James Packer is currently Australia's richest boss
IN PHOTO: Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd co-Chairman James Packer (R) gestures while co-Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho looks on during a news conference and grand opening of the City of Dreams in Manila February 2, 2015. Macau's Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd is not eager to include South Korea in its resort-casino portfolio and will instead focus on ramping up operations at its newly opened City of Dreams Manila project, a top company official said on Monday. While Melco Crown finds South Korea an interesting gaming market, areas like Incheon cannot guarantee a daily traffic of 30,000 visitors, a key requirement to make an integrated casino-resort project viable, Ho told reporters in Manila where he led the formal opening of the over $1 billion City of Dreams. Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

New Zealand’s self-made billionaire and packaging tycoon Graeme Hart has become the richest New Zealander in NBR Rich list for 2015, released on Thursday. He has been holding the title for a whole decade. Hart's estimated wealth of NZ $9 billion (AUD 8.12 billion) is up by NZ $2 billion (AUD 1.8 billion), compared to his networth in 2014.

Hart's business empire is built on packaging business. He is a self made man, having left school at the age of 16 and worked his way up, including the stint as tow-truck driver. Today, his flagship properties include a pricey cliff-top mansion in Auckland and an island in Fiji. Interestingly, Hart stands out with a cool $5 billion (AUD 4.51 billion) ahead of the second- rich-lister Richard Chandler. The Todd family emerged as the third winner on the list.

Top Ten

1 Graeme Hart

2 Richard Chandler

3 Todd Family

4 Erceg family

5 Michael Friedlander

6 Christopher Chandler

7 Goodman Family

8 Stephen Jennings

9 Sir Douglas Myers

10 Sir Michael Fay

To find a place in the NBR rich list, there is a threshold wealth of NZ $50 million (AUD 45.11 million). In 2015, the leading newcomers to the list are Sir Russell Coutts, who is New Zealand's highest-paid sportsman, drawing NZ$13 million (AUD 11.72 million) in annual salary from Oracle Team USA. Telecom entrepreneur Annette Presley is another prominent person in the list.

The number two lister Richard Chandler’s brother Christopher Chandler is New Zealand's fourth-richest man with NZ$1.3 billion (AUD1.17 million) . New Zealand's third- richest individual is real estate investor Michael Friedlander, who upped his wealth from NZ $260 million (AUD 234.5 million) in 2006 to NZ $1.4 billion (AUD 1.26 billion) in 2015. Stephen Jennings is New Zealand's fifth-richest individual.

Rich Woman

The wealthiest woman in the list is Victoria Ransom at 38th rank with a net worth of NZ $315m (AUD 284 million). Ransom earned a big amount when her social media marketing company Wildfire was taken over by Google. According to NBR news editor, Duncan Bridgeman, the wealth of many listers is undisclosed. However, the growth in the total value of the list in 2015 is an indication that they have grown their assets. "We have had some reductions in the value of some on the list, but that is far outweighed by the increases and the newcomers we have identified," Bridgeman said.

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