Christchurch and Canterbury
AI Consultant in Christchurch
Harkness AI is based here. Blake Harkness lives in Christchurch, runs workshops at Powerhouse on Peterborough Street, and sits in your office to build AI into the work your team actually does.
- Based
- Powerhouse, 114 Peterborough St
- Google rating
- 5.0 average
- Businesses helped
- 50+
- First meeting
- Often the same week
Canterbury businesses we have worked with
Every logo here is a Canterbury business we have trained, advised or built for.
Proud member of
Partner
Case study · Maugers Contracting · Harewood, Christchurch
A Harewood civil contractor, running its week through Claude
A three-generation civil contractor whose managers built their own Claude tools in three hands-on sessions.
- Crews and machines by site, in one view
- Construction programmes proofread instead of built
- Timesheets, certifications and law changes checked on a schedule
- 20 hrs
- programme build, now a proofread
- 1 year
- of timesheets checked in one pass
Also local · Shakti Mat, Christchurch6+ custom connectors, one Claude across six storesIn the room
Christchurch rooms, not video calls
35+ talks so far, most of them here. Young Kiwis in AI, the community Blake founded, meets in Christchurch every month.
Engineering New ZealandAI for engineering workflows - 60 attendees 
Christchurch AI MeetupHands-on with Claude and MCP - 40 attendees 
B&B Association NZ ConferenceElevating your online presence with AI - 60 attendees 
Young Engineers CanterburyAI in engineering, with the Engineering NZ Canterbury branch
In their words
What Canterbury clients say
Word for word, from the person who engaged us. 5.021 Google reviews
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.
Read the full review
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.
Caleb BoydIT Manager, McKenzie & WillisGoogle reviewBlake ran a couple of sessions for my team. He was fantastic; he made it really simple for the whole team to understand, regardless of their previous AI experience.
Shaun BoldockGeneral Manager, CohesiveGoogle reviewBlake gave us a great introduction about what is AI. The slides and explanations were clear and easy to understand. The demo using Claude was helpful as well. Highly recommend.
Xuelei ZhangWhale Watch KaikōuraGoogle review
Getting started
Being local, in practice
Mostly, it means speed.
- This weekCoffee or a callFree, often in person, often the week you ask.In person or remote
- Two to three weeksA session in your officeTraining or a build day on your real work.On site
- After thatBuilds and supportBuilt remotely, with someone who can pop in.In person or remote
Questions
Christchurch AI questions
Do you work on site in Christchurch?
Yes. Harkness AI is based in Christchurch, so training sessions and workshops are normally delivered in person at your office. Build and consulting work is a mix of remote delivery and in-person sessions at the points where being in the room matters - scoping, handover and training.
Do you travel outside Christchurch to the rest of Canterbury?
Yes. We work across wider Canterbury including Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Rolleston, Ashburton and Timaru, and on-site work within the region carries no travel charge. Further afield in the South Island we will quote travel separately up front so there are no surprises.
How is the work priced?
It depends on team size and scope. Every engagement is a fixed price, quoted up front against a written scope after a free 30-minute call, so you know the number before anything starts.
Which Christchurch businesses have you worked with?
Christchurch and Canterbury clients include McKenzie & Willis, Maugers Contracting, Cohesive Construction, BMC, Shakti Mat, EcoCentral, 2Secure Security, Staffords, Nimba in Ashburton and Whale Watch Kaikōura, across furniture retail, civil and commercial construction, professional services, ecommerce, security, financial advice, hospitality and tourism.
Can you run an AI workshop at our Christchurch office?
Yes, and this is the most common way local teams start. A private in-house workshop is shaped around your business - your tools, your processes and the work your team actually does - rather than a generic slide deck. Public workshops also run at Powerhouse on Peterborough Street for individuals and small teams.
How quickly can you start with a Christchurch business?
Usually within days to a couple of weeks. Being local removes most of the scheduling friction - a first strategy call is free and can often happen the same week, and workshops are typically booked two to three weeks out depending on your team's availability.
Talk to a Christchurch AI consultant
Start with a free 30-minute call. No slides, no pitch deck - a conversation about what your business does and where AI would genuinely help. Every engagement is quoted after that call.
Last updated 6 October 2026 - rebuilt image-led with a Canterbury work map, local case study and reviews