AI training for small businesses in New Zealand
Square1 Ai trains small and medium businesses in New Zealand, from five people to a few hundred, in AI, cyber security and no-code automation: live online on Zoom in your working hours, from NZ$185 a person. A two-minute readiness test places every person, and Nova, our AI tutor, grades every exercise. Corporate teams use the same four offerings; in-person days are on request, with travel on top.
One published price for every team, no team discount. Plus GST where it applies. Square1 Ai is not an NZQA-registered provider.
Four ways to train a team in New Zealand.
One published price each, in New Zealand dollars, for every company in New Zealand. Most teams start with live online seats; a Sprint builds one AI workflow with you.
Live online
NZ$185a person, team of five or moreLive courses on Zoom in AI, cyber security, no-code automation and more. An instructor teaches; Nova grades every exercise and project.
Live on Zoom, booked on New Zealand time.
In person
NZ$3,100a day, up to 20 peopleAn instructor in your offices for a day or a series, hands-on with your team’s own work.
On request in New Zealand: the same day rate, plus travel.
Sprint
NZ$6,200fixed price, four weeksWe pick the workflow worth building first and build it with your people while we teach them. It ends with a pilot and a 30-question test.
Built with your team inside your own accounts, run online.
Train + build
NZ$18,500fixed price, twelve weeksWe train your team and build the workflows, automations and AI features your business runs on, alongside them.
Training live online, in-person days on request, building alongside your team.
After Train + build, the optional Grow plan is NZ$3,100 a month. A Sprint’s fee counts toward Train + build if you continue within 30 days.
AI training for your sector in New Zealand.
The same four offerings, with the exercises and the first workflow built around the work your sector does.
AI training for the tools your team already uses.
The same four offerings, taught on the AI tools a small business in New Zealand actually pays for.
Live online, on New Zealand time.
New Zealand runs on one clock, two hours ahead of Sydney in summer. Sessions are booked in your working hours; in-person days are arranged on request.
In person, on request
In-person training outside Sri Lanka is arranged on request: the same day rate of NZ$3,100 for up to 20 people, with travel and accommodation quoted on top before you book.
- Live online from Auckland to Invercargill from day one
- In-person days quoted with travel before you commit
- The readiness test before, and the Team Impact Report after
| City | Clock | At 1:00 PM in Auckland |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, DunedinDaylight time until 4 Apr 2027 | UTC+13 (NZDT) | 1:00 PM |
| Chatham IslandsDaylight time until 4 Apr 2027 | UTC+13:45 (CHADT) | 1:45 PM |
| Sydney and Melbourne, for trans-Tasman teamsDaylight time until 4 Apr 2027 | UTC+11 (AEDT) | 11:00 AM |
| Brisbane, for trans-Tasman teamsNo daylight saving | UTC+10 (AEST) | 10:00 AM |
New Zealand daylight time runs from 27 September 2026 to 4 April 2027 (govt.nz); outside it the country is on UTC+12 (NZST).
AI training in New Zealand, compared.
Five programmes from New Zealand providers, as each publishes them. Auckland and the IoD teach in a room for a day; Lumify, UC Online and Open Polytechnic sell courses per person.
| Programme | Length | How it is taught | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI EssentialsUniversity of Auckland Business School · 9 Nov 2026 · checked 30 Oct 2026 | 1 day | In person in Auckland, for individuals | NZ$1,259 incl. GST |
| AI Governance EssentialsInstitute of Directors · next 26 Feb 2027 · checked 30 Oct 2026 | 1 day | In person in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, for directors | NZ$1,375 incl. GST (NZ$1,120 for members) |
| Transform Business Workflows with Generative AI (AB-730T00)Lumify Work · next 4 Mar 2027 · checked 30 Oct 2026 | 1 day | Virtual, a Microsoft course for individuals | NZ$1,010 + GST |
| Artificial Intelligence for Business Leaders (MC5352)Open Polytechnic micro-credential · self-paced · checked 30 Oct 2026 | 10 weeks, about 5 hours a week | Online, NZQA Level 5, 5 credits | NZ$210 domestic (approximate programme cost) |
| Get Better at Generative AIUC Online, University of Canterbury · next 2 Nov 2026 · checked 30 Oct 2026 | 5 hours, self-paced | Online, no facilitator | NZ$129 incl. GST (domestic) |
| Live online or in personSquare1 Ai · the prices on this page | Per course, or a day on site | Live on Zoom or in your offices, every exercise graded by Nova | NZ$185 a person · NZ$3,100 a day |
Fees exactly as each provider publishes them, read on their own sites on 30 October 2026, including GST where the provider says so. Dates change, so check before you book.
