New Zealand AI Pioneer Trains Over 300 'AI Ambassadors' as Business Adoption Accelerates

Justin Flitter - Founder - NewZealand.ai

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, October 30, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As artificial intelligence transforms workplaces worldwide, one New Zealand company has been quietly building a community of AI champions since before it became mainstream. AI New Zealand, founded in 2017 by Justin Flitter, has emerged as one of the country's most influential voices helping business leaders discover why, where and how to leverage AI.

The numbers tell a remarkable story of growth. The New Zealand AI Academy now boasts more than 2,000 members – business leaders and technical professionals learning how to use AI to automate everyday tasks and workflows. In the last 12 months alone, AI New Zealand has trained more than 300 AI Ambassadors, equipping them to support the practical and responsible adoption of AI in their organisations and community groups.

"The pace of change is phenomenal," says Flitter, who speaks at company and industry conferences around New Zealand every week. "That's creating an opportunity for the early adopters and a threat for the slow movers who risk becoming irrelevant to their customers, competitors and employees".

The company's client base reflects AI's broad applicability across the economy: construction and infrastructure (35%), professional services and finance (25%), government and public sector (15%), manufacturing and distribution (15%), and other sectors (10%).

Business leaders are investing in AI to address urgent pain points including knowledge accessibility, where critical information remains trapped in employees' brains or documents that on-site teams struggle to access. Project coordination challenges, compliance documentation burdens, productivity gaps from repetitive administrative tasks, and the need for faster research and strategic analysis are also driving adoption.

Despite widespread interest, Flitter notes a critical gap. "Most workers haven't adopted AI tools beyond web search and copywriting," he explains. "Companies need to be investing in practical skills-based training to demonstrate the value AI provides with everyday tasks and workflows".

The challenge extends beyond internal workflows. Businesses need to look up and down their supply chains to realise true value. If a construction company uses AI to write resource consents but the local council manually processes every application, the timeline won't improve significantly.

Flitter advocates for industry associations to work collaboratively across supply chains, identifying workflows to automate and creating AI-powered solutions that benefit entire industries rather than individual companies.

As New Zealand's AI adoption rate reaches 82-87% among businesses – outpacing Australia's 50% – the early mover advantage Flitter predicted in 2017 is becoming reality.

With AI New Zealand continuing to expand its training programs and advisory services, the company that championed AI before it was fashionable is now helping ensure Kiwi businesses don't just adopt AI but master it.

Justin Flitter
AI New Zealand
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