| Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| John Key – Prime Minister 2008–, Leader of the Opposition 2006–2008 | ~ | 09 | 09 | 03 | 01 | 01 |
| Bill English – Deputy Prime Minister 2008–, Deputy Leader of the Opposition 2006–2008 | ~ | ~ | ~ | 05 | 02 | 02 |
| Dr Alan Bollard – Reserve Bank Governor | 04 | 04 | 10 | 06 | 03 | 03 |
| Rodney Hide – ACT New Zealand leader | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 07 | 04 |
| Steven Joyce – National Party campaign chief | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 05 | 05 |
| Rob Fyfe – Air New Zealand CEO | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 06 |
| Michael Stiassny – Vector Energy chairman, receiver | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 07 |
| Tariana Turia – Māori Party co-leader | 18 | 20 | ~ | ~ | ~ | 08 |
| John Whitehead – Secretary of the Treasury | 35 | 24 | ~ | ~ | ~ | 09 |
| Sir Peter Jackson – filmmaker | 02 | 05 | 06 | ~ | ~ | 10 |
| Phil Goff – Leader of the Opposition (2008–) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 11 |
| Sir Tumu Te Heuheu – Paramount chief of Tuwharetoa iwi | ~ | ~ | 07 | 13 | 04 | [Note 1] |
| Dr Pita Sharples – Māori Party co-leader | ~ | 19 | 15 | 09 | 06 | [Note 1] |
| Helen Clark – Prime Minister 1999–2008 | 01 | 01 | 01 | 01 | 08 | ~ |
| Dr Michael Cullen – Deputy Prime Minister 2002–2008, Finance Minister 1999–2008 | 03 | 02 | 03 | 02 | 09 | ~ |
| Gareth Morgan – economist | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 10 | [Note 2] |
| Sam Morgan – founder of TradeMe | 20 | 25 | 04 | 04 | ~ | ~ |
| Graham Henry – All Black coach | 13 | 14 | 23 | 07 | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Henry van der Heyden – Chairman, Fonterra | 45 | ~ | ~ | 08 | [Note 3] | ~ |
| Sir Geoffrey Palmer – Law Commission President | ~ | ~ | ~ | 10 | [Note 4] | ~ |
| John Barnett – television and film director | ~ | ~ | 27 | 11 | [Note 5] | ~ |
| Lloyd Morrison – Managing Director, Infratil | ~ | 49 | 20 | 12 | ~ | ~ |
| Dr Keith Turner – Chief Executive, Meridian Energy | ~ | 42 | 12 | 14 | ~ | ~ |
| Peter Talley – businessman | ~ | ~ | 33 | 15 | ~ | [Note 3] |
| Richard Taylor – Weta Workshop head | ~ | ~ | ~ | 16 | [Note 6] | ~ |
| Paula Rebstock – Commerce Commission Chairman | ~ | ~ | 14 | 17 | ~ | ~ |
| Sue Bradford – politician | ~ | ~ | ~ | 18 | ~ | [Note 7] |
| Professor Sir Paul Callaghan – Director of the MacDiarmid Institute | 31 | 39 | 28 | 19 | ~ | ~ |
| Dr Andy West – CEO of AgResearch | ~ | 45 | 34 | 20 | [Note 3] | ~ |
| Jeanette Fitzsimons – politician | ~ | ~ | ~ | 21 | [Note 2] | ~ |
| Sir Stephen Tindall – founder of The Warehouse | 17 | 26 | ~ | 22 | ~ | ~ |
| John Palmer – Air New Zealand chairman | ~ | ~ | ~ | 23 | ~ | [Note 8] |
| Heather Simpson – Prime Minister's Chief of Staff 1999–2008 | 33 | 21 | 24 | 24 | ~ | ~ |
| Mark Weldon – New Zealand Exchange CEO | ~ | ~ | ~ | 25 | [Note 8] | ~ |
| Willie Jackson – broadcaster | ~ | ~ | ~ | 26 | ~ | ~ |
| Craig Norgate – former leader of Fonterra, current leader of Wrightson | ~ | 29 | ~ | 27 | [Note 8] | ~ |
| Allan Hubbard – Chair of South Canterbury Finance | ~ | 41 | 18 | 28 | ~ | [Note 3] |
| Graeme Hart – businessman, owner of the Rank Group | 44 | 06 | 02 | 29 | [Note 8] | ~ |
| Phil O'Reilly – Business New Zealand leader | ~ | ~ | 46 | 30 | ~ | [Note 8] |
| Campbell Smith – Recording Industry Association of New Zealand chief executive | ~ | ~ | ~ | 31 | [Note 6] | ~ |
| John Fellet – Sky Television Chief executive | ~ | 11 | 05 | 32 | [Note 5] | ~ |
| Tony Carter – Foodstuffs managing directory | ~ | ~ | ~ | 33 | ~ | ~ |
| Ian Wishart – Investigate magazine editor | ~ | ~ | 29 | 34 | ~ | ~ |
| Mark Jennings – TV3 news director | ~ | ~ | ~ | 35 | ~ | ~ |
| Oscar Kightley – television and film directory and writer | ~ | ~ | 36 | 36 | ~ | ~ |
| Professor Bill Manhire – poet | ~ | ~ | ~ | 37 | ~ | ~ |
| Joe Karam – former All Black and David Bain campaigner | ~ | ~ | ~ | 38 | ~ | ~ |
| Jock Hobbs – New Zealand Rugby Union Chairman | ~ | ~ | 22 | 39 | ~ | ~ |
| Andrew Little – General Secretary, Engineering Manufacturing and Printing Union | 38 | 30 | ~ | 40 | ~ | ~ |
| Nick Hill – Sport and Recreation New Zealand Chief Executive | ~ | ~ | ~ | 41 | ~ | ~ |
| Jeremy Moon – founder of Icebreaker | ~ | ~ | ~ | 42 | ~ | ~ |
| Jenny Morel – venture capitalist | ~ | ~ | ~ | 43 | ~ | [Note 9] |
| Justice Joe Williams – Waitangi Tribunal Chair and Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court | ~ | ~ | ~ | 44 | ~ | ~ |
| David Skilling – New Zealand Institute thinktank founder | ~ | ~ | 45 | 45 | ~ | ~ |
| Paul Morgan – Federation of Māori Authorities chief executive | ~ | ~ | ~ | 46 | ~ | ~ |
| Professor Graeme Fraser – Chair, Health Research Council | ~ | 48 | 48 | 47 | ~ | ~ |
| Grant Dalton – America's Cup Team Boss | ~ | ~ | ~ | 48 | ~ | ~ |
| Shane Jones – Labour Party MP | 09 | 23 | ~ | 49 | ~ | ~ |
| Mai Chen – lawyer | ~ | ~ | ~ | 50 | ~ | ~ |
| Dr Don Brash – Leader of the Opposition 2003–2006 | 06 | 03 | 08 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Andrew Ferrier – Fonterra CEO | ~ | ~ | 11 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Kevin Brady – Auditor-General | ~ | ~ | 13 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Trevor Mallard – Minister of Economic Development, Industry and Regional Development, and Sport | 19 | 16 | 16 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Tim Murphy – The New Zealand Herald editor | ~ | ~ | 17 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Edmund Hillary – mountaineer | 14 | 13 | 19 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Dame Sian Elias – Chief Justice | 28 | 28 | 21 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Tiwana Tibble – Ngāti Whātua CEO | ~ | ~ | 25 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir John Anderson – TVNZ Chairman and New Zealand Cricket Chair | ~ | 12 | 26 | ~ | ~ | [Note 7] |