Four ways New Zealand companies train a team in AI.
Each one fits a different need. Leaders and the wider team often take different routes.
- Route 1
A university or IoD short course
Fits when a leader or director wants a day in a room at the University of Auckland or the Institute of Directors.
Watch for NZ$1,259 a person at Auckland and NZ$1,375 at the IoD for non-members, one person at a time, on their dates.
- Route 2
An NZQA micro-credential
Fits when you want a credential on the NZQA framework, for example Open Polytechnic's Level 5 AI micro-credential.
Watch for self-paced study over ten weeks rarely changes how a team works day to day.
- Route 3
Vendor courses for the tools you already use
Fits when your company is standardising on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Gemini or AWS and wants people trained on that tool.
Watch for a vendor course teaches the tool, not your workflow; non-technical teams usually need both.
- Route 4
A team trained and measured together (Square1 Ai)
Fits when you want every person placed by a test, taught live, graded on real work and measured again at week 12.
Watch for it takes a few hours a week from each person, and the results depend on them doing the work.
AI training for New Zealand businesses: your questions.
How much does AI training cost for a small business in New Zealand?
With Square1 Ai, live online courses are NZ$185 a person for a team of five or more. A four-week Sprint that builds one AI workflow is NZ$6,200, and twelve weeks of Train + build is NZ$18,500. In-person days are NZ$3,100 a day for up to 20 people, on request, plus travel. For comparison, a one-day AI course at the University of Auckland Business School lists NZ$1,259 and the Institute of Directors' AI Governance Essentials NZ$1,375 for non-members, both including GST (checked 30 October 2026). Prices are plus GST where it applies.
Is this NZQA-recognised training?
No. Square1 Ai is not an NZQA-registered provider, so its courses do not carry NZQA credits and are not funded through TEC. Each person keeps a graded record of their work. If your team needs credits, choose a provider such as Open Polytechnic, whose AI micro-credential is NZQA Level 5.
What time are the live online sessions?
In your working hours, on New Zealand time. From 27 September 2026 to 4 April 2027 New Zealand is on daylight time (UTC+13), two hours ahead of Sydney, so a 1:00 PM Auckland session is 11:00 AM in Sydney for a trans-Tasman team. Sessions are three hours, on Zoom.
Do you train teams in person in New Zealand?
On request. The day rate is the same, NZ$3,100 for up to 20 people, with travel and accommodation quoted on top before you book. Live online works anywhere in New Zealand without it.
Do our people need to know how to code?
No. Most of a team is placed into a role track: AI applied to marketing, finance, sales, operations, project management and the other jobs people already do, with no code. The people who do write code take the technical tracks. Both are taught by building and graded the same way.
How does this fit the Government's Responsible AI Guidance for Businesses?
MBIE published voluntary Responsible AI Guidance for Businesses alongside New Zealand's AI Strategy in July 2025, aligned with the OECD AI Principles. Training covers the people side: staff learn to check AI output, and every workflow we build with a team has a person review its work before anything leaves the company.
Why train a New Zealand team in AI now?
MBIE's summary of New Zealand's AI Strategy (July 2025) says AI could add NZ$76 billion to GDP by 2038, and that while 67% of large firms use AI, 68% of SMEs are not planning for it. A team that learns to use AI on its own work, with a person checking it, closes that gap.
What does leadership get at the end?
The Team Impact Report: each person’s baseline score, their week-12 score on the same graded reassessment, and the hours a month the opportunity map says came back, with the team’s totals. Every grade behind it is on the manager dashboard.
Train your team in New Zealand, in your working hours.
Tell us the size of the team and what it does. The founder replies with the offering that fits and the dates for live online.