AI strategy and readiness
A clear-eyed look at where AI will save time and money in your business, and a practical roadmap to get there.
AI consulting · Auckland, New Zealand
Practical AI for New Zealand businesses
We find where AI will save your team time and money, then build it. Enterprise-grade experience, SME pricing and results in weeks, not months.
- Free, no-obligation consult
- Vendor-neutral advice
- Privacy Act 2020 aware
Our founder spent a decade delivering technology transformation for
- IBM
- EY
- Fonterra
- MinterEllison
- Te Whatu Ora
- KiwiRail
The opportunity
The gap isn’t technology. It’s guidance.
Large enterprises have dedicated AI teams and six-figure budgets. Most small businesses have YouTube tutorials and good intentions. The tools that drive efficiency at scale are now within reach of any business. We’ll show you how to use them.
$76b
Potential annual boost to New Zealand’s GDP by 2038 from generative AI
Source: Accenture for Microsoft, 2024
91%
of New Zealand organisations using AI say it has made their people more efficient
Source: AI Forum NZ, August 2025
15%
of large New Zealand organisations have scaled AI across the whole organisation
Source: Datacom State of AI Index, 2026
What we do
From first idea to working system
Start with a clear strategy or go straight to building. Most clients begin with a conversation and one quick win.
Workflow automation
Lightweight, custom tools that handle the repetitive work: data entry, quotes, invoices, reports and handovers.
AI agents
AI agents that work through multi-step tasks on your behalf, using your business rules and tools, with people in control.
AI insights and reporting
Tools that pull your data together automatically and surface what matters: sales, operations and customers.
AI training for teams
Practical, hands-on training using your team’s real work, plus the policy and change support to make it stick.
Website design
Fast, accessible, search-optimised websites that turn visitors into enquiries and reflect the quality of your work.
Where AI pays off first
The work your team shouldn’t be doing by hand
Every business is different, but the first wins usually come from the same places: repetitive, rules-based work that eats hours every week.
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Quotes and proposals
Turn site visits, emails and notes into accurate draft quotes, ready for a quick review.
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Customer enquiries
Answer common questions from your own information, day or night, and route the rest to the right person.
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Invoices and admin
Process invoices, receipts and forms automatically, and keep your accounting system up to date.
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Reporting
Weekly and monthly reports that assemble themselves, with what changed and why it matters highlighted.
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Documents and compliance
Draft, check and file standard documents consistently, with a clear record of what was done.
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Scheduling and follow-ups
Bookings, reminders and follow-ups that happen on time, every time, without anyone chasing.
How we work
Enterprise methodology. SME pricing.
No minimum $150k engagements, no six-month discovery phases and no 80-page reports gathering dust. Just a clear path from conversation to results.
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Free consultation
A 30-minute conversation about your business. We’ll point out two or three quick wins specific to you.
30 minutes, no cost
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Assess and plan
We map how work gets done, score the opportunities and agree a clear scope and price before anything starts.
Clear scope, upfront price
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Build and launch
We build, test and launch working systems with your team. Working tools, not 80-page reports.
Results in weeks, not months
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Measure and improve
We track the time and money saved, then keep improving what we’ve built as your business grows.
Ongoing, if you want it
Free tool
How ready is your business for AI?
Answer 12 quick questions and get an instant readiness score across six areas, with practical next steps for your business. It takes about three minutes and you don’t need to sign up.
Example result
Ready to scale
Websites
A website that works as hard as you do
Your website is often a customer’s first impression of your business. We design and build fast, accessible, search-optimised websites that turn visitors into enquiries and reflect the quality of what you do.
- Designed to turn visitors into enquiries
- Built to be found on Google and recommended by AI assistants
- Fast on every device, including older phones
- Accessible to everyone, built to WCAG 2.2 AA
- Secure, and easy for your team to update
- Performance: 100
- Accessibility: 100
- Best practices: 100
- SEO: 100
Meet the founder
Why Lovain exists
The tools and strategies that transformed big enterprises were never reaching the businesses that needed them most. Lovain exists to close that gap.
A decade of technology transformation for
- IBM
- EY
- Fonterra
- MinterEllison
- Te Whatu Ora
- KiwiRail
Pro bono help for charities
We set aside time for New Zealand charities and not-for-profits, free of charge, to help with AI, automation, data and websites. If you have a challenge we might be able to help with, tell us about it.
Insights
Practical guidance, no hype
Plain-English guides for New Zealand business owners on AI, funding, privacy and websites.
AI Advisory Pilot NZ: who qualifies for up to $15,000 and how to apply
MBIE’s AI Advisory Pilot co-funds up to half the cost of an AI roadmap and implementation for NZ businesses with 50 or fewer staff, until 30 June 2027.
How much does AI consulting cost in New Zealand? A 2026 guide
What NZ businesses pay for AI consulting in 2026, from hourly rates and roadmaps to workshops and builds, what drives the price, and how to compare quotes.
AI policy template for New Zealand businesses (Privacy Act 2020)
A free, plain-English AI use policy template for New Zealand businesses, based on the Privacy Commissioner’s expectations and MBIE’s Responsible AI Guidance.
FAQ
Questions we hear a lot
How much does AI consulting cost?
It depends on what you need. Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute consultation, and you’ll get a clear, upfront price before any work begins.
Our approach is designed for small and medium businesses: no minimum $150k engagements and no six-month discovery phases. For market context, see our guide to what AI consulting costs in New Zealand.
We’re a small business. Is AI really for us?
Yes. Small businesses often benefit the most, because a few hours saved each week makes a real difference when the team is small. The key is starting with the right tasks, not the flashiest tools.
Is there government funding for AI projects?
Possibly. MBIE’s AI Advisory Pilot co-funds up to 50% of an AI roadmap and implementation for eligible businesses with 50 or fewer employees, until 30 June 2027. It’s delivered by approved providers only. Read our guide to the AI Advisory Pilot to see if you qualify.
How quickly will we see results?
We aim for measurable results within weeks. We prefer to prove value with one focused project before you commit to anything bigger.
Do you only work with Auckland businesses?
We’re based in Auckland and work with businesses right across New Zealand, in person or online.
Is our data safe with AI?
It can be, with the right choices. We handle your information in line with the Privacy Act 2020, choose tools with appropriate data protections, and never use your business data to train AI models.
Do you also build websites?
Yes. We design and build fast, accessible, search-optimised websites for businesses that want their website to win work. See website design.
Start with a free 30-minute conversation
Tell us what’s taking up your team’s time. We’ll show you where AI can help, what it would cost, and what to do first. No obligation and no sales pitch.