A monthly letter by Blake Harkness

AI for NZ business, minus the hype.

One email a month. What changed, what’s worth trying and what to ignore - from someone setting it up inside NZ businesses every week.

Email address

Free. Four-minute read. Unsubscribe any time.

50+ NZ businesses helped
5.0 Google rating
200+ AI videos

01 / What you get

Three things. Four minutes.

Three headlines that matter

The AI news worth your attention that month, each with a straight answer on what it means for an NZ business.

Field report

Quick wins from real client work around New Zealand - what AI actually looks like inside a business like yours.

One thing to watch

A video or podcast worth your time, and one question to reply to. I read every reply.

02 / From a past issue

Here’s what lands in your inbox.

Blake Harkness

Free AI funding, cheaper Claude, and a $170k wake-up call

The headline

The Government will now co-fund your AI help. MBIE’s AI Advisory Pilot covers up to 50% of approved AI consulting, to $15,000 per business.

So what for you

If you’ve been meaning to bring in expert help, half the cost may be covered. Check you qualify: NZ-registered, under 500 staff, trading 12+ months.

From the field

A security company connected Claude to their CRM, Xero and inbox. It now drafts quotes, researches leads and writes first-pass replies from their own data.

03 / Who’s writing

Hi, I’m Blake.

AI Engineer in Christchurch. I run Harkness AI, founded Young Kiwis in AI, and sit on the AI Forum NZ and Engineering New Zealand AI working groups. Every briefing is written from what I’m building and teaching on the ground, not what’s trending online.

Blake on stage at the M2 AI Summit in Christchurch — M2 AI Summit

Blake running a Claude workshop for business owners in Christchurch — Claude workshop

A full room at an AI in engineering event in Christchurch — AI in Engineering

One email a month. That’s it.

Free, practical, and written for NZ businesses.

Send me the briefing