Gerry Harvey's New Zealand plan

KELLY HODEL/Waikato Times

FRESH BLOOD: Gerry Harvey, of the Harvey Norman chain, with Westbury Stud general manager Russell Warwick. Mr Harvey's new goal is to become the leading breeder of horses in New Zealand.

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There is a good chance that a piece of Gerry Harvey is in the room with you right now.

The notable Australian is the co-owner of Harvey Norman with business partner Ian Norman – together the billionaire businessmen have conquered the Australasian furniture, bedding and electronics market.

On a recent trip to launch his latest business interest, a multimillion-dollar thoroughbred stud based in the Waikato and Karaka, Mr Harvey made a frank admission.

"I never intended to end up with a furniture and electronics business, I wanted to be a farmer.

"So I went into business to raise enough capital to buy a farm – but then it went so well I thought I should keep going while I could."

And keep going he did. Mr Harvey turned 70 in September last year and has no intention of retiring.

"What's the bloody point in retiring? Have you spoken to a retired person lately? You can't get away from them – they are so bloody busy living in the past they have no idea about how to live for tomorrow – they have no dreams, that's not for me," he says.

Which is why Mr Harvey has set himself a new goal, to become the leading breeder of horses in New Zealand. His plan to "topple his good mate Patrick Hogan off his perch" is somewhat said in jest, yet there is an element of truth to his words.

In Australia Mr Harvey is the co-owner of leading thoroughbred auctioneering company Magic Millions – he is the man behind more than half of all thoroughbred sales across the Tasman.

"Personally I own about 1000 horses, 150 are in work with around 50 horse trainers in Melbourne and Sydney and I have about 500 broodmares and a few stallions," he says casually.

Mr Harvey is the major shareholder in Vinery, Baramul and Broombee stud farms in New South Wales and recently added two New Zealand stud farms to his portfolio.

Last year he purchased Westbury Stud in Karaka, the former brainchild of Kiwi entrepreneur Eric Watson, off Auckland property developer Mike Tololi.

And while the stud has galloped through the hands of big businessmen, its resident studmaster Russell Warwick has ensured the operation has remained a successful and professional player in the thoroughbred industry.

And in December last year Mr Harvey paid just under $10 million for the Duchess of Bedford's former Bloomsbury Stud in Matamata.

"I didn't come here on purpose, it was an accident. I ran into Mike Tololi one day, he needed some money so I helped him out and now look at me," Mr Harvey says.

"If you said to me a couple of years ago, `You are going to own a couple of horse studs in New Zealand with stallions and you'll be the biggest breeder in New Zealand in a few years', I would say `bullshit'. So I ended up here by mistake."

But after some consideration Mr Harvey has decided his New Zealand thoroughbred acquisitions "aren't too bad".

"It's just an extension of what I do in Australia and there are a lot of obvious synergies.

" I intend to send my Australian mares over here, I've got access to a lot of stallions worldwide and I can bring these horses to New Zealand – I can end up topping the New Zealand sale, I can be the leading breeder in New Zealand, that can all possibly happen."

But, Mr Harvey maintains, it happened by accident.

The same could not be said for his business interests. It has been no accident that Mr Harvey has accumulated wealth of more than $1 billion. He is ranked 11th on Australia's Forbes Rich List.

"The two things that interest me most in life are horses and business – I love trading, I love buying and selling. If it's horses, cars, property, fridges, I don't care – I just love the thought of buying something and selling it for more than I paid for it."

Mr Harvey says buying and selling requires instinct, a knack to know the difference between quality and budget goods.

"I guess when I look back I never knew I was good at it but I can value things – I can walk into this room and tell you how much that chair is worth and because I do it all day, every day, you get a feel for it – I don't know what that feeling is but it comes to you a little more naturally than other things do."

"People say to me, 'You must be ruthless'. I'm not ruthless at all – in fact I am very much not ruthless, I think its a major disadvantage to be ruthless in business because the minute you think 'I'm ruthless', that doesn't help my relationship with you."

It was in 1961 that Mr Harvey and Mr Norman established the Norman Ross chain of stores when the pair started selling electrical gear.

By 1982 they had 42 stores across Australia and they were bought out by Alan Bond who immediately turned around and fired both original partners after Mr Harvey publicly accused him of being "a crook".

"I was the first person to come out and publicly call him a crook – he never sued me, which probably surprised me actually, but a couple of years later it came to light that he was a crook."

Mr Harvey and Mr Ross had the last laugh when they launched Harvey Norman in 1982.

- © Fairfax NZ News