Harkness AI trains teams, sets up Claude and builds AI for businesses across New Zealand, from a base in Christchurch.
Harkness AI is an AI consultancy founded by Blake Harkness in Christchurch in 2025. We train teams, set up Claude and ChatGPT, connect AI to tools such as Xero, and build custom systems for businesses across New Zealand. The team is based in Christchurch, works on site across Canterbury, and delivers remotely nationwide and in Australia, with visits to Auckland and Wellington when being in the room matters.
Four kinds of work. Most businesses start with one. The services page has the full write-up of each.
A workshop or a strategy conversation that ends in a ranked list, not a slide deck.
ConsultingHands-on sessions on the team's own tasks, in your office, in Christchurch, or online.
AI workshopsClaude, ChatGPT or Grok Bot, connected to the email, files and systems you already run.
Claude setupAutomations, connectors and custom software when the off-the-shelf tools stop.
Custom AIPublished on the how it works page. Nothing is built until you have approved a written scope.
Your business, the jobs that drag, and whether we are a fit.
A person decidesProcesses, data and systems, plus the quick wins.
A written scope, a timeline and a fixed price. You approve it before we start.
A person decidesThe build, in short cycles, with check-ins.
Your team uses what we built, on real work.
Fractional help to keep it running and pick the next job.
Timings are the ranges we publish. A single process is often shorter than a full build. Read the six steps
Two workshops with a New Zealand builder: the team tagged every step of their own processes, and 29 AI use cases were scored into a ranked list and a 90-day plan.
Three published case studies, in three parts of the country. The Christchurch page goes deeper on local proof.
Managers and supervisors built their own tools in three sessions, including a live staff and plant planner. A detailed construction programme that took about 20 hours is now a proofread.
Maugers case study
Claude drafts Xero invoices, bookings, email replies and lead briefs. The owner signs off. Nothing is sent on its own.
Site Safety case study
A half-day workshop at their office, then Claude connected to six of their tools. Health and safety compliance is one question. Monthly support is remote.
Trap and Trigger case studyBlake is an outstanding collaborator. He is exceptionally well-suited to work with businesses of any size - whether small startups or large organisations.
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Blake has a unique ability to identify core challenges and transform them into effective solutions.
Will (Viriamu) FlemingCampfire StudiosGoogle reviewBlake has become our go-to for everything AI in our business - from setting up Claude and training our team, to building integrations like our PayHero setup that we had struggled with ourselves.
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He is a genuine sounding board, hits his timelines, and hands over tools that work with clear instructions. We would happily recommend Blake and Harkness AI to any business looking to get real value out of AI.
Nick ZaloumisDirector, Trap and Trigger LtdGoogle reviewWe brought Blake in to run an AI workshop for our team, and it was excellent. He struck a great balance between explaining concepts clearly and keeping things practical, encouraged questions and made the whole session feel very engaging.
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Highly recommend if you're looking to upskill your team on AI in a way that actually sticks.
Dil KhosaBusiness Operations Manager, Captivate TechnologyGoogle reviewNZ businesses we have worked with
Harkness AI is an AI consultancy founded by Blake Harkness in Christchurch in 2025 (Harkness AI Limited, incorporated in June 2025). We train New Zealand businesses, set up Claude and ChatGPT, connect AI to tools such as Xero, and build custom systems. Blake leads scoping and training. The engineering team delivers the builds.
The team is based at Powerhouse, 114 Peterborough Street, Christchurch. We work with businesses in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and the rest of New Zealand, and with Australian businesses by remote delivery. Auckland and Wellington delivery is remote, with on-site days scheduled as visits. There is no Wellington office.
It depends on the job. Published services are team training and workshops, Claude, ChatGPT and Grok Bot setup, Xero AI integration, automation, custom AI development, and an embedded AI engineer for businesses of roughly 20 to 100 staff with no internal AI function. Each one has its own page, linked above.
With a free 30-minute discovery call. Every engagement after that is a fixed price against a written scope, agreed before work starts. We do not publish rates. Travel for on-site days is quoted up front, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Published case studies include Maugers Contracting and Shakti Mat in Christchurch, Nudge for Staffords Wealth Management in Christchurch, Site Safety from South Auckland to Whangarei, Campfire Studios in Mount Eden, and Trap and Trigger in Upper Hutt. The case studies page lists the rest.
Yes. Builds, testing and support run remotely wherever the client sits. Auckland and Wellington have their own pages on how an on-site day works. If you want someone in the building every week in another city, we are the wrong fit and will say so. Australian work is remote.
Start with a free 30-minute call. We will say whether training, a setup or a build is the right first step, and quote a fixed price after that.
Last updated 1 November 2026 - new nationwide AI consultant page