graeme hart superyacht 2023

New Zealand's richest man Graeme Hart's new superyacht revealed after secretive construction

• Melania Watson

New Zealand's richest man's new superyacht has been revealed after weeks of speculation.  

Graeme Hart's 103m yacht was spotted in Amsterdam, featuring enough space for 20 crew and 18 guests.  

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His daughter, Gretchen Hawkesby, shared a collection of photos including herself, Hart and other family members on Instagram, while on a trip to Amsterdam for the boat launch.  

The freshly renovated, pristine white superyacht has been the subject of much speculation over the past month.  

Boat International revealed the yacht includes four exterior hot tubs, a swimming pool that covers the entire height of the main deck and a helicopter hangar concealed in the foredeck.   

On the interior, the yacht has a glass staircase and an elevator in the main atrium.  

"The yacht has maintained a single-deck engine room, which is no easy feat for a yacht of this size," Boat International reported.  

Formerly known as Feadship 1011, the yacht has now been named Ulysses.  

Boat International said the yacht was spotted recently in transport from Feadship's Makkum site to its Amsterdam facility.   

They described the yacht as having "distinctive clean lines" and a "squared-off deck design".  

Feadship revealed the yacht includes 1100sqm of exterior glass used in twenty exterior sliding doors, 12 glass windbreaks and 6m panels of glass along the main deck guest cabins.  

Ulysses is the same name as one of Hart's previous superyachts which he sold in 2017.  

The project is the fourth largest Feadship to be built to date, following the 118.2m Feadship 821 and Feadship 1010, both currently in build at the shipyard, and the 110m Anna. The superyacht is set to embark on sea trials later this year. 

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Here Comes the Sun superyacht spent two weeks in Cyprus

07:50 - 14 September 2023

The 89-metre Amels superyacht Here Comes the Sun, belonging to New Zealand billionaire and passionate superyacht collector Graeme Hart , recently spent two weeks at Limassol and Ayia Napa Marinas.

Here Comes the Sun was delivered in 2017 after being commissioned by a repeat client - the original owner was reportedly Russian drilling industry tycoon Alexander Dzhaparidze, known for naming his superyachts after Beatles tunes – before it changed ownership in 2019.

Graeme Richard Hart is a New Zealand billionaire businessman and the country's wealthiest person

A full rebuild followed at her home shipyard in 2021, where the superyacht was stretched by almost 20 feet, received a new top-to-bottom paint job, got a second helipad, and all the mechanical systems were overhauled. It was taken on a cruise for a year before being put back on the market for $195m earlier this year, selling just four months later.

Here Comes the Sun was awarded a Neptune for Best Rebuilt Yacht at the World Superyacht Awards 2022.

The 2,955GT flagship was built as custom to Lloyd's Class with an exterior and interior from the boards of design royalty Tim Heywood and Andrew Winch. Here Comes the Sun is vast, with over 1,000 square metres of exterior space and two touch-and-go helipads – one on the bow and one on the sundeck – that can land a Bell 429 or EC 145.

A two-metre-deep and semi-shaded swimming pool takes centre stage on the main deck and is surrounded by sun loungers and sofas, with windbreak glass to protect guests from inclement weather. The pool was upgraded during the refit thanks to the extension of the hull and is fitted with contraflow jets.

Below is a beach club and bar that now benefits from shell door platforms and an extended swim platform with hydraulic sea stairs. From here, guests can access the yacht's fully-fledged wellness centre complete with a sauna, steam room, plunge pool, massage room and beauty salon.

Other notable work completed during the refit included the extension of the sundeck by 3.4 metres, now home to a forward-facing whirlpool and a gym, and a full interior revamp that saw her original orange tones replaced with shades of marine blue.

Accommodation is for up to 20 guests across 10 cabins with provision for a crew of 27. An owner's apartment occupies the entire upper deck with a forward-facing owner's suite that benefits from a private lounge, office and balcony. Two "extra-large" VIP suites also have access to their own private balconies, while the remaining seven guest cabins are located on the main deck, two of which convert to suites. An extra double cabin on the bridge deck can sleep additional staff as required.

Julie Chitaeva, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Seanesthisis, which provided the yacht provisioning services while the superyacht was docked in Cyprus, said: “It's been incredible to witness the transformation of Cyprus into a thriving superyacht hub in the past decade. Despite enduring financial crises, the infamous ‘haircut’, global pandemics, and an overall unstable global situation, our island has truly proven its resilience and adaptability and managed to shine even brighter on the superyacht stage.”

Julie Chitaeva, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Seanesthisis

According to Chitaeva, Cyprus has seen remarkable growth in its superyacht facilities. “Places like Limassol Marina and Ayia Napa Marina have truly raised the bar, offering top-notch services to cater to every need of these magnificent vessels. The dedication and hard work of countless individuals, from marina staff to yacht agents, technicians, and local day workers, have played an instrumental role in this journey.” She said she feels so proud and grateful that Seanesthisis is contributing to this vibrant industry.