| Julie Christie – Managing Director, Eyeworks | ~ | ~ | 30 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| John Shewan – PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand Chair | ~ | ~ | 31 | ~ | ~ | [Note 8] |
| Garth McVicar – Sensible Sentencing Trust founder | ~ | ~ | 32 | ~ | ~ | [Note 4] |
| Professor Stuart McCutcheon – University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor | ~ | 34 | 35 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Murray Deaker – radio host | ~ | 37 | 37 | ~ | ~ | [Note 5] |
| June Jackson – Manukau Urban Māori Authority head | ~ | ~ | 38 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Ian Athfield – architect | ~ | ~ | 39 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Kerry Prendergast – Mayor of Wellington | ~ | 31 | 40 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Trelise Cooper – fashion designer | 36 | ~ | 41 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Mark Solomon – Chair, Te Runanga O Ngāi Tahu | ~ | 46 | 42 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir John Wells – Sport and Recreation New Zealand Chairman | ~ | ~ | 43 | ~ | [Note 10] | ~ |
| Peter Boshier – Principal Family Court Judge | ~ | ~ | 44 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Kaye Parker – Cure Kids fundraiser | ~ | ~ | 47 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Ralph Hotere – artist | 34 | 43 | 49 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Murray Sherwin – Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry | ~ | 38 | 50 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Winston Peters – New Zealand First leader, Foreign Affairs Minister 2005–2008 | 16 | 07 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Theresa Gattung – former Telecom New Zealand CEO | 21 | 08 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Brent Impey – Canwest Mediaworks CEO | 24 | 10 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Michael Campbell – golfer | ~ | 15 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Dr Roderick Deane – company director, Telecom, ANZ and Fletcher Building | 07 | 17 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| John Campbell – television presenter | ~ | 18 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Tana Umaga – All Black captain | 15 | 22 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| John Belgrave – Chief Ombudsman | 50 | 27 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Peter Dunne – United Future leader, Minister of Revenue | ~ | 32 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Dr Mark Prebble – State Services Commissioner | 40 | 33 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Brotha D – frontman for Dawn Raid | ~ | 35 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Rob McLeod – Business Roundtable chair | 12 | 36 | ~ | ~ | ~ | [Note 1] |
| Frances Stead – Managing Director, L'Oreal New Zealand | ~ | 40 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Hugh Kawharu – Paramount Chief of the Ngati Whatua | ~ | 44 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Eion Edgar – stockbroker | 47 | 47 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Steve Maharey – Minister of Education, Broadcasting, Science and Research | ~ | 50 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Ian Fraser – then CEO of Television New Zealand | 05 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Ralph Norris – then CEO of Air New Zealand | 08 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| John Tamihere – then Labour Party MP and former Cabinet Minister | 10 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Tipene O'Regan – former leader of Ngāi Tahu | 11 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sarah Ulmer – Olympic gold medal cyclist | 22 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Scribe – rap artist | 23 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Stephen Fleming – Black Caps cricket captain | 25 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Paul Holmes – broadcaster | 26 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Tahu Potiki – CEO of Te Runanga O Ngāi Tahu | 27 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| David Butler – Commissioner of Inland Revenue Department | 29 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Dame Te Atairangi Kaahu – Maori Queen | 30 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sylvia Rumball – Chair, National Ethics Committee on Assisted Human Reproduction | 32 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Mike Williams – President of the New Zealand Labour Party | 37 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| David Skegg – Vice-Chancellor, University of Otago | 39 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Peter Leitch – The Mad Butcher | 41 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Dame Jenny Gibbs – art patron | 42 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Hugh Logan – Director-General of the Department of Conservation | 43 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Sir Kenneth Keith – Supreme Court Justice | 46 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Richard Woods – Director, New Zealand Security Intelligence Service | 48 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Marc Ellis – television personality | 49 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
