What to know as NBR releases its 2026 Rich List
New Zealand's richest families and individuals are now worth a combined $129 billion, according to the latest National Business Review (NBR) Rich List — a sharp increase from the previous year's $102 billion and a dramatic jump from the $5.3 billion recorded when the list first launched 40 years ago.
The 2026 list, compiled by NBR co-editor Hamish McNicol, also showed the number of billionaires in New Zealand had risen from 18 to 26 in just a year.
McNicol told BNZ’s Business Breakfast this morning the rapid growth in wealth was being driven largely by New Zealand’s technology and services sectors.
"36 rich listers in that category have doubled in value to nearly $32 billion," he said.
Published every year since 1986, the NBR Rich List categorised wealth creators into six categories: property, agribusiness, make and sell, tech and services and women.
At the top of the list this year remained Zuru founders Nick and Mat Mowbray, with an estimated net worth of $20 billion.
One of the biggest movers from the past year was Rocket Lab founder Sir Peter Beck, whose estimated wealth surged from $650 million to $11 billion.
McNicol said Rocket Lab’s inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 index was expected to further boost the company’s share price and valuation.
“There’s a lot of wealth at the top, and we think it’s important for us as a country to understand where that money is," he said.
The past two years had been particularly significant for New Zealand’s tech industry, McNicol said, with major capital raises helping fuel rapid company growth.
“We’ve talked for a few years about New Zealand’s potential as a tech exporter economy, and we’re starting to see that now.”
Other names in the top 10 included the Goodman family, the Todd family, Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh, Sir Michael Friedlander, Sir Rod Drury, the Talley family and Peter Cooper.
Nineteen newcomers joined this year's list Rich List, with a combined estimated wealth of $10.22 billion.
Notable additions included Halter founder Craig Piggot, Supabase founder Paul Copplestone, NBA player Steven Adams, filmmaker James Cameron, Wayve chief executive Alex Kendall and entrepreneur Skipp Williamson.
To mark the list's 40th anniversary, NBR also asked Rich Listers what they hoped New Zealand would look like in 2026.
Common themes included improving education, boosting productivity, encouraging entrepreneurship and tackling climate change.
McNicol said climate change was a major concern for many Rich Listers because of its “existential impact” on business models, but education emerged as the issue most frequently raised.