A ceremony was held to thank Sir Owen Glenn for his $3m contribution towards the upgrade of the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre.
As the high stakes legal battle between rich listers Eric Watson and Sir Owen Glenn looks to be coming to a close, Watson appears to be wrapping up his own business interests in New Zealand.
Meanwhile sources close to 78-year-old Glenn who is battling cancer, told Stuff the entrepreneur was "hanging on for grim death to see Eric in a six foot hole".
The legal stoush, which has been playing out in a High Court trial in London, is part of a bitter feud between the former business partners over assets worth more than $200 million.
It has previously been reported the entrepreneurs fell out over a joint venture called Spartan Capital, with court documents showing the pair went into business in mid-2012, investing in European Property through Spartan.
Spartan Capital was named in a 2014 court ruling out of the British Virgin Islands, revealing the company's assets included a Jersey bank account holding more than $200m and significant property ownership in England.
The court documents stated Glenn had poured £133m ($211m) into Spartan and was unhappy over what he saw as an unfair deal, with Watson claiming a shareholding on the capital.
A final decision on the case is expected to be handed down in the coming weeks, but Stuff quoted a source close to the case that Glenn was determined to live long enough to see it resolved.
"Owen Glenn is very much committed to seeing Eric Watson buried and pulped," they told Stuff.
"Owen and his advisers believe that they've minced him up and smeared him on the pavement."
Watson and Glenn were former co-owners of the New Zealand Warriors rugby league club until Watson bought Glenn out of his share to become the sole owner in 2015.
Billionaire businessman Owen Glenn during an interview at Auckland University. Photo/Dean Purcell
Over the last couple of years, Watson has been selling various New Zealand assets including his Te Hihi luxury estate in Karaka, featuring a six-bedroom villa, a polo field, a helicopter pad, and a nine-hole golf course, which sold for $14 million in September last year.
Watson also sold his stake in Auckland Viaduct's Soul Bar and Bistro which changed hands in March, and is in the process of selling the Warriors.
Having moved to London full-time in 2002, Watson has spent less time in New Zealand.
His business portfolio has more recently included Bendon Lingerie which his firm Cullen Investments has a majority stake in, and Long Blockchain, formerly Long Island Iced Tea.
The company was formed when Watson merged his US dairy company with an existing drinks company, before the company name was changed to Long Blockchain in December to make the most of the growing blockchain craze which the company's technology was based on.
Eric Watson is the founder and executive chairman of international private investment company Cullen Investments which has a majority stake in lingerie business Bendon. Photo/Greg Bowker
Following the name change, the company's value tripled overnight, however more recently the Nasdaq on which the company is listed, found Long Blockchain had misled investors, something the company disputed.
It was delisted for not maintaining a high enough market capitalisation and its value has since plummeted, closing at US$1.10 on Wednesday - an 88 per cent drop from its high in December.
Last May, Watson was ranked 480th in the UK rich list with a net worth of US$448m, a rise of US$8m from the previous year.
