Question 1

What AI roles can I find through Harkness AI?

Accepted Answer

AI Engineer, ML Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Product Manager, AI Analyst, and automation specialist roles across New Zealand - Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, and remote-first teams.

Question 2

How do I join the Young Kiwis in AI community?

Accepted Answer

Visit youngkiwisai.nz to join. We run meetups in 11+ cities across New Zealand, connecting AI professionals and those looking to break into AI.

Question 3

Do you support contract or freelance roles?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We get matched on full-time, contract, and freelance AI roles. Tell us your preference when you join the network.

Question 4

What support do candidates get?

Accepted Answer

Job matching, interview prep, portfolio and positioning advice, and access to NZ AI employers - many of whom never list roles publicly.

Question 5

Do I need prior AI experience to join?

Accepted Answer

No. Many community members are early in their AI journey. The network helps you build skills, ship projects, and get visible to employers.

Question 6

Do you need a computer science degree to work in AI in New Zealand?

Accepted Answer

No - you do not need a computer science degree to work in AI. Most of the technical skills are learned on the job, because formal education has not kept pace with how fast the field moves. Blake Harkness runs Harkness AI with a mechatronics engineering background, not a CS degree. What matters more is systems thinking: anyone who can map a clear workflow or flowchart can now build working tools, because AI coding assistants turn that design into software. Across New Zealand, employers are hiring for AI capability, curiosity and a habit of shipping small projects far more than for any specific qualification.

Question 7

What AI skills are New Zealand employers actually hiring for?

Accepted Answer

New Zealand employers are hiring for four core AI skills. First, generative AI: prompting well, building custom GPTs, and using assistants like Claude and ChatGPT day to day. Second, automation: connecting tools with platforms like n8n, Make and Zapier and calling AI APIs to remove repetitive work. Third, building things: shipping simple web apps and internal tools, which no longer requires a CS degree. Fourth, and the most underrated, communication: being able to explain an AI solution to non-technical colleagues and scope it to a real business problem. The people who pair one technical skill with strong communication get hired fastest.

Question 8

How big is the AI skills gap in New Zealand?

Accepted Answer

The AI skills gap in New Zealand is real and widening. Blake Harkness, who founded the Young Kiwis in AI community (now 200+ members across 11+ cities), has businesses reaching out most weeks looking for young people who can help them with AI and automation - and there simply are not enough people with hands-on experience to meet that demand. For job seekers this is good news: the bar is lower than most expect. If you can use AI tools to genuinely save a business time or money, and communicate clearly, you are already ahead of most applicants. The fastest way to stand out is to build and ship two or three small projects rather than wait for a formal qualification.

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