It may come as a surprise, but one of the largest private landowners in New Zealand is not a Western billionaire or multinational corporation. The title belongs to Malaysian billionaire Tiong Hiew King and his family, who quietly control 77,686 hectares of land across New Zealand. That’s more than three times the size of Kuala Lumpur. This impressive figure places the Tiong family as the second-largest private landowners in the country, just behind one other name.
At the helm of this extraordinary achievement is a self-made Malaysian billionaire whose journey from the son of a rubber tapper in Sibu to a global business magnate remains one of Malaysia’s most remarkable, yet least told, success stories. His rise, though seldom in the spotlight, stands as a defining chapter in Malaysian business history, marked by bold expansion, strategic diversification, and no shortage of controversy.
Early Struggles in Sibu
Tan Sri Tiong was born in 1935 in Sibu, Sarawak, to a Chinese immigrant family from Fuzhou. In his early years, he helped support the family by working as a rubber tapper, a job that required physical endurance but paid little. Determined to build a better life, he completed his basic education locally and pursued further studies through correspondence courses from a university in China.
He did not have the backing of a wealthy family or access to elite institutions, but he had something more valuable; resilience, discipline, and the ability to spot long-term opportunities.
Founding Rimbunan Hijau and Building an Empire
In 1975, at the age of 40, Tiong founded Rimbunan Hijau Group, starting with a small timber company in Sarawak. Over the years, he expanded the business beyond logging and transformed it into a diversified multinational conglomerate. The company grew to include ventures in forestry, oil palm plantations, oil and gas, aquaculture, publishing, manufacturing, trading, and property development.
Today, Rimbunan Hijau operates in more than 16 countries, including Australia, Russia, Brazil, Congo, Canada, the United States, and China. In Malaysia, the group controls several public-listed companies such as Jaya Tiasa Holdings Bhd, Rimbunan Sawit Bhd, and Subur Tiasa Holdings Bhd. Combined, these companies have a market capitalisation of more than RM3 billion.
Quietly Dominating the Land in New Zealand
One of the most remarkable aspects of Tiong’s empire lies in New Zealand, where his family has quietly built a dominant landholding portfolio. Through their privately held Oregon Group, the Tiongs have acquired 77,686 hectares of land, making them one of the largest landowners in the country.
Their assets in New Zealand include Ernslaw One, a major forestry company managing vast forests across both the North and South Islands. They also own New Zealand King Salmon, one of the leading salmon farming companies, and The Neil Group, which develops residential and commercial properties. The family’s footprint further extends into container manufacturing and hotel investments.
When the Billionaire Entered the Newsroom
While Tiong built his wealth in timber and land, his influence expanded significantly in the media sector. Through Media Chinese International Ltd (MCIL), he became the controlling force behind four major Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia: Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, and Nanyang Siang Pau. At one point, these publications accounted for around 70 percent of the Chinese-language newspaper market, giving Tiong substantial cultural and political leverage.
However, this dominance came with controversy. In 2001, Tiong acquired Nanyang Press Holdings, the publisher of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, through Huaren Holdings, the investment arm of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). The acquisition sparked intense backlash from readers, civil society, and media professionals, who feared it would compromise editorial independence and reduce diversity of opinion in the press.
Many in the Chinese community saw it as a politically motivated move. Protests erupted, and calls for a boycott of the papers followed. Nevertheless, Tiong completed the acquisition and by 2006 had full control, cementing his position as Malaysia’s most powerful Chinese-language media owner.
The Billionaire from Sibu Who Built a Global Empire
Despite changing times and challenges, Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King remains one of Malaysia’s wealthiest and most globally connected entrepreneurs. According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated at USD 820 million as of 2025.
Unlike many business magnates, Tiong has built his empire without loud branding or constant media appearances. He prefers to operate quietly, letting his numbers and assets speak for themselves.
From rubber-tapping in rural Sarawak to managing forests, salmon farms, and real estate across New Zealand, Tiong’s journey reflects the power of long-term strategy and an eye for opportunity. His influence may not always be visible, but it is deeply rooted, just like the forests he owns.
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