(Photos: fraseryachts.com )

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A Tale of Two Pities: Graeme Harts superyacht vs Salvation Army Christmas hampers

Two stories that tell us everything about where we are as a nation right now…

NZ’s richest man reveals covid lockdown project: A custom built superyacht

Kiwi billionaire Graeme Hart has taken delivery of his latest superyacht, said to be a 102-metre custom-built feat of engineering.

Specifications released by the manufacturer, Feadship, reveal the yacht has four outdoor hot tubs and a pool occupying the full height of the main deck, accessed via a pool deck.

It also has a helipad and a hangar and the largest tender boat garage door that the firm has ever installed on a luxury vessel.

…vs this…

Salvation Army forced to quit Christmas meal hampers

The cost of living crisis has forced The Salvation Army New Zealand to make a national decision to stop providing its traditional Christmas meal hampers.

It’s possibly the first year it’s had to make the call but divisional director for community ministries Vikki Stevenson said the organisation couldn’t justify the cost of the Christmas treats when an increasing number of Kiwis needed everyday grocery items.

This comes as The Salvation Army released its State of our Communities 2023 report this week, with respondents highlighting unaffordable housing, and soaring prices of essentials like food, petrol and power as their main concerns.

“Food shortage is a big thing, even people with jobs are finding it hard and have nowhere to turn to,” one respondent shared.

…post Covid we all sacrificed equally in an unequal society.

NZ is now a tale of two pities.

There is a class war happening in NZ right now to exclude the under class, the beneficiaries, the working poor, state house tenants, prisoners, exploited migrant workers, the disabled, drug addicts, workers, the 600 000 reliant on food banks each month, the 300 000 living in housing and energy poverty and renters, but thanks to middle class Wellington activists who have stolen all the political oxygen for their woke identity politics virtue signals, we don’t have the vocabulary to articulate class war.

Our past history of egalitarianism is now a mere pretension used by the Woke to feel superior while the mega wealthy continue to avoid any focus on their obscene wealth.

Bernard Hickey has argued , “We could have gotten $200 billion in extra tax revenues if only there had been a fair tax system which meant that capital gains were taxed at the same rate as every other type of income.”

In a liberal progressive democracy, it doesn’t matter what role you play in the complex super structure of our society and economy.

It doesn’t matter of you are a garbage collector, a dr, a nurse, a drain layer, teacher or tradie – if you all stopped doing your jobs the system can’t work.

Everyone deserves to share the collective harvest of civil society with public services and policies focused on the public good enshrined in the intrinsic civil liberties each individual has.

Wealthy individuals who become mega rich thanks to the landscape generated by those values are required to pay more back into the system they have benefited from beyond the bare necessity of ruthless accountancy practices.

These rich pricks have designed the system for themselves, ‘you can’t tax unrealised capital gains’ the Right scream, like bullshit we can’t!

Council rates are based on valuation and you can borrow against that capital gain.

If it means the mega rich have to sell a mansion or two to pay the tax bill, so fucking be it!

There are 14 Billionaires in NZ + 3118 ultra-high net worth individuals, let’s start with them, then the Banks, then the Property Speculators, the Climate Change polluters and big industry.

Making these levels of extreme profit right before the looming recession of late stage capitalism is an outrage!

Unfortunately the middle class woke Left are too focused on Social Justice Privileges to fight for Economic Justice Rights!

No poor family in NZ are sitting around the kitchen table cancelling each other for misusing pronouns.

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32 comments.

NZ is full of a lot of selfish cunts now sad not the country we use to be

@ CiP. I think we’re still the country we used to be, it’s just that we’re experiencing an MSM manufactured attention deficit. While we were living beautiful lives until cunts like hart slithered in and stole it out from under our blissful, restful noses. AO/NZ’s still there. We just need to comprehend that it is and by that, we need to read, to re experience and to re encounter our wonderful AO/NZ for the sake if its safety and frankly, selfishly, our blissful joy. Truly, I believe it’s all merely a matter of an awareness born of inquisitiveness and having the confidence to boldly evaluate situations and then act accordingly. We just get pissed up or drug fucked then brawl. Billionaires, by their very presence, shout that they don’t care if they’ve deprived us of a right to a carefree life.They, instead, see their so called ‘achievements’ as being entitlements and therefore they have a sacrosanct right to exploit us and who should care if, in so doing, they deprive us, which they clearly, boldly and arrogantly do. I personally think that Hart and his other 13 billionaire cronies are mentally unwell. Where we have natural empathy and conscience they have callous disregard and couldn’t give one small fuck about us which surely gives them into a predatory mindset. Some might call that psychopathic narcissism. So, I’m compelled to ponder then, should we be OK with predatory psychopathic narcissists deeply embedded within our politics and well able to subvert even those rare politicians with the best intentions by offering them vast amounts of money to see things their way. Graeme Hart? He was the national party’s largest contributor at $250,000.00 wasn’t he? How could a homeless person and equally valid AO/NZ citizen compete with that? By offering a blow job and a fag end in a public toilet? Read stories by good people like George Monbiot, Rutger Bergman and the studies of Professor Stanley Milgram. And also study the extraordinary escapades of Sasha Baron Cohen and chillingly witness just how easy it is to bullshit people out of their minds to make them compliant to unnatural demands. Check this guy out also and I’m proud to say I’ve worked with him. Craig Zobel. ‘Compliance’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compliance_(film) Finally @ Covid is Pa. Language use is extremely important in keeping one’s flight path straight and level. Our AO/NZ STILL IS they way it used to be. We just need to unearth it and give it a brush down and a cup or tea. @ Graeme Hart. Go and tell the cunt what you think. Show no fear! I get the feeling you’re the sort of person who’s not afraid of much. Kia kaha.

