AI Enablement for SMEs

A guide, not a vendor. A person, not a chatbot.

Around 82% of New Zealand SMEs are experimenting with or actively using AI. Across New Zealand organisations, only about 12% have scaled it past pilots and single teams. The gap is not ambition or tooling. It is that nobody independent has sat down and worked out where AI actually helps this business.

That is the job. Vendor-neutral advice on the tools you already own, grounded in New Zealand privacy good practice, including the honest “don’t build that, Xero already does it” calls.

Sources: Salesforce Small & Medium Business Trends (NZ SMEs experimenting with or using AI); Datacom / AI Forum NZ 2025 productivity research (share of NZ organisations that have scaled AI enterprise-wide).

Free AI Opportunity Snapshot Talk to someone

Tool noise

Every vendor has an AI feature and a pitch. Nobody will tell you which three of them matter to you.

Privacy fear

“Where does our customer data go?” is a fair question, and it stops good ideas dead when nobody answers it.

No time to work it out

Owner-operators do not have a spare fortnight to evaluate the market. That is what you are buying.

How it runs

free opportunity snapshot → connected AI starter or opportunity blueprint → the next step that fits

01 · FREE

AI Opportunity Snapshot

Ten questions, three personalised ideas, and one honest “skip this”. Online, instant, no sign-up.

Free · 5 minutes

Start the snapshot

02 · START HERE

Connected AI Starter

One AI advisor set up for your business, doing one real job, connected to your email. Two 90-minute sessions. The fee is credited against any next step.

NZ$875 · excluding your own AI subscription

See the Connected AI Starter →

03 · OR HERE

AI Opportunity Blueprint

A 60–90 minute facilitated workshop and a findings report: top 3–5 opportunities scored and tool-matched, a 90-day plan, governance guardrails.

NZ$8,000 · ~2 weeks

04 · THEN, WHICHEVER FITS

HANDS-ON HELP

Prepaid hours

A one-off block of hands-on help after the Starter, used as needed. No ongoing commitment.

From NZ$1,250

IF DATA IS SENSITIVE

Getting Started with Local LLMs

Stand up a private model on your premises so customer data never leaves the building. Staff onboarding and guardrails included.

From NZ$4,000 · ~1 week

ONGOING

Retainer

Light: a monthly session, guidance on call, stewardship of the 90-day plan.
Tailored: all of that plus assistance catering for your specific needs

From NZ$2,350/month (Light) · minimum 3 months

Anything heavier than a retainer gets scoped as a project — or handed to a partner who fits better.
All prices are in NZD, and exclude GST.

Where you’d fit

Around 6–99 staff, services-led — professional services, trades, healthcare and the like

Visible time-sinks: enquiries, quoting, invoicing chase, approvals

Already running a combination of modern online platforms

Tried AI, stalled, and would rather not be sold to again

And when it isn’t us

If the answer is a bigger platform or a real integration programme, the SME engagement is the wrong shape — and we will say so and point you at the Integration Architecture & AI Advisory line, or at a partner who fits better.

Referrals run both directions with accountants, MSPs and larger integrators. Non-exclusive, and never with a kickback that could bias the advice.

Privacy guidance here is educational, not legal advice. For your specific obligations, consult the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and your lawyer.

Ten questions. Three ideas. One honest “skip this”.

Free, instant, and no obligation to talk to anyone afterwards.

Take the AI Opportunity Snapshot