Greg Tomlinson

Greg Tomlinson is a Christchurch-based businessman, investor and founder of the Tomlinson Group and Indevin Group, New Zealand’s largest wine company.

Tomlinson’s entrepreneurial career began as an early pioneer in Marlborough’s mussel industry. From that base he diversified into healthcare, financial services, animal health and wine, building a portfolio of businesses that spans some of New Zealand’s most important primary and commercial sectors.

Indevin, founded in 2003 in Marlborough, now produces approximately 10% of New Zealand’s total grape output. In 2021, Tomlinson and co-investor Joseph Wallace acquired the iconic Villa Maria wine brand out of receivership for around $190 million: a deal that consolidated Indevin’s position as the country’s dominant wine producer and kept one of New Zealand’s most recognised wine names in local hands. Indevin is also the official wine supplier for the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Beyond wine, Tomlinson chairs Heartland Group Holdings, the parent company of Heartland Bank, where he is the second-largest shareholder. He helped grow Oceania Healthcare from a start-up to a publicly listed aged-care provider on the NZX. He also scaled Argenta, an animal health business, to 450 employees across New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States before selling a controlling interest.

Tomlinson was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022, recognised for more than 30 years of building businesses that add value to New Zealand. He is a regular feature on the NBR Rich List.

His profile is noteworthy because Tomlinson is a builder of industries, not just companies. From mussels in Marlborough to wine, banking and aged care, his career demonstrates the compounding impact of patient, diversified investment in New Zealand’s real economy.

Sources: NZ Business Hall of Fame · NBR · Indevin