Man about town Ricardo Simich brings you Society Insider. This week, former MP Stuart Nash on his business that offers a high-end relocation service for wealthy individuals; Xero founder Rod Drury is heavily investing in Queenstown; Rich List daughter Sophie Heatley marries in Hawaii.
Society Insider: Former MP Stuart Nash smooths Golden Visas for wealthy; Is Xero founder Rod Drury the king of Queenstown?; Lux weddings for Sophie Heatly and Murray Crane
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Murray Crane recently got married in Auckland, while Tyler Martin and Sophie Heatley wed in Hawaii; former MP Stuart Nash, pictured with wife Sarah, has a new business helping the super wealthy relocate to New Zealand; Xero founder Rod Drury is making big moves in Queenstown. Photo / Herald composite
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At the heart of the pair’s business, Nash says, is a “very discreet, high-end” relocation and resettlement service for high-net-worth individuals seeking to invest and or settle in Aotearoa through the “Golden Visa” programme. The Active Investor Plus, introduced in April, requires a $5 million investment here over three years under its Growth category and $10 million over five years under its Balanced category.
“Andrew has spent the last 30 years owning an incredibly successful exporting business, and I have been in business and politics about the same time, and so we are the ultimate insiders - and if we don’t have the specific connection personally, we know the people who do,” Nash tells Society Insider.
Nash launched the visa when he was Minister of Economic Development in 2022 and was also Minister of Tourism. Two hundred applications have been received since the rules loosened two months ago.
“I know how globally competitive our top-end tourist attractions and accommodation are, but I also understand the value that foreign direct investment can play in driving productivity and helping globalise our very best companies.
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“Once a Golden Visa is submitted through a top immigration agent, and we partner with only the best, a visa is usually approved in one to three weeks.”
NKG started doing business earlier this year, but the idea for it sprouted five years ago when an “extremely wealthy” American gentleman living in New Zealand came to see Nash and said he and his wife were leaving because she was desperately lonely, having not been able to make friends.
“We need to make them feel valued and welcome as opposed to leaving them to become lonely and isolated.”
Nash found himself with more free time in 2023 after Prime Minister Chris Hipkins dismissed him from the Cabinet after a media outlet made him aware that in 2020 Nash had sent an email to two contacts, who had also been political donors, regarding confidential Cabinet information. The following month Nash confirmed he wouldn’t contest his Napier seat at the October election and would leave politics.
He went on to work for staffing agency Robert Walters as its commercial director, for which he now balances consulting and running NKG.
Nash tells Society Insider that leaving the Cabinet and politics has allowed him to reinvent himself but also continue the work he was doing within his portfolios.
Nash says he still has great relationships on both sides of the house, although NKG doesn’t deal directly with government agencies and advises its clients without direct government help.
NKG has offices in Midland Chambers in Wellington’s CBD and on Auckland’s North Shore, with Nash working between both. On weekends, he’s at home with his family in Napier.
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Nash has four children, two with his wife, communications whiz Sarah, who works for Hawkes Bay Tourism.
The company also has a travel division, specialising in luxury experiences. They organise helicopters, private jets, luxury cruises, exclusive memberships, and accommodation at exclusive lodges.
“We unashamedly target those who have incredibly high expectations, demand the very best, and expect perfection,” says Nash.
Marjorie Pook, the former general manager of luxury concierge company Touch of Spice is running the travel side of the business.
“Marjorie worked with people who expect only the very best, and she has designed an incredible ultra-high-end itinerary for our new residents.”
Nash says 50% of NKG’s clients are American and that all of them are people New Zealand benefits greatly from through their time spent here or business activities in the country.
Nash is the face of the business and is currently on an international publicity blitz, recently being interviewed by the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Town & Country, and Ella, a publication available on private jets, and, this week, The Guardian. Interviews with Luxury Travel Magazine, Condé Nast, and BBC World are pending.
NKG has also just signed as a partner with Urban Events and will take customers over the Tasman by private jet for the Urban Polo in Sydney in November.
Meanwhile, Nash and his wife have just converted a wing at their home into a high-end Airbnb.
“Sarah and our family live in a large 150-year-old historic place-listed building that was once the courthouse on Napier’s iconic Marine Parade.
“Guests will have the best Napier has to offer, just steps from their accommodation.”
Rich list daughter’s Maui nuptials
New Zealand’s elite gathered at the $20m beachside Maui home of Sky TV founder Craig Heatley for his daughter’s wedding last week.
Sophie Heatley married her long-term partner, former Australian water polo Olympian, Tyler Martin.
The couple, who have been together for a decade, got engaged three years ago. They have two young sons, Teddy and Max, and are based in Sydney where they run a non-alcoholic beverage company, Yes You Can.
Rich lister Craig is reported to be worth $600m.
Australian wedding planner to the stars Laice Bollen, from Place of LB, organised the black tie wedding, which featured several functions for friends and family, including a welcome party, featuring traditional fire dancers, and an elegant rehearsal dinner.
Bollen also did the weddings of Kiwi models Georgia Fowler and Maia Cotton.
