AI Advisory Pilot NZ: who qualifies for up to $15,000 and how to apply

If you run a small New Zealand business and have been wondering whether AI is worth the investment, the Government will now share the cost of finding out. The AI Advisory Pilot, run by MBIE through the Regional Business Partner Network, co-funds up to half the cost of an AI roadmap and then up to half the cost of putting it into practice.

In September 2026 the Government extended the pilot to 30 June 2027 and added 120 more places. Here’s what it covers, who qualifies and how to apply.

The pilot at a glance

That makes a combined maximum of $15,000 in co-funding per business. The pilot runs until 30 June 2027.

Who qualifies

According to business.govt.nz, your business must:

• have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees
• be registered for GST in New Zealand
• have a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)
• be actively trading
• be registered with the Regional Business Partner Network

You also need to be able to commit time and resources, be willing to contribute to the cost of the project, and have a business problem where AI could genuinely help.

What the money actually covers

Co-funding means you pay at least half. A few worked examples, all excluding GST:

• A roadmap costing $4,000: the pilot could cover up to $2,000, and you pay $2,000.
• A roadmap costing $6,000: the pilot covers up to its $2,500 cap, and you pay $3,500.
• An implementation costing $20,000: the pilot could cover up to $10,000.
• An implementation costing $30,000: the pilot covers up to its $12,500 cap.

The best value usually comes from a roadmap that is specific enough to act on straight away, followed by one focused implementation that proves the return before you spend more.

How to apply, step by step

The application route set out on business.govt.nz is:

1. Register with the Regional Business Partner Network for your region.
2. Meet with a growth advisor, who will talk through your business and goals.
3. Complete an AI readiness assessment.
4. Work with an approved provider to develop your AI roadmap (part one).
5. Apply for implementation funding (part two) to put the roadmap into practice.

Places are limited, so it pays to start the conversation with your regional partner early.

Approved providers only

The pilot is delivered by approved providers. Your growth advisor connects you with one. Lovain is not currently an approved provider of the pilot, so we can’t deliver work funded through it. If you qualify, we’d encourage you to apply.

Lovain can still help in other ways. Our free AI readiness check is a good warm-up before you meet your advisor, and if you don’t qualify or miss out on a place, we offer the same kind of roadmap at a clear, upfront price.

Not eligible, or missed out on a place?

You still have options:

• Training co-funding. The Regional Business Partner Network’s Management Capability Development Fund can cover up to 50% of the cost of management training from registered service providers, up to $5,000 a year (excl. GST), for businesses with fewer than 50 full-time equivalent staff. Ask your growth advisor which AI-related training qualifies.
• Start small and self-funded. One well-chosen automation often pays for itself quickly. A short, fixed-scope project is a low-risk way to prove the value before committing to more.
• Get your foundations ready. Documenting your processes, tidying your data and agreeing an AI use policy all make any later project faster and cheaper.

How to get the most out of the pilot

Before you meet your advisor, spend an hour on these:

• List the repetitive tasks. What does your team do every week that follows the same steps? Quoting, data entry, reporting and email triage are common.
• Estimate the time. Rough hours per week for each task make the business case far stronger.
• Know where your data lives. Which systems hold your customer, job and financial information?
• Decide who owns it. Projects go faster when one person has the authority to make decisions.
• Think about privacy early. If a task involves personal information, note it. The Privacy Act 2020 applies to AI tools just as it does to any other system.

Our AI policy template is a useful starting point for that last step.

The bottom line

If your business has 50 or fewer staff, is GST-registered and has an NZBN, the AI Advisory Pilot is one of the most cost-effective ways to get expert help with AI in New Zealand right now. It closes on 30 June 2027, and places are limited. Check your eligibility, register with your Regional Business Partner, and go in with a clear list of the problems you want to solve.