Just wait Martyn for the Right wingers to accuse you of fomenting the Politics of envy.

Martyn – I wonder if Graeme Hart donates to charity?

I wonder if he pays tax?

Well done Graeme! Not bad for a guy who started out as a tow trucker and panel beater.

It just shows what can be done with some intelligence and effort.

So where did you go wrong Andrew?

You’re assuming I went wrong 😉

We all get to make choices in life I stand by mine.

“We all get to make choices in life I stand by mine.”

So very wrong.

Good on you Andrew,I suspect MHK has relied on Government handouts.

Brain dead Bob, here’s a question for your pathetic little brain,those young babies dying in Palestine, Gaza, did they have a choice? I’d suggest you fuck off but given your infantile posts, you’d struggle to even know what that means. You really are truly obnoxious let alone unintelligent. Know doubt still living with mummy.

You neglected that Mr Hart got a few sweetheart deals along the way that set him on the path to prosperity. He did well to specialise in packaging & his decisions showed a long-term plan to build wealth so he has reaped the reward of his labor. I also know that you can’t take it with you & “What profit is it to gain the world yet lose your soul” so I am happy with my lot in life as I am sure he is also.

‘Packaging’?? that’s CZ code for trafficking, dear.

It is clear reading the regular right wing contributors on this site that they sold their soles many years ago because for them life is only about the money. When they’re long dead no one will remember them.

During peak COVID a person well known to me was a union organiser who dealt with an interesting situation involving Mr Hart. One of his other huge boats was in Auck for a refit and some regional boat builders shuffled staff around to do it. The company my friend dealt with had made workers initially use up their leave and holidays which was wrong to do in the wage subsidy regime, as a precedent setting successful case taken by Etū against Carter Holt Harvey on the same issue later showed.

The company coughed up and paid back all its workers their leave. The quiet admission from the employer was that the Hart job was a windfall and had enabled that, when in reality the boss should have employed the spirit of the wage subsidy in the first place. Yay Graeme Hart!–not–he is a venal corporate thug. Thinking it is ok to have such a preposterous boat has to indicate some form of physcopathy. That yacht deserves a torpedo.

So why is Hart the villain here .He gave a company some work in a period that was devoid of work .How the boss ran his business cannot come back on Hart

because trev he bears a close relationship to you except he’s got the money and you havn’t and never will have with the nats in power….but continue the slavish admiration of people who despise you.

The difference between you and me is I am satisfied with my life and how I lived it .Been round the World washed dishes,had my own businesses and now retired can help others and past on skills .I would like some of Hart’s money but I have enough and am not envious . As Frank Sinatra sang I did it my way

To the likes of Hart, you are just as much an undeserving ‘bottom feeder’ as the people you hand out food parcels to. Don’t kid yourself that you are in their league, Trevor. Which brings me back again to why no-one has looked up the meaning of bottom feeder. Maybe Mr. Hart knows.

The top 100 richest people want to pay more tax. They just don’t know how.

Let them pay 45% not the squeezed middle.

I’m sure the accountants and lawyers they hire to pay their taxes, could work it out if they wanted too.

Agreed why won’t the powers that be let them pay?

An interesting point you make about council rates being based on the property valuation.

Wouldn’t it be much fairer for rates to be based on usage? Why should some widow 80 yo who bought a house 50 years ago be charged the same as the family of 5 living next door using 5 times the water, producing 5, times the rubbish etc?

Those Wellington woke middle class, Left activists are the people who are already well-housed and securely employed in the public sector or NGOs, and they don’t want any significant economic change – because that might lower house prices and reduce their real estate capital gains. Increasing income taxes on them goes down like a cup of cold sick.

So, while they use all the right pronouns and wouldn’t dream of stopping drag queen performances at the city library, their response to poverty is to think the poor really should have bought a house or two back in the 1990s, just like they – or their parents – did. Too bad if the poor didn’t.

Every billionaire is a sign of an economy that fails us – the majority. A system that rewards the few, not the many. Why do WE, the masses, have to support these tax-dodging, self-glorifying parasites?

Why is Stuff rubbing our noses in his excesses? Is it because he bribed – sorry, “donated to” – the nascent Coalition of Clowns, and therefore gets the same puff piece propaganda as these Parliamentary whores he’s recently bought and paid for?

charity solves nothing, as times get hard charity dries up, just when it’s needed most kudos to all the charity volonteers but the govt is living off your efforts

Completely agree re this, just look at Carer Support.

The maximum funding available is $80 per day or $10/per hour despite minimum wage being over $23/hour.

” Specifications released by the manufacturer, Feadship, reveal the yacht has four outdoor hot tubs and a pool occupying the full height of the main deck, accessed via a pool deck.

Imagine how many homeless families that tub could accommodate !

