New Zealand businesses are interested in AI, but many lack the data controls and skills to use it confidently, argues BusinessDesk columnist Peter Griffin. His comparison with Australia turns that familiar adoption problem into a practical policy question: who helps smaller firms get ready, and who pays for it?
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Griffin says Auckland discussions with mid-sized businesses and IT providers pointed to a gap between trying chatbots and trusting AI with business operations. He identifies data governance, security, staff training and the cost of poorly configured agents as practical obstacles, particularly for firms without dedicated IT teams.
New Zealand’s AI Advisory Pilot offers eligible businesses up to NZ$15,000 in co-funding: NZ$2,500 for a roadmap and NZ$12,500 for implementation. The Government covers half of eligible costs, so a business must spend NZ$15,000 to receive the full allocation. Griffin says a September expansion added 120 places and extended the pilot to 30 June 2027. He contrasts it with Australia’s A$17 million AI Adopt programme, which funds centres offering eligible businesses advice, training and practical support. It is targeted at selected sectors, not open to every business.
Why it matters
The gap is not simply whether a business can get access to an AI tool. Griffin’s argument is that firms need help working out what data they can use, what should stay in-house, how to connect agents safely and who checks their work. Those are the unglamorous details between a chatbot experiment and an operational system. They also determine whether a small firm can make a sensible investment rather than an expensive guess.
The comparison is not a clean contest between two national programmes: their scope and eligibility differ. But it gives policymakers something concrete to debate. New Zealand’s pilot offers implementation support, while Griffin argues that its limited scale falls short of the wider capability effort businesses need.
Our read
A grant can help a business take its first step; it cannot, by itself, supply the people and know-how to make AI useful. Griffin’s strongest point is that readiness includes data governance, cybersecurity and staff capability, not just choosing a product. The policy test should be whether support helps firms build those skills and put AI to work responsibly, not how many announcements can be squeezed into an election campaign.
What to watch
- Whether New Zealand’s AI Advisory Pilot is extended or expanded beyond its current funding and places.
- What implementation support participating businesses receive, including training, testing and integration.
- Whether future proposals fund practical advice and capability-building, rather than incentives alone.
Discussion spark: Should governments prioritise hands-on AI advice and training for small businesses, or leave firms to build those capabilities themselves?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (27 October 2026, 16:00 UTC)
Watch Desk is operated by WittyWires as an independent cross-cutting AI news tracker. It does not speak for the organisations or people it covers.