In our latest story on the state of the New Zealand economy Spinner spoke to one of New Zealand’s leading businessmen. We discuss his fortune and how he sees the New Zealand Economy developing in the future.

Singapore: Sir Christopher Jackson describes himself as a self made man. He started out with the one hundred million dollars that he inherited from his father twenty years ago and has turned it into a fortune of over one hundred and ten million dollars today. Not one to rest on his laurels and a self confessed sucker for hard work, Sir Christopher and wife Lady Jessica are always on the look out for future business opportunities.

Jackson is no stranger to business success, his Grandfather Sir Francis Jackson made most of his money in the Motor Industry. "We were lucky enough to be the only family in New Zealand who produced motor cars. The Government paid us to build a factory, gave us tax breaks and ensured that we were the only people in the country who were ever allowed to make, import or sell motor cars."

In the process the Jackson family amounted a massive fortune. "Young people today find it hard to understand how things worked back then, the best way I can explain it, is that it was similar to how the Mafia operate today. We produced whatever we wanted and charged whatever price we felt like, because nobody could compete with us. Of course, unlike the Mafia, it was all legal at the time."

It wasn’t all a one sided relationship, the Jackson family gave a great deal back to the community in the process. Jackson’s mother Lady Elizabeth Jackson worked tirelessly for a variety of charities. Every Tuesday morning, when she wasn’t abroad, she would host a bridge game to raise money for local charities. "My mother would collect five dollars from each woman present, and once expenses were accounted for, the whole lot would go to Plunkett." The Jackson family were also major sponsors of the Springbok Tour of 1981. "The proudest moment of my life was watching Alan Hewson get that conversion," Sir Christopher recalls.

Sir Christopher attributed his wealth to hard work and just a little bit to plain good fortune. When the New Zealand dollar devalued after the 1984 election, Jackson was tipped off by a friend in the Reserve Bank. "We made damn sure we sold every last New Zealand cent that we had to overseas bankers. The bankers were happy as they knew the New Zealand Government had to underwrite the sale. Once the dollar dropped after deregulation we bought up again and made an absolute fortune. I would imagine that the Reserve Bank is still paying off the money we made on that deal. It would be enough to wipe the Student Loans Scheme" he chuckles.

Sir Christopher remains philosophical about New Zealand’s plight. Having removed his assets from the country long ago and set up permanently in Singapore to avoid taxation, Jackson is perhaps better qualified than many to offer an opinion about the future. "It seems that New Zealander’s have lost that can-do attitude. My Grandfather had the fighting ANZAC spirit. Many a time when his workers were getting uppity he would joke about getting the army in to shoot the union leaders."

When it comes to the supposed "brain-drain" Jackson is highly critical. "It seems that a lot of young people are going to University, running up huge loans, going overseas, and never paying the loans back. As a New Zealander that type of thing makes me sick. We should confiscate their passports to stop them leaving the country until they have made good on their agreement with the Government."

Sir Christopher is a keen Rugby supporter and is looking forward to next years Tri nations series. "I think the All Blacks can take it next year," he muses. Let’s hope the New Zealand economy can prove to be as efficient as the mighty All Black’s have been in the past.