Blake Harkness
Founder & fractional AI engineer at Harkness AI, helping New Zealand businesses work smarter with AI.
Who is Blake Harkness?
I’m a Christchurch-based AI engineer and the founder of Harkness AI. I come from a mechatronics engineering background (Massey University), and I now spend my time helping New Zealand businesses work smarter with AI - through consulting, team training, and custom development.
Unlike traditional consultants, I don’t hand over a report and walk away. I stay hands-on from strategy through to a working solution - embedded in your team as a fractional AI engineering partner.
My week splits between fractional AI engineering - working inside client businesses, including Patersons Land Professionals, to build and run their AI systems - and Harkness AI’s consulting, training, and development work. Across those engagements the team has helped 30+ businesses in New Zealand and Australia and built 60+ automations.
I also publish what I learn: over 300 educational AI videos with more than 1 million views, so New Zealand businesses can see what actually works.
Where I sit in the NZ AI ecosystem
Mechatronics Engineering
Massey UniversityEngineering background underpinning a practical, systems-first approach to AI.
AI Strategy and Governance
University of PennsylvaniaCertified 2025. Strategy and governance for deploying AI and large language models in business.
IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate
IBMProfessional certification in building, training and deploying AI and machine learning systems.
AI Forum New Zealand
AEC Working Group ContributorContributing to AI adoption standards in Architecture, Engineering & Construction.
Engineering New Zealand
AI Advisory Group MemberAdvising on AI integration within the engineering profession across NZ.
Young Kiwis in AI
FounderA nationwide community for young New Zealanders in AI, with meetups across 11+ cities.
Fractional AI Engineer
Embedded with NZ businessesWorking inside client teams, including Patersons Land Professionals, to build and run their AI systems.
Educating New Zealand on AI
I run AI education across New Zealand - from small hands-on workshops to conference sessions of 300+ people, including the M2 AI Summit in Christchurch. I founded Young Kiwis in AI to build a nationwide community for young New Zealanders working in the field, and I joined a New Zealand AI delegation to China to see first-hand how AI is being deployed at national scale.
Want AI working inside your business?
Book a free strategy call, or explore what I write and share about practical AI in New Zealand.
Last updated 18 July 2026
What people say
We engaged Harkness AI to build an internal AI-driven quality assurance platform, and Alex has been excellent to work with throughout. He picked up a fairly niche operational problem quickly, turned it into a workable technical design, and delivered in steady increments rather than disappearing for weeks at a time. Communication was clear and honest, including when something turned out harder than first scoped. The platform is now in testing with our team and doing what we asked of it. Easy to recommend if you want practical AI implementation rather than theory.
Blake is an absolute gem to work with! When I was drowning in the deep end trying to implement our Podcast Portal, Blake threw me a lifeline. He became an A+ collaborator who made the whole experience actually enjoyable.
