Trump-backing Kiwi citizen Peter Thiel a potential ambassador to Germany?

Billionaire Facebook funder and founder of online payments site PayPal Peter Thiel, revealed this week to be a New Zealand citizen, has been tipped as President Trump's potential ambassador to Germany.

The New York Times reported on Thiel's New Zealand citizenship and said Thiel had been reported to be a possible Supreme Court justice, a potential candidate for governor of California and most recently Trump's potential ambassador to Germany.

The New York Times called Thiel becoming a New Zealand citizen in 2011 a 'surprise' and asked if it was a way to hedge his bets.

"In these uncertain times, it may be smart to have a backup country. But the news that one of the richest citizens of New Zealand is a naturalised American who was born in Germany set off an immediate furor in the island nation, with questions being raised about whether being a billionaire gets you special treatment," the Times said.

Questions have been raised in Parliament about the status of the man who calls New Zealand "utopia" and has bought a futuristic $4 million-plus Queenstown mansion and the 193ha Glendhu Bay property, Damper Bay.

The Times said: "Perhaps Mr Thiel's interest in New Zealand is a way of hedging his bets on the future."

Thiel was one of Trump's biggest backers during the presidential campaign and when he revealed his position before election day "he was vilified for it in tech circles", the Times said.

The Times said his citizenship was an odd juxtaposition with Trump who had chastised companies for investing overseas and whose campaign was based on America first.

Thiel has declined to comment and the Times reported his San Francisco spokesman as also declining to comment.

The Times article comes after The New Yorker's January 30 edition covers doomsday survivalists, their strategy to deal with a major event and wealthy Americans moving to New Zealand.

Watch Mike's Minute: Why the Peter Thiel conspiracies?