Sources say the reception was stunning, sitting back from the beach on the manicured lawns with green table clothes set off with native flowers and foliage.
Among the extensive bar offerings was Veuve Clicquot, Champagne and drinks from the newlyweds’ own brand.
Before dinner, a raw bar and a caviar station were on offer.
The showstopper, aside from the bride and groom, was a surprise performance for guests by iconic Kiwi band Fat Freddy’s Drop, topped off with a fabulous fireworks display.
Among Heatley’s friends who made the trip to Maui, were Below Deck star Katie Flood, luxury brand strategist Isabella Caselberg, pilates instructor Anna Miles, and Monday Haircare founder Jaimee Lupton.
Lupton and Heatley became good friends when they both lived in Sydney.
Lupton was in Maui with her fiancé, billionaire Zuru co-founder Nick Mowbray, and their daughter, Noa, after a week’s break in Honolulu.
Heatley, Martin, Lupton and Mowbray, and their children all saw in the new year together on Maui. Mowbray and Martin played at the picturesque Makina Bay on Maui’s southern shore, where Mowbray had also played golf with Craig in 2022.
Another recent wedding of note was the nuptials of Murray Crane, the founder of Crane Brothers and wine expert Claudia Elze at Mantells Mt Eden.
Crane tells Society Insider their celebration was intimate and considered, attended by close friends, family, and long-standing collaborators — including a quiet who’s who of the New Zealand fashion industry, and a large contingent of international guests.
“Claudia wore a bespoke gown by Lucy MacDonald, designed in close collaboration to reflect her personal style and sensibility,” says Crane.
“As expected with Crane Brothers, every detail was intentional — from the hand-drawn menus and bespoke florals to the wider bridal party outfits, carefully curated to reflect the tone of the day.
“The result was an evening that felt both understated and deeply personal.”
Meanwhile internationally acclaimed violinist Hannah Fang recently said yes to the proposal of her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, Easy Eats founder and tech entrepreneur Richard Blake.
Fang, who is famous throughout New Zealand for her mesmerising violin performances of pop, rock and classical while wearing glittering outfits, tells Society Insider that Blake’s proposal was a little more laid back.
“There was no grand proposal, no spectacle, just the two of us in our quiet world.”
A month ago, the pair went shopping just after Fang’s birthday to jeweller Austen & Blake in Commercial Bay. There, Fang selected a custom-made diamond halo ring.
Last week, as Fang was lying in bed at their North Shore home recovering from foot surgery, Blake surprised her with the finished ring and officially proposed.
The pair’s love story spans online conversations before Wellington-based Blake and Fang first met at the Takapuna Beach Café.
After a few months of long-distance, Blake relocated his home and business to Auckland, and the pair moved in together. Since then, Fang says, the pair has spent nearly every day together and have travelled extensively through Asia and the Pacific Islands.
“Richard is unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
“He is kind, thoughtful, responsible, intelligent, calm, and always humble. He is someone I truly admire — not just love.”
This time next year, the pair will marry in Fiji.
Is Rod Drury the king of Queenstown?
He’s building a bunker, bought a brewery, backing a plan for a gondola connecting the airport to the city, and has just opened what he says is the country’s biggest gym.
Is Xero founder Rod Drury the new king of Queenstown?
In 2018, he moved his life and business interests to the city after retiring as Xero’s chief executive. He sold $300m worth of shares in the company in 2021 with his former partner, Anna Stuck. The company’s latest annual report showed Drury still owned 2.4% of Xero’s shares.
It seems Drury – now the country’s sixth wealthiest man with an estimated wealth of $2.1 billion - is now everywhere with his finger in many pies in the tourist mecca.
He has spoken about his vision to transform the town into a renowned destination for international athletes as well as a more dynamic and competitive town in general.
Last month, he addressed the audience at the Electrify Queenstown conference at the Queenstown Events Centre, sharing his ideas for electricity sector reform, including low-priced renewable electricity and said he had spoken to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon about it recently.
There are far too many interests of Drury’s to mention but his latest came to life last week. He opened The Mill Queenstown, which he said was a “world-class high-performance sports training and recovery facility that would attract athletes and teams to Queenstown and was ambitious”.
“Now it’s complete, we’ve created a special space our community will be very proud of.”
The Xero founder told guests, who included the Minister for Sport Mark Mitchell and the Minister for the South Island, James Meager, that the idea for The Mill sprang when he was in a vulnerable position on the bench with physiotherapist Peter Forch. The pair discussed how Queenstown could be better, with Forch now the owner and founder of The Mill.
Warren and Mahoney architects designed the 2000sq m facility in Frankton’s Remarkable Park.
It features a gym, recovery and healthcare facility, saunas, cold plunge pools, pneumatic compression therapy, cryotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Over the last few years, Drury, a keen cyclist, has also spent millions on the district’s mountain biking scene.
The Mill opened months after another Drury-backed project, a freeride biking competition. Natural Selection Bike had its inaugural event on a purpose-built Mt Dewar course and was broadcast globally on Red Bull TV.
