New Zealand AI summit addresses leadership and scaling gaps

The Aotearoa AI Summit in Wellington is bringing together industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in New Zealand. The event focuses on infrastructure, sovereign capability, workforce transformation, and the development of new digital exports. Key participants include representatives from Accenture, Microsoft, and Datacom.

Parallel research from Datacom’s 2026 State of AI Index highlights a significant gap in New Zealand’s AI maturity. While 91 per cent of local businesses are now using AI, only 4 per cent report that it has transformed their core operations. The report suggests that a lack of dedicated leadership roles is a primary barrier to scaling AI organization-wide. Currently, only 22 per cent of businesses have a dedicated AI leadership role, with many organizations still treating AI as a technology initiative managed by existing executives rather than a strategic business priority.