That what celebrating success looks like if you listen to Luxon , Willis , Seymour and their party members , caucuses , their donors and other corporates , shareholders and big business tax free recipients with great accountants and hidden off shore tax havens.

All the bullshit around getting the country back on track is that it is not a universal commitment , in other words the bottom feeders , wage slave’s and all the groups mentioned in this post are exempt. Like Key ( who he suspiciously reminds me of every time he speaks ) its aimed at wannabee Graeme Harts and other institutionalized wealthy citizens and the property millionaires not forgetting the managerial six figure club and protecting THEIR interests nothing more and dressed up to appear Hobbit friendly. Its history repeating itself over and over again with the same shitty dishonest marketing campaign.

I hope Luxon gets an invitation to go cruising ( that will make a great selfie for public consumption ) just to keep him in mind of who is really in charge here and how the many are to be kept in their place serving the few.

In the past there was always a movement to counter and defend so many of the marginalized and serfs whose mission in life is to celebrate and contribute to this success and marvel of high productivity.

Niiiiice waka bro… Give us a hoon !!!

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From a truck driver to New Zealand’s richest man. Graeme Hart has showcased his Covid lockdown project, a 338-foot-long superyacht that boasts four Jacuzzis, an extensive swimming pool, a concealed helicopter hangar, a winter garden, and even a hospital.

Note – As of the writing of this article, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Graeme Hart had a net worth of $9.7 billion (US).

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Politician’s $40million Superyacht Runs Aground 

Clive Palmer, the Australian billionaire, had an unfortunate day this last month, when his superyacht ran aground just off the coast of Sentosa, Singapore. The $40million yacht is 56 meters in length and was named ‘Australia’ by the former politician. 

It is believed that there may have been a problem with the motor on the afternoon of 16th October, causing the vessel to unfortunately, drift inside a navigational buoy. The yacht was stranded in shallow water until high tide, when they were able to free and refloat her. 

It is not clear whether 69-year-old Clive Palmer was on board the yacht when the incident occurred, or if there was any damage caused. Australia is now currently anchored at Keppel Bay, Singapore.  

The yacht, 'Australia', was built in 2012 by the illustrious shipyard Benetti and reflects their reputation of sophistication and grandeur, with design work by Stefano Natucci.  

The 11-year-old vessel was originally owned by the perennial richest person in New Zealand; Graeme Hart (Net worth $8.2 billion), who commissioned the yacht and named her Ulysses. Later, she changed hands and was renamed BASH by her then owner, Lebanese businessman; Bassim Haidar (Net worth $400 million), before finally changing ownership to the Australian tycoon; Clive Palmer (Net worth $1.9 billion), who renamed her again. 

The yacht has a top speed of 16 knots, driven by her twin diesel Caterpillar engines. She can effortlessly endure a range of 3,000 nautical miles when cruising at 12 knots. She can accommodate 12 overnight guests and has a dedicated crew of 12 for any voyage. 

After spamming voters with texts that were “annoying”, Clive Palmer, rose to the top of the list of most hated politicians in Oz. The mining mogul was even labelled as an “enemy of the state” by Mark McGowan. So, it is safe to say that many Australians would have found his misfortune on Monday 16th October quite amusing. 

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Pop Culture June 17, 2023

The wild story behind the murder mystery on the viaduct.

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How did a travelling theatre troupe manage to book a show on a $100,000-a-week superyacht? Sam Brooks talks to the people behind 1920s-themed murder mystery Butterfly Smokescreen.

If you walk down on Auckland’s Viaduct during this chilly winter, you’ll see all the usual suspects: first year students straggling out of Danny Doolans, the manicured regulars at Soul, the giddy golfers at Holey Moley. You’ll also see a superyacht. Specifically, the Sea Breeze III, previously named Ulysses, previously owned by Sir Graeme Hart, and currently playing host to a 1920s-themed immersive murder mystery show called Butterfly Smokescreen.

The show, which runs until August, is a collaboration between New Zealand-based theatre company The Barden Party and Sydney-based Jetpack Theatre. It’s a loose retelling of the infamous death of film producer Tom Ince on the yacht of one William Randolph Hearst (the media magnate upon whom Citizen Kane was based) during a weekend cruise. Also in attendance were Hearst’s companion and actress Marion Davies, silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, columnist Louella Parsons and others whose names are remembered only by the history books and golden age enthusiasts.

It’s a wild story, one that sees the show’s eight-strong cast ably taking charge of period costumes, period accents and period scandals. But a wilder story is how this show even got on board Sea Breeze III to begin with.

L ike everybody in the live arts in 2021, the Barden Party found themselves out of work. Company co-founder Laura Irish, who also co-writes, co-directs and stars as Marion Davies in Butterfly Smokescreen, was trying to figure out a way of putting on shows for small groups of people outside, so she could make an income. The best idea she had was to take shows to people’s backyards, starting with her own before moving onto “everyone’s backyards”.

“We chose to do Shakespeare because, firstly, I love Shakespeare, and secondly, there’s no rights to pay,” Irish says. “It was a cost-effective way to get paid and present art when there wasn’t any happening.”

