Mr Hart, 55, was ranked No 185 on the American business magazine's latest list of world billionaires with a net worth of $US5.5 billion ($NZ7.46 billion).
He was ranked No 144 last year, with $US5.3b.
Mr Hart, once a tow-truck driver, owns investment company Rank Group, which runs a global beverage packaging business.
Two other New Zealanders, investment company-owning brothers Richard and Christopher Chandler, also featured.
Richard Chandler jumped 19 places to No 288 with $US3.8b, while his brother rose 58 places to No 879 with $US1.4b.
The Chandlers were raised on a New Zealand farm by a Croatian mother and a father who once worked as a beekeeper before founding a department store.
In 2006, the pair ended a 20-year partnership running investment portfolio Sovereign Global, with each taking half the assets.
Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim Helu topped this year's rich list with $US74b, followed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with $US56b and American investor Warren Buffett with $US50b.
