Microsoft 365 Copilot training for teams in New Zealand
Square1 Ai trains small businesses on Microsoft 365 in New Zealand to use AI well: Word, Outlook, Teams, Copilot Chat and the permissions Copilot reads. 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 team 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.
What Copilot does in Microsoft 365, and what staff must know.
The training starts with the jobs the tool does first, inside the rules New Zealand businesses work under.
Working out the licence bill
Microsoft's New Zealand page lists the Copilot Business add-on at NZ$29.14 per user per month paid yearly (a first-year promo to 31 Dec 2026, normally NZ$34.00), or NZ$40.80 monthly, excluding tax. It is sold only to existing Microsoft 365 customers on an eligible Business plan, or bundled as Business Standard (NZ$38.00) or Premium (NZ$51.80) with Copilot.
Drafting in Word and Outlook
Copilot drafts documents, emails and replies inside the apps staff already use. Staff need to learn to point it at the right files and review drafts, since the Privacy Commissioner expects a person to check AI outputs before acting on them.
Starting with free Copilot Chat
Microsoft says Copilot Chat is included at no additional cost with eligible Microsoft 365 plans when signed in with a work account. Teams can build prompting habits there before the business pays for full seats.
Assessing before switching on
The Commissioner expects senior leadership and privacy officer sign-off plus a privacy impact assessment before generative AI is adopted. For Copilot that means checking who can reach which files and mail, because it works on the business's own data.
The rules your training has to respect
Copilot works on a business's own files and mail, so the Privacy Act 2020's security and overseas-disclosure principles apply to every NZ business, alongside the Privacy Commissioner's generative AI expectations.
- Privacy Act 2020, IPP 5 (storage and security): reasonable safeguards against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, which with Copilot means checking file and mailbox permissions before it is switched on; applies to businesses of all sizes
- Privacy Act 2020, IPP 12 (disclosure outside New Zealand): personal information may go overseas only where comparable safeguards apply, so check where Copilot processes your data
- Privacy Commissioner, generative AI expectations (May 2023): senior leadership and privacy officer sign-off, a privacy impact assessment before adoption, transparency with customers, and human review of outputs
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.
Microsoft 365 Copilot training for teams in New Zealand: your questions.
How much does Microsoft 365 Copilot training cost for a team 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.
Is the NZ$29.14 price permanent?
No. Microsoft's page says it is a promotion for annual commitments taken between 1 July and 31 December 2026 and applies to the first year only; the standard yearly price is NZ$34.00 per user per month, and monthly billing is NZ$40.80. Prices exclude GST.
Do we need a privacy impact assessment just to turn on Copilot?
The Privacy Commissioner expects one before adopting generative AI. For a small business it can be short: what data Copilot can reach, who can see what, where it is processed, and how staff will check outputs.
Which staff should start first?
Usually the people AI already touches: business owner, office staff and all staff. 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 a business adding Copilot?
One workflow your team picks, built with your people inside your own accounts over four weeks: for example a permissions check before Copilot is switched on, prompts for your own templates in Word and Outlook, or a meeting-notes-to-actions workflow in Teams. 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 team 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.