From there, the Barden Party ballooned from a short run of five shows, to 50 shows around the country, to an eight-state tour of the US. This year alone, they’ve performed multiple shows, including Much Ado About Nothing and a two-hander, immersive musical about Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare called Cocktales.

Jim Fishwick, founder of Jetpack Theatre and also co-director and co-writer of Butterfly Smokescreen, has had the idea for a 1920s murder mystery for almost eight years. The company, which specialises in immersive, interactive, improvised work, has performed shows in mazes, rowboats, observatories – pretty much any location you can name. “This idea had been on my list since the beginning, but because it would require a yacht, I put it on the backburner,” they say. “It was just staggeringly inefficient to consider.”

It was literally only two months ago, barely a month out from opening the show, that his far-flung dream became a very close reality.

The Barden Party had just finished up Much Ado About Nothing at the Theatre Royal in Nelson when Irish was on the phone with one of their regular patrons and sponsors, for whom they’d done a private show earlier this year.  

“I was having a debrief of the season with them because they’re really invested mentally and emotionally in the company, and at the end I asked if their trust would be OK with us pitching for some further funding for development of other works,” Irish says. The patron then suggested they start to ramp things up. Irish joked that they did have an idea for an high-budget immersive show, but they’d need a yacht.

This patron’s response? “Get me the numbers by the end of the weekend.”

The next few days were filled with “industrial quantities” of spreadsheets, a hastily pulled-together pitch deck and a lot of stress. The patron agreed to pay for the development of the show, which would be paid back with ticket sales (pretty quickly, probably – tickets are between $177-$230). The only thing left was to find a boat.

They got on the emails to try and find a yacht, and ideally one that fit the 1920s concept of the show. Sea Breeze III was their Hail Mary option, due to its unique design. The boat is available to hire, for the cost of US$65,000USD a week (around NZ$100,000 – for context, chartering a superyacht can run you anywhere from $48,000 to $420,000 a week). 

Charlotte Devereaux, the boat’s current owner and founder of EGG Maternity, wrote back within 10 minutes asking for a Zoom call.

“Since acquiring Sea Breeze, I’ve always envisioned creating unique and memorable experiences on board, and hosting a mystery seemed like the perfect fit,” Devereaux says. “It felt as though the stars had aligned, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help bring this intriguing and incredibly special theatre experience to life on our gorgeous vessel.” She has since seen the show, even worked the bar during performances, and describes it as “mind blowing”.  

So one Zoom call later, Irish, her eight-year-old daughter and two of the other actors packed up their entire house, got in the car, and drove to Auckland. A week later, others flew in from Sydney. Now, they had to actually make it.

T he experience of attending a performance of Butterfly Smokescreen is uniquely delightful. My companion – an avowed fan of Agatha Christie stories – and I were ushered onto the boat, given a pair of slippers each to wear, a glass of champagne each (we were given the “Hollywood” experience), and encouraged to mingle with the other guests.

The first thing that strikes you is not necessarily the cast, but trying to figure out who the cast even is. Audience members are encouraged to dress in theme, which is something I was initially wary of, considering my wardrobe is squarely in the 20s of the wrong century. But on the boat it plays into the show’s immersive nature: if everybody looks like they’re in the show, it’s a lot easier to believe that you’re at the party.

As the show plays out – no spoilers here, apologies – the intrigue is less in figuring out the mystery, and more watching the cast navigate each other, and play up the best known features of this famous group of characters. Julia Guthrey, as the scruple-deficient Louella Parsons, is a particular delight, with the plummiest 1920s accent you’ve ever heard, and a fur turban to match.

“With these sorts of shows, you’re solving a jigsaw and designing a box, and also designing a jigsaw at the time,” explains Fishwick. “You’re just constantly moving things in towards the middle.”

Both Fishwick and Irish have strong backgrounds as improvisers, and so are comfortable working without a lot of information, but a murder mystery needs a ruthless amount of structure to work. The show went into an intense, albeit short, writing process – they divided up the scenes, finished their first drafts, swapped scenes to rewrite the second draft and swapped back again for the third, which took them right up until a week before opening.

This murder mystery, however, also has to work around a literal structure: a boat with four levels, several staircases, multiple outdoor areas, and rooms with very little breathing room.

“With the size of the space, you have to be conscious because you’ve got audience members following you,” says actor Ollie Howlett, who plays a Chaplin far more charming than the real one ever was. Boat hallways, even ones on superyachts, are not designed for 10 people to be walking through at the same time. “As an actor, you have to really clearly define where you’re going and when you’re going there, so that the audience can follow you even if they can’t see you anymore.” 

Fishwick calls Sea Breeze III the “ninth character” of the show. “The space is so exquisite that it does a lot of the work of suggesting the world of the show for us.”

The tenth character, then, is the audience. The show doesn’t exist without us, and while it invites us in, it’s really up to the audience to decide how they interact with the show. You can pretend to be a 1920s screenwriter, as I may have done, or you can simply be an anachronistically dressed, oddly quiet guest, observing a zippy retelling and the past. Either works.

“If you wanna sit back and watch things unfold, we’re so happy for you, we’ve got space to do that,” says Howlett. “But if you want to get in there and have a conversation with Charlie Chaplin about what his life’s like, we’re there to meet you as well.”

