The article looks at how wealth and income in New Zealand changed from 1870 to 1939. They used data on wealth and income, and a sample of wealthy people to fill in gaps in the data. New Zealand was wealthy and had fair wealth distribution compared to other countries. Wealth increased by 100% from 1900 to 1922, but growth slowed in the late 1920s and 1930s. The richest people owned less of the wealth over time. Most wealthy people were self-made men from educated backgrounds. Women who were wealthy usually inherited their money. The wealthy were not a closed group, with many moving up from poor backgrounds, especially those of Scottish descent.