Uluomato'otua Aiono - from the factory floor to the NZ Business Hall of Fame

Respected businessman Uluoma'tootua Saulaulu Aiono was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame last month.

He said that a desire for freedom has driven his career: "My dream was to be free. I've done a lot of things and still do a lot of things. But the whole point of that is to continue to realise my dream to be free, which is to do what I want, when I want with whom I want, as long as it's legitimate and honest."

Ulu, as he is generally known, founded the machine learning breakthrough company COGITA almost 40 years ago. He has also been involved with many worthy initiatives such as Habitat for Humanity, and has been Chairman of the Alliance Health Plus Trust and the Cause Collective.

During his induction ceremony, Ulu lit up the room with his infectious laugh, humble nature and calm presence.

The importance of family and surrounding yourself with great people was a common thread during the ceremony: fellow laureates Graeme Hart, Pania Tyson-Nathan, Bruce McLaren, Charles & Jessie Begg, Greg Tomlinson and Les, Jackie & Phillip Mills all touched on these.

"Every one of us struggled, until we felt that there was something that just possessed us. We couldn't sleep, or we could sleep, but we would wake up, we would still be thinking about it. And I said, that's the dream. The dream is something you just can't stop thinking about, because it possesses you."

In attendance were a group of Auckland Grammar School students who were excited to meet Ulu, an old boy of their school.

"His character as well, where he has progressed and being at a function like this," student Ollie Worker said.

What struck young Worker in Ulu's speech was the perseverance needed to succeed.

"I can't doubt the amount of hard work he had to put in to get to the position he is in now," Worker said.

Worker and his schoolmates spoke with Ulu at the event. The business leader had some words of wisdom for them:

"You guys must work out what your dream is. And it doesn't matter what you do. Just do something. Just get started," he said.

"I didn't know anything. But I went and got a job. Then I got another job. That didn't work out because I was worried about the danger.

"I went and got a degree. And then I got a job. And I realised jobs are not for me. But I was doing stuff. Don't spend your time thinking and trying to think, trying to work out the right solution. Do something and make it right."

From Apia to Otago and smashing glass ceilings in computer science

Ulu was born into a hard-working family in Apia. He describes himself as a difficult child, but still received a great upbringing from his parents and grandparents.

His mother was born into an important family, her father was the paramount chief of Apia.

"My mother was born into a very privileged family and she and her sisters were like princesses in Apia and Samoa."

Ulu's father was from a very poor background but worked hard and earned an important public service job, as chief interpreter for the Supreme Court of Samoa.

Eventually, young Ulu and his parents departed Samoa to start a new life in New Zealand. They travelled via the Matua boat, which Ulu remembers well:

"Which interestingly was owned by the Union Steamship Company which developed out of my wife's great grandparents shipping line called the Crane Line."

The move to New Zealand was a very difficult change of circumstances - particularly for Ulu's mother.

"It was a very great, severe change for her to come to New Zealand with my father. There was probably a year to two years of discussion before they agreed to come to New Zealand."

"And 17 years later, I became an item with my wife,[Margaret] who was a great, great granddaughter of, you know what I think are the original founders of the shipping line."

Margaret and Ulu had a son, Loligi Alexander Salofata Aiono, in 1988. The boy was named for Ulu's maternal grandfather; they wanted to capture both the Scottish side and the Samoan side.

Ulu also reflected on his education. As a young lad who didn't like being told what to do freedom was at the top of his agenda, rather than university. Ultimately, he found that University provided the tools he needed to become his own boss. After completing a Computer Science degree at Otago University in 1983, he started his own company, COGITA.

"When I went there with my wife in 1979, I was really the only Pacific Islander in the field where I chose to study."

Ulu returned to Otago University in 1984 and completed a masters degree in business administration.

"The Otago University environment was very warm and welcoming. And it wasn't just the students. It was the culture of the lectures, the workshops. And I found the same thing when I did the master's degree and postgraduate."

Ulu became the first Samoan student to complete an MBA at Otago University.

In closing, Ulu commented about the health of the community starting with proper housing:

"My call would be wellbeing and health starts at home. And unless that is happening our country is going to be a very difficult place to live."

He believes all New Zealanders deserve safe accommodation, "which is my concern at the moment as the chairman of Habitat for Humanity Northern Region."