, the co-founders of Zuru Toys, the brothers Nick and Mat Mowbray retain top spot Audio
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