One of New Zealand's most famous businessmen - Mike Pero - is set to be the CEO on TVNZ's rebooted show The Apprentice Aotearoa.

But don't think his riches match the billions owned by former US President and The Apprentice host Donald Trump and his UK Apprentice counterpart Sir Alan Sugar.

"I don't have the wealth (by a long way) that my predecessors have," says 60-year-old Pero.

"I'm delighted to be taking on the role of CEO for The Apprentice Aotearoa," he says.

The Christchurch man's name rings out in NZ like Trump's does globally, thanks to TV and radio advertising over decades for Mike Pero Real Estate and Mike Pero Mortgages.

"I think my style will be somewhat different from other versions and their CEOs. I feel I have been through the 'school of hard knocks' since leaving Aranui. I'd like to share some of my years of learning and my wisdom with the next generation," he says.

Pero's name still flies high on Mike Pero Mortgages, a firm he founded in 1991, and with which he reportedly made his first million in 1997. In 2007, he established a real estate company under the same brand name.

Some of the hard knocks Pero describes came in the form of national headlines, as he figured out how to work with the companies that bore his name. He no longer owns a stake in Mike Pero Mortgages, nor, as of last year, in the real estate arm either.

In 2018, Pero told the Herald he had settled a long-running legal stoush with the real estate agency that bears his name.

Pero said then that he and Mike Pero Mortgages, both 50 per cent shareholders in Mike Pero Real Estate, had resolved their differences and would work together on the Mike Pero Real Estate and Mortgages businesses, under one umbrella.

The settlement was reached during the final stages of a High Court case that saw Mike Pero Mortgages attempting to claw back $2.2 million (or $2.4m with interest) after the firm said Pero overpaid himself at the jointly-owned real estate business.

Pero then told the Herald the deal saw him lower his stake in Mike Pero Real Estate from 50 per cent to 24 per cent as Mortgages raised its holding from 50 per cent to 76 per cent.

Last year, Mike Pero Mortgages looked set to return to public ownership through the listing of its parent company, Liberty Financial, on the ASX.

The Herald reported that Companies Office records showed Pero resigned as a director of Mike Pero Real Estate on October 20 and his company MPZ One ended its ownership of the business on November 4.

His company had a 12 per cent stake as of June 30, 2020, which had already reduced from 24 per cent the year before.

The deal, made in 2018, saw Pero take an active role in promoting the broader group until at least 2027. Last year, after the latest change, a spokeswoman said Pero still worked with the company as a brand ambassador and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

The Apprentice Aotearoa will certainly fit some of that "promotional: role. And TVNZ says the winning Apprentice will have the chance to take up a new career under Pero's guidance.

So how is Pero going to be with the "You're Fired" nature of eliminating people from the show?

"This is Aotearoa and, while I will be truthful in my feedback, I'm not there to destroy confidence. Instead I will aim to offer constructive, useful and inspiring advice to those on the show and to those at home," he says.

"I have no doubt we're going to have some talented entrepreneurs coming to the boardroom."

Aside from real estate and mortgages, contestants might want to share Pero's love of Japanese motorcyles - he has a huge collection.

Spy has heard of several hopefuls who have made it to the show, two from the financial and real estate world and a couple of intrepid influencers to boot.

We understand filming gets underway early next month.