Wellington and the Hutt Valley
AI Consultant for Wellington Businesses
Harkness AI is a Christchurch consultancy, about an hour's flight from Wellington. We train teams and build AI for Wellington-region businesses remotely, and come up for the days that are better in person. No pretend Lambton Quay office.
- Based
- Christchurch, not Wellington
- Wellington client
- Trap and Trigger, Upper Hutt
- Google rating
- 5.0 average
- Delivery
- Remote, with on-site days
Coverage
How we cover Wellington, honestly
Most of the work never needed a room. The parts that do get a day on the calendar.
About an hour by air
In your office
- A half-day or full-day workshop at your office
- Discovery, when it means seeing how the work runs
- Handover, if your team wants it in person
From Christchurch
- Claude setup and connecting your systems
- Builds, testing and fixes
- Monthly support and check-ins
If you want someone in the building every week, we are the wrong fit and will tell you so.
Case study · Trap and Trigger · Upper Hutt
An Upper Hutt contractor, trained on site then connected remotely
Trap and Trigger runs conservation and pest-control projects across New Zealand. It started with a half-day workshop at their Upper Hutt office, then Claude was connected to six of their tools from Christchurch.
- Health and safety compliance is one question to Claude
- Timesheets checked against the spreadsheet logs automatically
- Monthly support since, all of it remote
- 4 hrs
- of hands-on training on site
- 6
- tools connected to Claude
In Wellington
At the Aotearoa AI Summit
Blake was at Tākina for AI Forum NZ's summit in September 2026 - a finalist for Rising AI Star at the Aotearoa AI Awards for the second year - and interviewed 12 NZ AI leaders about what is actually working.
Aotearoa AI Awards 2026Finalist, Rising AI Star 
Aotearoa AI SummitTākina, Wellington, 8-9 September 2026
In their words
What lower North Island clients say
Word for word. Trap and Trigger is in Upper Hutt; Captivate Technology had a full-day workshop on site in Palmerston North. 5.0 on Google
Blake 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.
Read the full review
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 LtdWe 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. Highly recommend if you're looking to upskill your team on AI in a way that actually sticks.
Dil KhosaBusiness Operations Manager, Captivate Technology
Lower North Island clients
A short list, because it is a true one. The rest of our clients are below.
Proud member of
Partner
Clients across New Zealand and Australia
Questions
Wellington AI questions
Are you based in Wellington?
No. Harkness AI is based in Christchurch, about an hour's flight from Wellington. We do not have a Wellington office and will not pretend to. Most of the work - Claude setup, connecting your systems, builds and support - runs remotely, and we come up for workshops and discovery days.
Can you run an AI workshop at our Wellington office?
Yes. Half-day and full-day workshops run on site at your office, built around your tools and the work your team actually does. Trap and Trigger's team was trained this way at their Upper Hutt office before Claude was connected to their systems remotely.
How is the work priced for a Wellington business?
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. On-site days include travel in that quote, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Do you work with government agencies in Wellington?
Our client work so far is with businesses and not-for-profits, mostly up to a couple of hundred staff. Blake is a member of the Engineering New Zealand AI Advisory Group and contributes to AI Forum NZ's AEC working group. If you are an agency, start with a call and we will tell you straight whether we fit.
How quickly can you start with a Wellington business?
A first strategy call is free and can usually happen the same week. Remote work can start straight after. On-site days need two to three weeks of lead time so travel can be scheduled.
Talk to an AI consultant about your Wellington business
Start with a free 30-minute call. We will tell you honestly whether the work needs us in the room, and every engagement is quoted after that call.
Last updated 6 October 2026