North trio on rise in wealth rankings

Sir Michael Hill, the second richest Northlander on the list, increased his wealth from $290 million in 2015 to $300 million this year.

It seems three men with links to Northland are even richer than they were this time last year.

The recently released National Business Review's Rich List features a largely unchanged top 10 of New Zealand's wealthiest people - worth a combined $24 billion.

Graeme Hart remains the richest man in New Zealand, but his wealth took a $2 billion hit this year and fell from $9 billion in 2015 to $7 billion this year.

Kaitaia-raised property investor Peter Cooper is the richest of the three Northlanders listed, with wealth of $780 million - up from $740 million last year.

He has long-term property development and investment interests in the Bay of Islands, Auckland, and Texas after a career in law which proved useful when he and his friend Chris Mace formed Mace Development Corporation.

After a rapid succession of business acquisitions that included the purchase of Pepsi Cola NZ, he now divides his time between New Zealand and the United States where he lives with his wife Susan in Newport Beach, Los Angeles.

In the Bay of Islands, Mr Cooper developed the secluded The Landing at the southwestern tip of the Purerua Peninsula and built several luxury houses.

The Cooper family have a villa nestled in a wildlife sanctuary between a vineyard and the sea which is available to rent for about $7000 a night.

Sir Michael Hill comes in second on the rich list for Northland and his wealth also increased, from $290 million in 2015 to $300 million this year. The founding owner of jewellery firm Michael Hill International now lives in his $6.25 million hilltop property in Arrowtown.

Another Bay of Island resident, Peter Kraus, is the third Northlander on the Rich List worth $115 million this year - up from $105.9 million last year.

He lives on a $3 million property in Kerikeri and his Ebos Group is Australasia's largest and most diversified healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical product supplier.