https://wellington.live/wellington-rod-drury/

“Every 20-year-old should come and spend two years in Wellington,” declares Rod Drury, his voice carrying equal parts nostalgia and urgency across a crowded waterfront venue on a blustery.

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Wellington evening . It’s a miserable night outside, but inside, the Xero co-founder is animated, reminiscing about how the capital shaped his early career and pitching a vision to rekindle that spark for the next generation. “We’re an asset-light city where you don’t need a car and the culture of how you can meet people is just so easy,” he says, describing a Wellington where chance encounters and community fuel innovation.

What Rod Drury’s Been Up To Since Stepping Down

Rod Drury may have stepped back from the helm of Xero in 2018, but he hasn’t slowed down. The founder who helped turn a modest Wellington startup into a $10 billion global tech player now splits his time between the South Island and strategic backroom chats with government and business leaders. These days, he’s more focused on investing, mentoring, and improving the country from behind the scenes backing ventures like Outset and Atomic.io while squeezing in plenty of biking, kayaking, and wing-foiling.Drury’s still pushing big ideas just without the boardroom suit.

A City in Flux: Drury Calls for Wellington’s Startup Revival

Rod Drury isn’t just reminiscing about Wellington’s golden tech years , he’s sounding the alarm and offering a blueprint for what’s next. Speaking at a recent “Vision for Wellington” event, he reflected on how the city, once a vibrant hub for startups and government innovation, has lost some of its momentum since the pandemic. With a significant portion of the workforce now remote and many young professionals moving away, the energy that once fuelled Wellington’s tech boom has fizzled. Drury noted that the capital no longer feels like the tight-knit, fast-moving startup ecosystem it was during the rise of Xero and Trade Me. Yet he remains hopeful. For him, the current lull isn’t the end, it’s a reset moment. He’s urging the city’s leaders and entrepreneurs to regroup, rethink, and build a new chapter for Wellington’s startup scene, one that leans into its strengths as a compact, creative, and deeply connected city.

A City for the Ambitious: Drury’s Vision to Attract Young Talent and Lead in Civic Tech

Drury believes the key to Wellington’s revival lies in attracting young, ambitious talent by doubling down on what makes the city unique, its compact layout, walkable lifestyle, and ease of connection. not just university students, but ambitious 20-somethings looking for a place to launch their careers. He argues that Wellington’s compact size, walkability, and tight-knit networks give it a unique edge as an “asset-light” city where success is more about hustle than having a car or connections.

He sees it as the perfect launchpad for 20-somethings who want access to career opportunities without the cost or hassle of big-city living. But beyond lifestyle, he’s pushing Wellington to lead in civic tech, urging the city to finally deliver on long-discussed ideas like digital IDs and smart public services. For Drury, becoming a testbed for digital innovation isn’t just smart policy, it’s how Wellington can reclaim its edge and future-proof its identity.

Still Building: Drury’s Ongoing Mission to Reignite Wellington’s Spark

As the event wrapped, Rod Drury wasn’t slipping out quietly, he was right there with the next wave of entrepreneurs, encouraging them to “have a go” in the city that shaped him. Though no longer in a CEO seat, Drury remains deeply embedded in Wellington’s future, shifting from founder to mentor, from tech leader to civic advocate. His journey from launching Xero to funding mountain bike trails speaks to a broader mission:keeping Wellington bold, liveable, and full of opportunity. He’s still investing, still challenging the status quo, and still betting on the capital to lead New Zealand’s next wave of innovation.

https://wellington.live/wellington-get-out-your-fcking-cars-wellington-onto-your-scooters-read-where-rod-drury-is-now/