New Zealand's only billionaire went shopping this year and at the end of his spree was richer than ever. What's more, he's already talking about further acquisitions. Hart has had a year to savour, named as the country's wealthiest man with an estimated personal fortune of $1.2 billion and succeeding
in Australia when other New Zealand businesspeople have struggled.
His food business, Burns Philp, has pulled off three major deals in recent months worth "the thick end of $3 billion", buying South American yeast business Fleischmann's, New Zealand Dairy Foods and, literally the icing on the cake, Goodman Fielder, the company behind brands such as Ernest Adams, Bluebird, Edmonds and Uncle Tobys.
As he tells the Business Herald in an exclusive interview today, the buys were part of a strategy hatched on Christmas Eve two years ago. He will spend this Christmas Eve planning his next step.
"I expect that we will continue to develop our business and to acquire and grow," he says.
Herald Feature: 2003: Year in review