“It’s finding a balance between interacting with the audience and giving them freedom, making it immersive and respecting the story we’re trying to tell as well.”

T oddling off Sea Breeze III, pretty close to midnight, I looked over at the Viaduct and saw people behind the barriers, peering oddly at the superyacht. A mere 20 metres or so away, the cast slipped in and out of character, having taken their bows. To bystanders, it probably just looked like a fancy party. To me, it was an experience I won’t likely have again. And more’s the pity.

“This isn’t the sort of show that comes to New Zealand,” says Howlett. “I might be biased but I think it competes with the biggest shows overseas!

“It’s just the ten of us making this on a boat. It’s crazy.”

Butterfly Smokescreen runs until August 6 on the Sea Breeze III. You can book tickets here .

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The biggest yachts to look out for at the 2024 St Barths Bucket

St Barths is the epicentre of superyacht racing during the Caribbean season, often with an impressive array of superyacht spectators in tow . In the final days leading up to the 2024 St Barths Bucket (21-24 March), BOAT rounds up the largest yachts seen pulling into Gustavia for the famed regatta, beginning with Lürssen's 138-metre Rising Sun ...

Builder: Lürssen Length: 138.01m

If not for her sheer size, Rising Sun will be easy to spot from the shores of Gustavia thanks to her distinct glass panels running across the two upper decks. The yacht was the last ever design of Jon Bannenberg and boasts 8,000 square metres of living space that includes a wine cellar, double-height cinema and a basketball court. Rising Sun was originally commissioned by American business magnate Larry Ellison , who later sold the yacht to media mogul David Geffen. 

Builder: Kleven Length: 116.15m

One of the largest explorer yachts in the world , Multiverse (ex Ulysses ) was commissioned by New Zealand's richest man, Graeme Hart. She is equipped with a heli-hangar on the top deck for a Bell 429 helicopter, as well as a large swimming pool, cinema and spa for the ultimate guest experience. Inside, the yacht's massive 18-metre beam provides accommodation for an owner's party of up to 66. 

Maltese Falcon

Builder: Perini Navi Length: 88m

Fresh out of a full-scale refit, Maltese Falcon is undoubtedly one of the most unique and technologically innovative sailing superyachts in the world – kitted out with radical unstayed masts made of "weapons-grade" carbon fibre, a FalconRig and computerised sail and mast control system. Be sure to look out for the yacht's eponymous emblem on its middle sail, which also appears in the form of a bronze sculpture next to the indoor cinema. 

Builder: Admiral – The Italian Sea Group Length: 74.85m

Instantly recognisable, Kenshō' 's flowing lines and metallic green-blue hull took six years to create with design from Dutch firm Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture and Berlin-based archineers.berlin . The Admiral flagship was awarded the coveted Motor Yacht of the Year title at the 2023 BOAT International World Superyacht Awards and picked up another Neptune at the 2023 BOAT International Design & Innovation Awards for Best Interior Design. Onboard highlights include a glass-fronted spa pool on the sundeck, a sunbed shaped in the image of a manta ray and a diesel-electric system based on five variable-speed generators that earned the yacht its Eco classification. 

Builder: Heesen Yachts Length: 65m

The multiple award-winning Illusion (ex Galactica Star ) was delivered by Heesen in 2013, featuring the Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) developed by Dutch naval architects Van Oossanen & Associates . Her streamlined appearance and generous guest amenities have made her a favourite on the charter scene, with Beyoncé and Jay Z among her list of returning clients . Illusion was also singled out by Dickie Bannenberg – who designed the yacht's interior – as one of his most memorable projects owing to its considerable onboard art collection. 

Builder: Benetti Length: 60m

Another popular charter vessel, St David will once again appear on the hit reality TV show Below Deck , but this time with a new captain at the helm. The yacht is characterised by a classic Baroque theme with intricate marquetry made from satin woods, and a mosaic floor on the skylounge that draws inspiration from a "Tuscan palazzo". While St David is known to frequent high-profile events such as the Cannes Film Festival, she has also ventured to off-the-beaten-path locations including the Seychelles, Red Sea and Abu Dhabi. 

Builder: Trinity Yachts Length: 58.83m

Launched in 2016, Imagine... is one of the largest yachts to be built in the United States . The tri-deck vessel was penned by long-time collaborator Geoff Van Aller , with both the hull and superstructure built from aluminium to AB classification. The yacht's primary social area is found on the sundeck, where guests can relax in the Jacuzzi, on multiple sun loungers or at the bar. Inside, Imagine... also has a bonus cabin that doubles as a massage room. 

Builder: Feadship Length: 55.5m

This Feadship superyacht has sailed under a litany of names since her 2005 delivery, including Twizzile , Drizzle , Issana , Madsummer , Cynthia and most recently, Mary A . In 2018, her owner joined forces with American interior designer Claudette Bonville Associates to give Mary A an exhaustive makeover that included a top-to-bottom paint job, technical tweaks and a brand-new interior – all while carefully preserving the yacht's pedigree. 

