Structured programmes · In person & online · NZ-wide

AI training in New Zealand that leaves your team able to do it themselves

Structured AI training programmes with clear learning outcomes, delivered through hands-on, interactive sessions - in person or online, anywhere in New Zealand. You don’t watch us do it; you learn to do it yourself.

The programmes

Three structured programmes

How training is delivered

Three ways to engage - same structured outcomes

Public workshops

Small, scheduled sessions anyone can book. Hands-on from the first hour, capped so everyone gets help.

See upcoming public dates

Live online

The same curricula delivered over video for people and teams outside Christchurch - same exercises, same outcomes.

Ask about online dates

Private in-house

Run privately for your team, tailored to your tools and workflows - on site anywhere in New Zealand or online.

See the team programme

Is training what you actually need?

Training is the right call when

  • ✓Your team has AI tool access but is barely using it, or using it badly
  • ✓People are pasting company data into free chatbots and nobody has set the rules
  • ✓You want capability that stays in the business rather than a dependency on a contractor
  • ✓Staff are curious but nervous, and need permission plus a safe first hour
  • ✓You want everyone working from the same baseline before you invest in custom builds

Something else fits better when

  • ✗You already know the workflow you want automated - that is a build, not a workshop
  • ✗Only one or two people need to skill up - point them at the free guides first
  • ✗Leadership has not decided AI is a priority - training without a mandate does not stick
  • ✗You need a strategy and roadmap before you know what to train people on
Straight answers

AI training in New Zealand, answered

What is AI training for businesses?

AI training for businesses is structured teaching that gets your people using AI tools properly in their own day-to-day work, rather than a talk about what AI might do one day. Every programme here is built around participants doing the work themselves - hands-on exercises against their real tasks, with a trainer beside them. You leave with capability inside the team rather than a report. If you would rather the work was done for you, that’s consulting and builds, not training.

How much does AI training cost in NZ?

Public workshop seats are sold per person, with the price shown on each date, and private in-house training starts from $2,000 NZD. Beyond that floor, programmes are priced per engagement based on group size, format and length, so a private day for a whole team is priced differently to a single seat at a public session - you get an exact number after a free scoping call. See the public dates or ask for a price.

How long does an AI training programme take?

Most of it runs as a half day. Build Your Claude Brain is a four-hour hands-on session. AI Foundations for Business Owners is three to four hours, or a condensed 60-90 minute format for conferences and association events. AI for Your Team is a full day on site, or split into two or three shorter rounds spaced out so the learning sticks.

Can you run AI training in-house or on site?

Yes. AI for Your Team is a private in-house programme delivered at your office, fully online, or a mix of both, and it is built around your own tools and workflows rather than generic examples. The other two programmes can also be run privately for a single team. See the in-house programme.

Do you run AI training outside Christchurch?

Yes - training is delivered anywhere in New Zealand. Public workshops currently run in Christchurch, live online sessions deliver the same curricula to people and teams anywhere else in the country, and private in-house training is run on site nationwide. Recent deliveries include Christchurch, Upper Hutt and distributed teams online. Ask about a date near you.

What will my team actually be able to do afterwards?

Each person finishes with their own AI account set up correctly - the right plan, privacy settings and shared context - connected to the systems your business already runs on, and running role-specific workflows they built themselves during the session. Teams also leave with agreed safe-use guidelines, an internal champion to keep the momentum going, and a prioritised backlog of what to build next.

Is this Claude training, ChatGPT training or general AI training?

It depends on the programme. Build Your Claude Brain is deliberately Claude-specific, because that is the setup we run businesses on day to day. AI Foundations for Business Owners is tool-agnostic - a good chunk of it is learning to choose the right AI tool for each job and use it safely. AI for Your Team is built around whichever tools your business already runs on.

What is the difference between a workshop and a programme?

A programme is the curriculum: the modules, the learning outcomes and the formats it can be delivered in. A workshop is a dated delivery of one of those programmes, with a venue, a time and seats you can book. Build Your Claude Brain is a programme; the Christchurch morning that ran it was a workshop. Public dates live here.

Something not covered here? There are more answers on the FAQ page, or just ask us directly.

