From humble beginnings as a dairy farmer, Christopher Reeve (pictured with Julie Kerridge) has developed a wide-ranging investment and property portfolio.
Reeve has been part of the Waiheke Island community since the early 1980s, having been a farmer on the island before subdividing his 800ha waterfront section. Until recently he kept a 34ha Kauroa Bay property to the south of the island for himself, the house coming complete with add-ons, including a helipad and tennis court, and surrounded by native trees.
Reeve placed the property on the market but it took a considerable amount of time to sell, and even when a conditional deal was reached there were further hurdles to jump through. The property was initially bought by US billionaire Julian Robertson – worth, according to Forbes, $NZ6.5 billion – with the intention of building a $30 million lodge on the site. The Overseas Investment Office balked, initially recommending the deal be declined, though it eventually backtracked and allowed the purchase to go through. The land was reportedly bought for $18.9 million.
Along with his Waiheke property, Reeve also has a $12m, heritage-listed waterfront home in Takapuna that he calls home. He’s a heavy donor to the libertarian Act Party, with several donations worth thousands of dollars over the course of the past year alone.
He has investments in New Zealand, Australia and Asia. His property portfolio includes the International College of Education building on Auckland’s Queen St and Ward Tower in downtown Hamilton.
His most recent investments have been in the medical technology sector. He. has steadily increased his investment in Caldera Health, which focuses on developing tools to detect and monitor prostate cancer. He holds a 32.6% share in the company, a jump from 25.4% that may be due to the sale of his Waiheke Island house. He is the company’s largest shareholder.
He also holds a 10.67% stake in Upstream Medical Technologies, which focuses on heart disease. He lives with partner Jackie Kerridge.
Photo: Stuff
2018: $75 million