Builder: Benetti Length: 52m

Lady B (ex Latitude ) appears to be making the most of the winter cruising season, with back-and-forth trips between the British Virgin Islands and St Barths since early December 2023 according to BOATPro 's Global Fleet Tracker. Before that, the yacht spent the off-season touring fan-favourite destinations in the South Pacific, such as Fiji, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. She is consistently ranked among the most popular charter vessels with amenities such as an outdoor cinema, a Jacuzzi and a recently updated dive centre. 

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Quality worth making room for

NZ's richest man explains donation to NZ First

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Packaging billionaire Graeme Hart, his son and son-in-law all donated to the New Zealand First Party under the publicly declarable financial limit in 2019 when the party was part of the Labour government considering a Capital Gains Tax.

The country’s richest man and his family members, usually intensely private, ended up being quizzed by the Serious Fraud Office in its investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation, and their evidence has been presented to the Auckland High Court trial of two men, whose names are suppressed, for obtaining by deception.

The SFO alleges up to $750,000 raised through the foundation was intended for the political party but its proceeds were spent by the two men without the authority or knowledge of key elected party officials. The total donations were not declared to the Electoral Commission as would be the case for political parties. The defendants deny the charges, saying no offence was committed and money donated for NZ First was spent on NZ First causes and bills.

Hart, his son Harrison and son-in-law Duncan Hawkesby are among 43 donors from that period whose interviews with the SFO are being read to the court as the Crown lays out its case. Many donors have said they donated thinking it was to the political party, or for party leader Winston Peters, knew nothing of the separation between party and foundation and did not know what account they had been directed to bank donations into. Some have said they did not care what account it went to so long as their money supported NZ First.

Duncan Hawkesby, husband of Hart’s daughter Gretchen and the director of Hawk Marine Ltd, said he met members of NZ First in March of 2019 on a couple of occasions through a PR consultant Thomas Pryor of Sherson Willis. Hawkesby became aware that financial support from him and his family was being raised.

Pryor emailed Hawkesby on March 20 to say he’d met NZ First’s then-MP Clayton Mitchell “re CGT” and “overall was a really positive conversation and their thinking is very much aligned”. Pryor then set a meeting between Hawkesby and Mitchell and suggested it would be good if Graeme Hart could “drop by”.  

Hawkesby’s evidence said Hart did greet Mitchell but left after a couple of minutes and the MP set about outlining funding requirements including costs incurred at a previous election.

Mitchell then set up a coffee meeting between the party’s then-MP Fletcher Tabuteau and Hawkesby and it was there Hawkesby was provided the bank account number for the NZ First Foundation. “Members of the family said they would also like to donate,” the Hawkesby evidence records, and noted that “me and my extended family highly value our privacy”.

He texted his brother-in-law, Harrison Hart, who runs a business named Walter & Wild: “Hey Hazz, can you please deposit $14,995 into the account below from a Walter & Wild account?” That money went through to the NZ First Foundation on March 28.

Hawkesby then contacted a Graeme Hart adviser to establish which business would donate on his father-in-law’s behalf, was told it would be Church Bay Farm Ltd and later provided Hart senior’s personal assistant with the NZ First Foundation account details.

Church Bay Farm Ltd donated $14,995 on March 29 and Hawkesby’s firm Hawk Marine gave $14,995, on April 2.

Hart, aged 67, whose wealth is estimated by the NBR List at $12 billion, said in evidence he “decided I wished to provide financial support to New Zealand First by way of a donation. This came about after discussions with my extended family including Harrison Hart and Duncan”. Hart senior gave an adviser verbal authorisation to make a payment. “I had no knowledge of the structure. I understood an account number had been provided.”

Harrison Hart’s evidence confirmed he received the text from his brother-in-law Hawkesby. “After a discussion with him about NZ First’s policies, I had indicated that I wanted to make a donation to them. I explained to him that due to logistical reasons I wanted Walter & Wild to make the donation.”

Hart junior said he had no knowledge of NZ First’s structure, nor did he make it his responsibility to know. “I just thought the donation was to NZ First. I don’t understand the difference.”

He opted for the $14,995.00 figure, because “where privacy is available I prefer that”. Nobody had advised him about anonymity and donations. “I pay attention to local politics and news and have probably known that amount for years, just as general knowledge.” 

Harrison Hart said he had not assisted in other fundraising for NZ First.

After the donations, the former MP Mitchell reached out to the Hart family through Thomas Pryor, suggesting a catch-up between Graeme Hart and Winston Peters. “I am waiting to hear back for a suitable time for Winston and Graeme to catch a lunch together.” 

Mitchell also tried to follow up with Hawkesby, through Pryor, on some kind of funding arrangement for an NZ First database, but Hawkesby “chose not to respond”.

The trial, before Justice Pheroze Jagose, is set down for another three weeks.

* A government announcement on April 17, 2019 put an end to the proposal for a capital gains tax. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: “All parties in the government entered into this debate with different perspectives and, after significant discussion, we have ultimately been unable to find a consensus. As a result, we will not be introducing a capital gains tax.” 

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Privacy Overview

Billionaire Graeme Hart’s United States businesses make $15b revenue

Anne Gibson

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The challenging global economy pushed down revenue from two listed United States companies majority-owned by New Zealand’s richest man Graeme Hart but they still made a combined US$9.2 billion ($15b), new annual accounts showed.