Drury’s investment in Queenstown isn’t limited to fitness pursuits; he reportedly recently spent $3m buying the neighbouring property to his Arthurs Point events space and brewery, The Cargo Collective Brew Hall, with a vision to turn it into a design and architecture hub.
Drury is also championing a zero-emission Queenstown gondola system between the airport and the city that could transport up to 3000 passengers per hour per direction.
Southern Infrastructure, led by former Coronet Peak ski area manager Ross Copland and Drury, have plans for a gondola similar to ones operating in Paris and Singapore.
Drury has been building a bunker-style building, 200m from his 2227sq m house near Arrowtown, which is also said to be nearly finished.
Te Wharehuanui is made of blackened steel, schist stone and concrete. Drury hopes to host the world’s best and brightest to help make Queenstown a testing ground for sustainable innovation.
In the meeting house, Drury has said he would bring very influential people in the hopes they would invest in the Queenstown Lakes and create new technology, innovation and jobs.
Meanwhile, up north, Drury has another bunker-style home pad set for construction on his land in Te Arai, near Mangawhai, with a guesthouse and pool.
A Good Week for John Darby and Vaughan Mabee
Amisfield owner, multi-millionaire developer John Darby, and his Queenstown restaurant’s executive chef, Vaughan Mabee, were in Italy, last Thursday for The World’s 50 Best Awards ceremony.
The awards in Turin— considered the Oscars of innovative fine dining — were handed out at a ceremony at the Lingotto Fiere exhibition centre, which was transformed into the epicentre of fine dining excellence as the industry’s most coveted prize was awarded.
Earlier this month, Amisfield became the first New Zealand establishment to make the influential list. The fine dining restaurant placed 99th after more than 1000 culinary experts, including chefs, food writers and global gastronomes, voted on the list’s 51-100.
The top 50 were announced in Turin, after a week-long celebration that included collaborative dinners, sessions and forums, which included the likes of star chefs Jeremy Chan and Virgilio Martínez.
Maido, a Peruvian restaurant in Lima, took out the evening’s top prize.
Darby had his girlfriend of over a year, interior designer Sally Ridge, at his side, while Mabee’s wife of two years, Julia Yamamoto-Evans, is understood to have been back in Queenstown, with the couple’s baby girl born around the time of the trip.
Party People of the Week
10 - A Celebration of Tastes, Mercy Hospice
Almost 400 guests attended Mercy Hospice’s annual flagship fundraising gala, 10 - A Celebration of Tastes at the Grand Millennium Auckland last week, helping to raise critical funds to enable the charity to provide compassionate specialist palliative care.
In its 18th year, 10 featured dishes from Auckland’s finest restaurants, including The Aviary, Baduzzi, Cibo, Des Harris Chef, Gilt Brasserie, Katsura, Musashi, Paris Butter, Sails, and Sidart.
Broadcaster Stacey Morrison guided the day’s proceedings as MC, with attendees including Mercy Hospice supporters and sponsors Douglas Charitable Trust, Mansons TCLM Limited, EuroVintage, Barfoot & Thompson, Pascoes, BNZ, New World Victoria Park, Walker & Hall and Grand Millennium Auckland.
Chef Michael Van de Elzen and Ben Longhurst were the event’s food and wine experts.
Mercy’s long-time volunteers managed the room and the charity giving spirit, including philanthropist Alma Sax, Chrissy Douglas, wife of Douglas Pharmaceuticals Rich Lister Jeff, former doyenne of the Newmarket Business Association Di Goldsworthy, real estate maven Cheryl Whiting and her granddaughter and fellow real-estate agent Holly Cassidy and model Lorraine Downes.
Guests heard a touching speech about the impact Mercy Hospice has had on whānau. The bids made on exclusive live and silent auction items had the event raising more than $500,000 in total.
Networking in a secret garden
Last Wednesday, a vibrant group of 120 women descended on Non Solo Pizza, Parnell as part of the popular seasonal social networking series, Ladies Who Lunch.
Enjoying the sun-soaked winter’s day on the outdoor terrace, guests enjoyed catching up while sipping on Botanist cocktails.
Social entrepreneur Anna Jobsz, of Little Empire Events, partnered with Valet Nails, Balance and Bloom Pilates for her latest lunch.
Jobsz, who created the Ladies Who Lunch series 10 years ago, hosted the event, which was themed A Secret Garden, with bright colours, large flowers and a floral photo wall, with most guests dressed to match.
Once seated, guests were served a two-course meal of Panzanella tomato salad, roast snapper with fennel salad, and chargrilled beef fillet with roasted pumpkin puree.
Among those in attendance was lawyer Michelle Bendall, former Real Housewife and author Julia Sloane, Ray White Real Estate agents Carita Fenning, Erica Fava and Tanya Kwasza, Kham Phomsouvanh, the former wife of the late Sir Bob Jones, DoeZ co-founder Rebecca Davidson, The Entourage’s Iwona Hosking and former TV presenters Trudi Nelson and Nicky Styris.
Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.