A taste of the training

The kind of thing you will learn

Short walkthroughs of tools and workflows covered in the sessions. Free to watch before you book anything.

Watch: The Three Types of AI Tool I Recommend, and Why9 min read

The Three Types of AI Tool I Recommend, and Why

The three types of AI tool I suggest most often - a connected chatbot, meeting transcription, and an automation platform - and what each does.

Watch & read the breakdown
Watch: Transform ChatGPT from Generic Bot to a Powerful Assistant for NZ Businesses8 min read

Transform ChatGPT from Generic Bot to a Powerful Assistant for NZ Businesses

Stop using ChatGPT like everyone else. Configure tone, instructions, memory, privacy, and model modes to turn it into a personalised business assistant.

Watch & read the breakdown
Watch: NZ Business Owners: Stop Copy-Pasting Into ChatGPT (Let It Work In Your Tools)5 min read

NZ Business Owners: Stop Copy-Pasting Into ChatGPT (Let It Work In Your Tools)

Stop using AI like a search engine. Connect ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to Gmail, Notion, and Canva to automate real workflows.

Watch & read the breakdown
Watch: What Every NZ Business Needs to Know About AI13 min read

What Every NZ Business Needs to Know About AI

Unsure where to start with AI? A practical guide for NZ businesses covering key tools, security essentials, and an action plan to get started.

Watch & read the breakdown
Watch: Which AI Tools Does Your Business Need? The 3 Core Types8 min read

Which AI Tools Does Your Business Need? The 3 Core Types

Thousands of AI tools promise everything. Most fail. Here are the only three types every business actually needs, plus a bonus.

Watch & read the breakdown
Watch: This AI Dictation Tool Saves Me Hours Every Week5 min read

This AI Dictation Tool Saves Me Hours Every Week

For the past four months I have barely typed a thing. I just speak. Here is the AI dictation tool I use to draft emails, proposals and AI prompts around five times faster than typing.

Watch & read the breakdown
Track record

Training delivered across New Zealand

0+Training sessions delivered in 2026
0+NZ organisations trained
0+Attendees at education speaking events
0+AI educational videos published

Businesses we have trained and worked with

Your trainers

Who delivers the training

Blake Harkness

Blake Harkness

Lead Trainer & Founder, Harkness AI

Blake is a Christchurch-based AI engineer who runs AI education across New Zealand - from small hands-on workshops to conference sessions of 300+ people. He founded Harkness AI to help Kiwi businesses build real AI capability, and has published over 300 educational AI videos.

His training style is practical and hands-on: plain-language foundations, live demonstrations, then building against each participant's real work until they can run it themselves.

  • Mechatronics engineering background
  • AI Forum New Zealand - AEC Working Group contributor
  • Engineering New Zealand - AI Advisory Group member
  • Young Kiwis in AI - Founder (meetups across 11+ cities)
  • 300+ published AI educational videos, 1M+ views
Alexander Russel

Alexander Russel

Trainer & AI Engineer

Alexander is a full-stack AI engineer who co-delivers team training and workshop sessions alongside Blake. He specialises in integrations and automated workflows, and brings the builder's view to the hands-on portions of each programme - helping participants connect AI to the systems their business actually runs on.

  • AI Engineer, Harkness AI - production AI systems and integrations
  • Co-facilitator, Harkness AI team training and youth workshop programmes
What businesses trained say

Feedback from the room

Recently completed a half day course with Blake building my Claude Brain. The course was insightful & practical. Running 2 companies I know this is going to help me claw back some time on a lot of the repetitive tasks. Thank you Blake, excellent value and advice.
Clinton SelbyManaging Director, Ergostyle & Genius Co-working
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. 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.
NickDirector, Trap and Trigger Ltd
Blake’s AI presentation was among the most frequently cited as the most valuable session of the conference - consistently described as practical, relevant and immediately useful for delegates’ businesses.
Bed & Breakfast Association NZConference 2026 - delegate feedback
Get started

Ready to build capability in your business?

See the upcoming public dates, or register your interest and you’ll hear first when new sessions open - public or online.

Questions

Good to know

Last updated 9 August 2026 - added straight answers on AI training cost, format and outcomes