AI training for accounting firms in New Zealand
Square1 Ai trains accounting and bookkeeping practices in New Zealand to use AI well: tax research, bookkeeping, client letters and practice policy. Live online on Zoom in your working hours, from NZ$185 a person for a team of five or more, with every exercise built on the work your practice already does and the rules New Zealand businesses work under.
One published price for every team, no team discount. Plus GST where it applies. Square1 Ai is not an NZQA-registered provider.
Where AI is already changing practice work in New Zealand.
The training starts with the roles AI touches first, inside the rules New Zealand accounting and bookkeeping practices already work under.
Coding transactions and reconciling faster
Bank-feed coding and reconciliation suggestions are now built into the cloud ledgers most NZ small firms run on, so the bookkeeper reviews rather than keys. The skill is spotting a confidently wrong suggestion before it flows into a GST return.
Drafting client letters and explanations
Chat assistants draft engagement letters, year-end commentary and plain-English explanations of tax positions for clients. The accountant must strip client identifiers first or use a tool that does not retain inputs, as the Privacy Commissioner expects.
Researching rules with verification
Staff use AI to summarise Inland Revenue guidance and legislation before advising. Every answer has to be checked against the source, because a plausible but wrong summary is still the firm's advice.
Writing the firm's AI policy
Firms are setting rules on which tools are approved and what client data may go in them. The manager needs to run a privacy impact assessment and get sign-off, as the Privacy Commissioner asks before adopting generative AI.
The rules your training has to respect
There is no AI-specific accounting law in NZ: the Privacy Act 2020 (as the Privacy Commissioner applies it to generative AI) and the NZICA Code of Ethics for CA ANZ members decide what client data can go into AI tools and who answers for the output.
- Privacy Commissioner's generative AI expectations (25 May 2023): senior leadership and privacy-officer approval, a privacy impact assessment before use, human review of outputs, and no personal or confidential information entered unless the provider confirms it is not retained or disclosed
- Inland Revenue record keeping (IR320 Smart business): keep all business records, including electronic ones, for at least 7 years, so AI-coded transactions still need the source invoices and receipts
- Government Chief Digital Officer 'Privacy and GenAI' guidance (updated 3 Feb 2025): the Privacy Act 2020 applies to GenAI as to any technology; PIAs, privacy-by-design and staff training on what information can be used — the benchmark NZ regulators point to
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.
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 accounting firms in New Zealand: your questions.
How much does aI training for accounting firms cost in New Zealand?
Live online courses are NZ$185 a person for a team of five or more, booked in your working hours. A four-week Sprint that builds one AI workflow with your team is NZ$6,200, and twelve weeks of Train + build is NZ$18,500. One published price for every business, plus GST where it applies.
Can my staff paste client ledgers or IRD correspondence into ChatGPT?
Not as a habit. The Privacy Commissioner expects you not to enter personal or confidential information unless the provider confirms it is not kept or disclosed, or you remove identifying details first. Training covers how to set approved tools and redaction steps.
Is this NZQA-accredited, or CPD for CA ANZ members?
Square1 Ai is not NZQA-registered. Whether the hours count toward your CPD depends on your professional body's rules, so check with CA ANZ before you record them.
Which staff should start first?
Usually the people AI already touches: bookkeeper, client accountant and tax adviser. A two-minute readiness test places every person, so nobody sits a course pitched at someone else's job.
What does a Sprint build for an accounting firm?
One workflow your team picks, built with your people inside your own accounts over four weeks: for example drafting client letters from file notes, turning a bank-feed review into an exceptions list, or a checklist that flags missing documents before a return is prepared. It ends with a pilot and a 30-question test, and the fee of NZ$6,200 counts toward Train + build if you continue within 30 days.
Is this NZQA-recognised training?
No. Square1 Ai is not an NZQA-registered provider, so its courses do not lead to an NZQA qualification or credits. Each person keeps a graded record of their work. If your team needs NZQA credits, choose a registered provider.
Train your practice in AI, in your working hours.
Tell us how many people and what they do. The founder replies with the offering that fits and the dates for live online.