It was in his younger years that Williams really cashed in on his athletic talents. In 2008, he walked out on a $400,000-a -season deal with the Bulldogs to join French rugby side Toulon for a reported $2 million.
In 2010 Toulon offered him a $6 million contract extension for two seasons, but with dreams of being an All Black, Williams turned it down for a relatively modest $550,000-a-year deal with the NZRU.
He was permitted a stint in Japanese rugby, where he made $1.2 million for 12 games for the Panasonic Wild Knights.
While in New Zealand he also propped up his income with a series of high-profile, low-skill boxing bouts, for which he was reportedly paid $1 million a fight.
Williams has a lucrative endorsement deal with Powerade, and this year signed an individual deal with adidas.
9. Grant Dalton (sailing)
$2m
Although Team NZ overlord Grant Dalton is more of an administrator, as he was controversially aboard the team's AC72 in last year's America's Cup he makes the list on a technicality.
Dalton's salary has been the subject of much debate this year, with some of the big pay cheques collected by Team NZ staff not sitting well with taxpayers, who chipped in $36 million to the syndicate's last America's Cup campaign.
The Weekend Herald revealed in June, Dalton was on a base salary of $2 million during the last Cup cycle, although there has been speculation the figure was much higher. With Team NZ not yet operating at full capacity while they wait for key details of the next event to be ironed out, it is understood staff are being paid a percentage of their salaries.
While Dalton earns big dollars, he also brings in big dollars to the Kiwi syndicate. During the last Cup cycle he secured over $100 million in sponsorship, not including government investment of $36 million.
Dalton finds his escape from the petty politics of the America's Cup world in motorsport, with the former round the world yachtsman heavily involved in motorcycle racing. It is an expensive hobby - he recently splashed out on a $100,000 limited edition 1199 Panigale R.
Dalton's properties are worth more than $10 million - including a 911sq m home on exclusive Victoria Ave in Remuera. The property features a tennis court and swimming pool and has a 2011 valuation of $7.65 million.
8. Lydia Ko (golf)
$2.1m
Accustomed to breaking records throughout her career, Lydia Ko added another this year when she became the youngest female player to crack the US$1 million ($1.2 million) mark in LPGA Tour earnings.
At 17 years, two months and 26 days, Ko claimed the Marathon Classic and the US$210,000 winner's cheque in Ohio on the LPGA Tour in July to knock Lexi Thompson (18 years, seven months and five days) off her perch as the youngest player to make it to a million. Her total career earnings in the 10 months since she turned professional in November last year are $1.62 million.
The likeable teenage golfing prodigy, who was this year named in Time's 100 most influential teens, is also in line to earn millions in endorsements - with some estimates of her earning potential as high as $6 million. But she hasn't quite hit those heights just yet, with her current value pitched at about half a million dollars. Her personal sponsors, Callaway Golf and ANZ, are believed to be paying Ko performance bonuses on top of a retainer.
Ko has reportedly bought a home in Florida near coach David Leadbetter, but otherwise she doesn't appear to have splashed out on many indulgences since turning pro. She jokes her mother keeps a tight watch on her money, giving her an allowance.
"I think I get $10 per under par shot, it's good ... I don't need money to spend on these huge big things."
The difference between Ko and others on this list is that she must fund her own programme. About half her winnings go towards paying for coaching, caddies, management fees and travel.
7. Chris Wood (football)
$2.2m
A striker for newly-promoted English Premier League side Leicester City, Wood is estimated to earn between £20,000-£25,000 a week for his club, bringing his annual salary to around $2.2 million.
While Wood's remuneration puts him near the top end of New Zealand athletes, that kind of pay packet is nothing when compared to others around the English Premier League, where salaries have swollen in excess of £300,000 a week. And unlike many of his more esteemed colleagues, Wood is unlikely to be be adding many commercial endorsements to supplement his earnings.
But the deal he received at Leicester City - after the Foxes splashed out £1.5 million to sign him from West Brom in 2013 - was still a substantial pay rise from what he was making at his former club, where his status within the squad as a reserve team player would have reduced his income.
Wood, before his transfer, was also granted the luxury of picking the personal terms that suited him. When West Brom recalled Wood after a string of loan spells, specifically with the intention of selling the striker, the club announced they had accepted offers from both Leicester and Millwall, leaving the final decision up to the player.
Essentially, that gave Wood the opportunity to pick which club appealed most to him - a decision in football often based on the bottom line.
6. Dan Carter (rugby)
$2.3m
One of New Zealand rugby's most marketable stars, Dan Carter earns more money off the field than he does on it these days, lending his name to everything from gruds to vitamins to heat pumps.
His contract with the NZRU is estimated to be worth around $800,000 a year, but with only a handful of appearances for the Crusaders this year after an early season sabbatical and his All Blacks return delayed by injury, Carter has been more visible this year in the ad breaks than he has on the rugby field.
His key endorsement deals are Jockey, for whom he has been an ambassador for nearly a decade, Healtheries, Rexona, Daikin and recently, Samsung. He is also an Adidas global athlete - one of a few select All Blacks to have personal deals with the sportswear company. It is understood Carter fetches between $150,000-$250,000 for each of these endorsements.
With the benefit of solid management and advice, Carter has built up an impressive portfolio off the field and is estimated to have a net worth of more than $10 million.
He is a big investor in the aged care sector, with shares in seven retirement homes in Blenheim, Nelson and Christchurch. He was introduced to the retirement sector by Ben Hurst, the son of 1970s All Black Ian Hurst, according to a Christchurch newspaper.
A foray into retail with clothing store GAS was not so successful, with the company struck off the companies register in 2010.
Now based in Auckland with wife Honor, the Carters recently bought a $3 million property in Remuera. The Herald on Sunday reported the glamour couple bought the property in April but are yet to move in as the two-storey 1920s Cape Cod-style house is undergoing renovations.
The list so far:
Part one - Nos 20-16
20. James McDonald (jockey) - $800,000
19. Carl Hayman (rugby) - $820,000
18. Daniel Vettori (cricket) - $840,000
17. Mark Hunt (UFC) - $890,000
16. Ross Taylor (cricket) - $930,000
Part two - Nos 15-10
15. Danny Lee (golf) - $960,000
14. John Afoa (rugby) - $1m
13. Dean Barker (sailing) - $1m
12. Corey Anderson (cricket) - $1.03m
11. Brendon McCullum (cricket) - $1.1m