Publicly-listed packaging business Pactiv Evergreen Inc, listed on the Nasdaq in September 2020, made total net revenue of US$5.5b for the year to December 31, 2023 while Reynolds Consumer Products Inc, also Nasdaq-listed, made US$3.7b ($6b) in the same year.

Fonterra made $24.5b revenue in its latest year.

But earnings from the two American companies are down. Pactiv had previously reported net revenue of US$6.2b ($10.1b) in the year to December 31, 2022, its annual report showed. The 2022 net profit of US$318m became a US$223m net loss in 2023 partly due to lower revenue but also interest expenses rising from US$218m to US$245m.

Reynolds’ total net revenue also fell from US$3.7b in 2022 to US$3.67b in the year ended December, 2023. Net income rose from US$258m to US$298m partly because the cost of sales dropped pushing up gross profit from US$776m to US$942m.

Reynolds makes aluminium foil, parchment paper, plastic wrap, oven bags, slow cooker liners, rubbish bags, slider bags, plates and cups with brands including Reynolds Wrap, Alcan and Diamond.

“The company continued to gain market share in 2023 as retail volume decreased 2 per cent compared to a weighted average category decline of 4 per cent for the year,” Reynolds said in a press release with accounts.

Lance Mitchell, Reynolds’ president and chief executive, said last month: “Reynolds Consumer Products is performing very well in a challenging economic environment and I am extremely proud of all that our team accomplished in 2023.

“We increased market share in our largest categories, restored operational stability in the Reynolds cooking and baking business, outperformed our earnings expectations and drove record cash flows, resulting in leverage of less than three times adjusted ebitda at year end.

“Our integrated brand and store brand model remains a competitive advantage and we will build upon these accomplishments to drive further earnings growth and financial flexibility in 2024.”

Reynolds is trading around US$29.12.

Hart companies own 78 per cent of Pactiv Evergreen and 74 per cent of Reynolds.

In November, the Herald reported on Hart’s new 103m megayacht in Amsterdam where he was pictured with wife Robyn.

Their daughter Gretchen Hawkesby shared photos of the family on a trip for the boat launch. Boat International reported: “Formerly known only as Feadship 1011, the highly secretive 103m Feadship superyacht project has now been named Ulysses.”

Pactiv Evergreen says it is one of the United States’ top manufacturers of packaging for fresh food and beverages, employing 14,000 staff at 51 manufacturing sites and 41 distribution centres, producing 14,000 unique products.

“Whether you grabbed a cup of coffee on your way into the office or enjoyed a home-cooked breakfast, the chances are that you’ve relied on packaging from Pactiv Evergreen today,” Pactiv says on its website.

“While Pactiv Evergreen is a relatively new publicly-traded company, our history goes back to 1880 when John Cherry began the Evergreen Packaging business,” the business says.

It said it demonstrated resilience in the face of challenging market conditions by delivering full-year diluted earnings per share of US$1.77, net income from continuing operations of US$319 million and adjusted ebidta from continuing operations of US$785 million, exceeding full-year guidance.

Shares are trading around US$13.

Food containers, plates and bowls, cups for hot and cold drinks, lids, wraps, cutlery, meat and poultry trays, egg cartons and reclosable beverage cartons made by the company are supplied to full and quick-service restaurants.

They also supply food service distributors, supermarkets, shops, food and beverage producers, food packaging and processing businesses.

Last month, Pactiv Evergreen declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.10 cents per share, to be paid on March 29.

Latest quarterly results were down. Pactiv Evergreen made total net revenues of US$1.27b for the fourth quarter of 2023, down 14 per cent compared to US$1.47b in the fourth quarter of 2022 and down 8 per cent on US$1.37b in the third quarter of 2023.

Net income from continuing operations of US$22m for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to US$27m in the fourth quarter of 2022 and US$28m in the third quarter of 2023.

In this country, his Rank Group owns one of our oldest and biggest timber building products businesses, Carter Holt Harvey organised into four units:

• Carter Holt Harvey Building Products (CHH Timber);
• Carter Holt Harvey Plywood (CHH Plywood);
• Carter Holt Harvey LVL (Futurebuild);
• Carters Building Supplies.

Carters is a 50-branch national retail chain.

Rank owns assets that deliver what we wrap stuff in, our need for food and shelter and where we store stuff. Although Hart lives in Auckland, most of his investments are overseas.

However, his focus has returned to New Zealand in recent years, with investment in property , including in South Auckland’s warehouse/logistics projects via Rank’s Fernbrook.

And last year, he and his wife Robyn showed their philanthropic side with a $6.5 million donation to Starship .

GRAEME RICHARD HART

• Lives in Auckland, aged late 60s, married to Robyn;
• Grown children are Gretchen and Harry;
• Forbes lists Hart as having a US$10.3b fortune;
• Self-made man, formerly a tow-truck driver, panel beater;
• Owns Rank Group, 148 Quay St, Auckland,incorporated 1998;
• Owns big holdings in US companies Pactiv Evergreen, Reynolds Consumer Goods;
• In NZ, Rank owns Carter Holt Harvey and 50-branch Carters.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald ’s property editor for 24 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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