AI companies in Wellington.

Wellington’s AI companies range from one-person consultancies and product studios to an automation agency, a software platform for small firms and the local offices of national IT firms. This guide lists those whose own websites say they are based in Wellington or have an office here. For the national picture, see our guide to AI consultants in New Zealand.

Wellington AI companies compared

Levy Street first, then alphabetical. Prices as listed on 20 October 2026.

Provider profiles

Levy Street

Levy Street is a Wellington AI engineering and advisory company that designs, builds and runs production AI systems and trains teams to use them. It chooses between OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and open-weight models by testing. Its engineers work with Blackpearl Group’s AI team on Bebop, its portfolio includes open-source work, and its Wellington AI consulting is done on site.

Advancer

Advancer is a Wellington firm giving growing businesses and boards senior technology leadership, including finding where AI will save or earn money and building it. Its six-week Business Brain Discovery is listed from $15,000.

AI Supercharge

AI Supercharge runs in-person AI training for New Zealand businesses, with public courses in Wellington and team sessions anywhere in the country. Its Business Productivity course is registered with the Regional Business Partner Network and runs at Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington.

Arcanum AI

Arcanum AI is headquartered in Wellington and makes Numa, an AI platform that connects tools such as Xero and automates admin for firms of 20 to 200 staff. Numa plans start from $750 a month excluding GST; it also runs adoption workshops.

Autohive

Autohive is a New Zealand company whose no-code platform hands repeat jobs, such as a Monday report, to AI agents that run on a schedule. Its privacy policy gives a Wellington address and its careers page lists Wellington roles.

Automate AI

Automate AI is a Wellington-based automation agency that builds and runs AI voice agents, chatbots and document workflows for small businesses. It names clients including Retro Bowl and 4 Star Flooring.

Aware Group

Aware Group is a Hamilton company, now owned by HSO, with a Wellington office on Featherston Street. Its website says it builds, deploys and manages enterprise AI alongside data and cloud work.

Catalyst

Catalyst is a Wellington-headquartered open-source technology company. Its AI service offers open-weight models through a New Zealand hosted, OpenAI-compatible API, a cited search tool, bespoke builds and consulting.

Datacom

Datacom has a Wellington office and an AI practice working on AI governance frameworks, proofs of concept and AI tools across Australia and New Zealand, including a payroll assistant for Datapay.

Do AI

Do AI is a Wellington-based AI product studio that builds AI products, custom integrations and team workshops. Its work page includes an Easy Read document converter, and strategy workshops are listed from $6,500 plus GST.

Marwick Advisory

Marwick Advisory is an independent consultant based in Wellington who designs, builds and runs automation, knowledge systems and custom agents. An AI Roadmap is listed from NZ$2,500 and a Pilot Build from NZ$6,000, both excluding GST.

Optimation

Optimation is a New Zealand technology consultancy with Wellington and Auckland offices. Its AI page covers enterprise AI, IT consulting and custom software, starting every engagement with a four-phase discovery.

Other AI expertise in Wellington

• Assurity, a quality engineering consultancy with a Lambton Quay office, offers AI-enhanced software testing, an AI test-design platform called Assurity Intelligence and training in AI-based testing.
• Theta, a Microsoft Solutions Partner with a Wellington office, lists a GenAI Rapid Start prototype at $25,000 plus GST. Our comparison of Microsoft partners and independent consultancies covers that route.
• PwC New Zealand lists its AI Transformation Leader in Wellington.
• Research: Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington’s Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence includes groups on machine learning and on AI and society.
• Community: AI Tinkerers Wellington first met on 26 August 2026 and expects demos of real systems or code, not sales decks.

How to choose a Wellington AI company

Start with the job, not the company: a roadmap, a custom build, a subscription product and staff training are different purchases. Put the same questions to every shortlisted provider, Levy Street included.

• I can name the workflow and the number I want to move.
• I have seen the provider’s most similar project and can speak to that client.
• I know who will do the build and whether they will work in our office.
• I know where our data is processed and which models are used.
• I have monthly running costs in NZD, not just a build price.
• I know what we own at the end: code, prompts, test results and a runbook.

Our AI vendor evaluation checklist turns these into contract questions.

Red flags when hiring an AI company

• A demo on the vendor’s data. Ask for a test on 20 or 30 of your own documents first.
• Accuracy promises before seeing your work. Nobody can quote an error rate for documents they have not tested.
• No answer on data location. If the provider cannot say where prompts and files are processed, assume offshore.
• A fixed price without a fixed scope. It usually returns as variations.
• Lock-in you did not choose. A subscription platform is fine if you accept it; a custom build should run in accounts you own.

Funding and rules for Wellington businesses

The government extended its AI Advisory Pilot to 30 June 2027 on 22 September 2026. business.govt.nz says it co-funds up to 50% of eligible costs, up to $2,500 (excluding GST) for a roadmap and $12,500 for implementation, for businesses with 50 or fewer full-time staff registered with the Regional Business Partner Network. It excludes stand-alone training. In this region the network is reached through WellingtonNZ.

Whoever you hire, Privacy Act 2020 obligations stay with you. Since 1 May 2026, IPP 3A requires you to tell people when you collect their information from someone else, which matters for AI that pulls records from other systems. MBIE’s Responsible AI Guidance for Businesses is voluntary but worth sharing with any provider. Our lesson on protecting customer information covers the basics, and when you have a workflow in mind you can book an AI assessment.

Written by the Levy Street team in Wellington. Last updated 19 October 2026.