KEY POINTS:
Self-made New Zealand millionaire Chris Anderson - invited back to his old high school - brought along some cash to catch the attention of young pupils.
But he also caught the attention of NZ Customs, who phoned Whakatane High School to check Mr Anderson was really a guest
speaker, because he had A$1 million ($1.12 million) in cash in his carry-on baggage.
A spokesman for the school said Mr Anderson was a motivational speaker for junior classes at the end of last year.
When Mr Anderson pulled back a cloth draping a table in front of his student audience, it set off a room full of gasps that exploded into calls and laughter, the Sunday Mail in Brisbane reported.
"That's $1 million cash," he pronounced, grinning proudly at his captivated teenage audience. "Australian dollars."
Back on old turf, the under-achieving schoolkid proved he had beaten the odds.
Mr Anderson, and his wife and business partner Virginia, both aged 38, left the Bay of Plenty 15 years ago to make their home on Brisbane's southern bayside.
The young builder arrived broke and owing his dad $1400, but became a developer. He recently sold their six-bedroom Raby Bay mansion for A$2.3 million and work is about to start on a larger luxury home a few doors away on a vacant block bought 12 months ago for A$1.16 million.
The couple debuted on a Sydney business paper's Young Rich List last September, where their estimated fortune of A$35 million ranked them in 29th place among wealthy Australians aged under 40.
Mr Anderson said the estimate of their wealth was conservative: he put their real worth at A$50 million.
He told the newspaper: "Look, I haven't come out of the right school ... I don't rub shoulders with the higher echelons of business society, I don't have any corporate background, I don't have any tertiary education, I'm a carpenter who's slogged my guts in the sun with the rest of the tradesmen for many years - and I just didn't want to stay there.
"The greatest thing we've learned is that it's not about having lots of money and five-star holidays and homes and possessions.
"Our greatest achievement is our boys and our relationship. We have four wonderful boys who will grow up to be contributors."
Mr Anderson said his childhood in New Zealand was a negative part of his life and had a major influence on the person he was today.
- NZPA
