# Harkness AI

> Blake Harkness is a New Zealand-based AI consultant and fractional AI engineer operating from Christchurch. He helps businesses across New Zealand and Australia adopt, build, and scale AI solutions.

## About

Harkness AI is an AI consultancy founded by Blake Harkness. The business provides fractional AI support, custom AI development, AI training workshops, and strategic AI consulting to organisations throughout New Zealand and Australia. Blake has worked with 25+ clients across Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, nationwide, and Australia.

## Team

- **Blake Harkness** - Founder & AI Consultant. Background in engineering and AI. AI Forum NZ AEC Working Group contributor, Engineering NZ AI Advisory Group member, Founder of Young Kiwis in AI.
- **Alexander Russel** - AI Engineer. Specialises in building production-ready AI systems, ML pipelines, and cloud infrastructure.
- **Zavier Taylor** - Junior AI Engineer. Applied machine learning and automation.

## Services

- **Fractional AI Support**: On-demand AI guidance without the cost of a full-time hire. Strategic planning, implementation support, team training, and AI tool evaluation.
- **Custom AI Development**: Tailored AI solutions including intelligent assistants, business process automation, data analysis tools, and custom integrations.
- **AI Training & Workshops**: Hands-on AI education for teams and individuals covering practical business applications.
- **AI Talent & Recruitment**: Connecting companies with AI engineers, ML engineers, data scientists, and AI product managers across New Zealand.
- **Public Speaking**: AI talks, workshops, and panels for conferences, corporate events, and education events across New Zealand and Australia. Topics include hands-on AI agents (Claude, MCP), building an AI-ready team, and graduating into a world of AI.

## Process

1. Discovery Call (30 min, free) - Understand your business and identify AI opportunities
2. Assessment (1-2 weeks) - Analyse processes, data, and systems
3. Proposal (1 week) - Detailed recommendations, timeline, and investment
4. Implementation (2-12 weeks) - Build and deploy custom AI solutions
5. Training (1-2 weeks) - Hands-on team training and documentation
6. Ongoing Support - Fractional AI support, optimisation, and evolution

## Industries Served

Healthcare, Retail & E-commerce, Finance & Banking, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Hospitality & Tourism, Education, Marketing & Advertising, Legal Services, Agriculture, Construction, Transportation & Logistics, Engineering, Community & Non-Profit

## Key Facts

- Location: Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
- Service area: Nationwide New Zealand and Australia (Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, and remote)
- Clients: 25+ businesses across New Zealand and Australia
- Track record: 50+ automations built
- Website: https://www.harknessai.nz
- Founder: Blake Harkness
- Specialties: AI consulting, custom AI development, business automation, AI training, fractional AI support

## FAQ (Top Questions)

- **What does Harkness AI do?** - We help NZ businesses adopt AI through consulting, custom development, training, and ongoing fractional AI support.
- **Where is Harkness AI based?** - Christchurch, New Zealand, serving 25+ clients across New Zealand and Australia.
- **How much does AI consulting cost?** - Varies by scope. Discovery calls are free. We offer project-based and retainer pricing models.
- **What industries do you serve?** -14+ industries including healthcare, education, engineering, real estate, marketing, and community/non-profit.
- **How do I get started?** - Book a free 30-minute discovery call at https://www.harknessai.nz/contact

## NZ AI Statistics

- New Zealand's AI sector is growing rapidly with increasing adoption across SMEs
- 78% of NZ marketers plan AI adoption by 2026
- Engineering and construction firms are early adopters of document processing AI
- Non-profit sector showing strong interest in AI for grant writing and impact reporting

## Volunteer Work

- AI Forum New Zealand: AEC Working Group contributor
- Engineering New Zealand: AI Advisory Group committee member

## Community

- Young Kiwis in AI (YKIA): A community for young New Zealanders building, learning, and working with AI. Meetups across 11+ cities. Website: https://www.youngkiwisai.nz

## Public Speaking

Blake Harkness speaks at conferences, corporate events, and education events on applied AI. He is available across New Zealand, in Australia, and for virtual events. Signature talks:
- Hands-On with AI Agents, Claude & MCP - workshop for engineers and technical teams
- Building an AI-Ready Team - for leadership, HR, and people teams
- Graduating into a World of AI - for students, graduates, and universities
Speaking enquiries: https://www.harknessai.nz/speaking

## Contact

- Email: blake@harknessai.nz
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-harkness/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Blake-Harkness
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blakeharkness_ai/
- GitHub: https://github.com/blake-harkness

## Further Reading

- Full details: https://www.harknessai.nz/llms-full.txt
- Public Speaking: https://www.harknessai.nz/speaking
- AI Glossary: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary
- What is RAG: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/rag
- What is an AI Agent: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/ai-agent
- What is MCP: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/mcp
- What is a Large Language Model: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/large-language-model
- What is Prompt Engineering: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/prompt-engineering
- What is AI Workflow Automation: https://www.harknessai.nz/ai-glossary/ai-workflow-automation
- AI Services: https://www.harknessai.nz/how-i-can-help
- Fractional AI Engineer vs Alternatives: https://www.harknessai.nz/fractional-ai-engineer-vs-alternatives
- FAQ: https://www.harknessai.nz/faq