A former Christchurch businessman turned philanthropist estimates $5 billion has been paid out in wage subsidies to companies that do not necessarily need it. Grant Nelson and his wife Marilyn run the Gama Foundation, which hands out the money they made after selling their business. It has donated more than $50 million over the years and receives no donations. Mr Nelson says companies that made more profit last year than they did in 2019 should repay their wage subsidies immediately. He told Checkpoint reporter Nita Blake-Persen the government needs to take a more proactive approach in encouraging companies to do that.