James Kirkpatrick has come a long way since he ran a successful car yard on Auckland’s New North Rd.
His move to property has paid off handsomely with a 2017 revaluation of Auckland properties, boosting the value of his property portfolio to nearly $600 million.
Now in his late 80s, Kirkpatrick is still active as a company director but the day-to-day running of the James Kirkpatrick Group is left to his son, James Junior.
Industrial properties in South Auckland make up the bulk of the Kirkpatrick empire, with some big-ticket properties such as an 11ha manufacturing site in Otahuhu valued at $84m and a $56m property covering almost 7ha in Onehunga.
He stays out of the limelight these days. However, that is less true for his ex-wife Gilda, who still lives in the former couple’s home on Paratai Drive. The former Real Housewife of Auckland’s latest reality TV venture was last year’s Dancing with the Stars.
2018: $300 million