Dean's Lecture Series: Rowan Simpson, Hoku Group

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design invites you to join him for the next lecture of the Dean's Lecture Series.

The lectures in this series are given by those that have been invited, due to their prominence in and outstanding contribution to their field of choice, by the Dean to share their knowledge and perspectives. The next guest lecture in the series will be delivered by Rowan Simpson, Chairman of Hoku Group.

Venue: University of Auckland Conference Centre, 22 Symonds Street, Auckland

Lecture Hall: Lecture Theatre 423-348

Time: 6:00-7:00pm

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About the lecture:

Callaghan Rebooted: Why We Need 10,000 Executors, not 100 Lone Geniuses

In 2011, physicist Sir Paul Callaghan gave a landmark lecture challenging seven myths about New Zealand and suggested a blueprint for closing the prosperity gap with Australia.

Now, with fourteen years of evidence, combined with his hands-on experience working on high-growth companies such as Trade Me, Xero, Vend and Timely, Rowan Simpson returns to those same myths to ask: did it work? Drawing from his recently published book "How To Be Wrong", he argues that while we still repeat Callaghan's mantras ("be the place where talent wants to live", "we better be prepared to be good at some pretty weird stuff", "just 100 inspired entrepreneurs could turn this country around") we misunderstood his message.

The lecture examines why execution beats innovation, how our obsession with building an ecosystem has distracted us from creating actual companies, and exposes the comfortable startup myths we cling to that keep us from reaching our potential. Simpson proposes a radical rethinking of how we build prosperity - from technology to talent and from taxes to savings.

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About the speaker:

Rowan Simpson - Chairman | Hoku Group

Rowan has been at the heart of New Zealand's most successful technology companies, helping shape a generation of high-growth businesses and witnessing first-hand how great companies are built.

As employee #3 at Trade Me, he led the software development team as the business grew rapidly to become an iconic Kiwi brand, culminating in its $750 million sale to Fairfax in 2006. He was an early investor in Xero and part of the original executive team when the business listed on the NZX in 2007.

He was one of the initial investors in Vend and served as chairman of the board until 2015, before its acquisition for ~US$350 million in 2021. He was also the first investor in Timely, serving as advisor and director through to its ~US$100 million sale to EverCommerce.

Today, Rowan remains an active investor and advisor through his family office, Hoku Group, which combines private investments, early-stage ventures, and Hoku Foundation—a non-profit focused on youth employment, social housing, and waste reduction.

Drawing on his unique blend of technical expertise, investment insight, and ecosystem building, his writing at rowansimpson.com challenges conventional thinking about startups. This culminated in his book How To Be Wrong: A Crash Course in Startup Success, published in February 2025.

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Getting to the venue:

The University of Auckland Conference Centre is conveniently located at the heart of the University's City Campus, and are easily accessible via many forms public transport. For further information on public transport schedules, visit the Auckland Transport website.

For those driving in, further information on parking options can be found here.