Best of BusinessDesk: The ultra-high net worth investor spending big down under

Hans Albrecht with wife Ursula visits Waiheke's Man O'War winery. (Image: Hans Albrecht)

Fri, 29 Dec 2023

This story by Victoria Young, originally published in May, about Hans Albrecht arriving in New Zealand was a popular read this year. Mega-rich investor Hans Albrecht arrived in New Zealand quite by accident. In 2020, the businessman, who founded the Carlyle Group in Europe, was meant to visit Australia to sail his classic yacht, the Nordwind. However, a few days before he was to leave, it was discovered his other boat was too long to dock in Sydney. So, he decided to visit Great Barrier Island instead. Shortly after, Aotearoa went int...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

On the Money

On the Money: Brad Olsen, Therese Walsh & more

A global dig at the City Rail Link, Therese Walsh's favourite, and some Welly gossip.

Dileepa Fonseka 19 Jul 2025

World

Trump may end up sorry he tried to control the Fed

Presidents struggled with monetary policy even before the Fed’s formal independence.

The Wall Street Journal 19 Jul 2025

Trump may end up sorry he tried to control the Fed

Technology Opinion

Big Tech ‘acquihiring’ is an ugly but useful trend

Sometimes actions lead to unintended consequences.

Bloomberg 19 Jul 2025

Big Tech ‘acquihiring’ is an ugly but useful trend

Sponsored

Global real estate without the passport or paperwork

A global ETF offers access to income-generating real estate like data centres, healthcare and logistics warehouses – all in New Zealand dollars.

Blackrock, Smart Invest

Sponsored

‘Make Today the Day’: Why on-the-job training is the key to NZ’s service recovery

Covid gutted New Zealand’s service workforce. Training is the fix – and the future.

ServiceIQ

More Economy

Economy

Food prices rise 4.6% in the year to June

New stats show food prices rose 4.6% in the year to June – the largest rate of increase since late 2023.That was up from a 4.4% increase in the year to May, Stats New Zealand’s latest selected price indexes show.Rising prices for fruit and vegetables in June have contributed to a...

Staff reporters 17 Jul 2025