This is the fourth of a four-part series covering how local government leaders are putting AI to practical use in New Zealand. Click for part one, part two, and part three.

When Hutt City Council (New Zealand) began exploring artificial intelligence in early 2024, the team knew they were stepping into uncharted territory. Generative AI continued to accelerate rapidly and was set to reshape industries, jobs, and expectations. For local government, the moment called for a bold, future-focused response. With an environment defined by tight budgets, rising public expectations, and pressure to deliver more with less, Hutt City Council’s response became AI-Volution—an ambitious, organization-wide program to adopt AI responsibly, ethically, and strategically.

The high-level vision behind AI-Volution was simple but transformative to: understand AI deeply, use it to improve public services, and prepare staff for the future of work. Council leaders recognized early that AI could help address some of local government’s toughest challenges, such as improving service quality without adding costs to ratepayers, optimizing operations, and freeing staff from time-consuming tasks.

AI-Volution is part of Hutt City Council’s overall AI strategy that includes “investing in AI capabilities within our teams to foster a culture of curiosity, innovation and responsible AI use.” AI-Volution embedded generative AI across council operations to enhance existing services and relationships. It deepened the relationships rather than replacing interaction with technology. The tool has allowed staff to personalize, customize, and enhance service delivery and offered more channels and options for engagement and feedback.

Jo Miller, chief executive, Hutt City Council, notes, “With 15 custom-built AI assistants and 300 licenses rolled out at speed, AI-Volution is already delivering measurable impact: reclaiming 44,000 staff hours per year, realizing NZD 900,000 in annual savings, and enabling faster, more responsive services for residents.”

The initiative was motivated by people. With AI rapidly changing workplaces, the council felt a responsibility to invest in staff so they could build new skills, stay relevant, and feel confident navigating this technological shift. From the start, AI-Volution was as much a workforce capacity-building program as a technology project.

A defining feature of the council’s approach has been embedding Māori principles into its governance. Tika (doing what’s right and fair) and Pono (honesty and transparency) anchor both the strategy and day-to-day decision-making. These values reflect an ongoing partnership with mana whenua (indigenous people who have territorial rights over the land) and a wider organizational commitment to becoming Te Ao Māori (relationships between nature and people) capable.

By placing these principles at the center, the council ensured AI-Volution built trust with the wider community in addition to the staff. Ethical use, transparent communication, and doing right by people became non-negotiable standards.

The council has prioritized openness with the community and mana whenua. Information about AI use and licenses is published publicly, and recent engagements have strengthened co-design commitments. Stakeholder feedback during prototype testing shows people are generally comfortable with AI when its purpose is clear and data is treated respectfully.

Building Capability, Human Oversight, and Managing Risk

AI-Volution succeeded in part because staff were involved from the outset. Leadership provided direction, but frontline teams helped define where AI could make a practical difference. Many early assistants were developed directly from staff ideas.

The council has been candid about AI’s impact on workforce design. While the goal is to save time and improve services, some roles may naturally reduce over time. Rather than job cuts, the council is managing this through attrition — only refilling roles when necessary. This both demonstrates efficiency to the community and ensures staff are supported to grow new skills for future roles.

Jared Griffiths, director strategy and engagement, Hutt City Council, explained their internal staff process by noting that a network of AI navigators — 26 staff who tested prototypes, refined training, and acted as champions — played a crucial role in building confidence across the organization. Every staff member seeking an AI license completes e-learning and in-person workshops, ensuring safe and effective use. As a result, there is strong confidence in responsible use. Recent surveys show 78% of staff can spot AI errors, and 97% feel at least somewhat confident managing AI risk.

While AI assists with speed and efficiency, the council maintains strict “human-in-the-loop” expectations. Staff must review and validate all AI-generated outputs, and managers oversee responsible use within their teams. Skipping this step is treated as a performance issue—reinforcing that AI supplements human judgment, rather than replacing it.

Before any tools were deployed, the council established a strong governance and risk framework. AI is now formally recognized as a strategic risk, with progress and safeguards regularly reported to the independent Risk and Audit Subcommittee. A senior-level AI Governance Group oversees the program, while the AI Risk Management Framework sets clear expectations around where and how AI can be used. This structured oversight has helped the organization adopt AI confidently, while managing uncertainty in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Challenges of Leading the Way and What’s Next for Hutt City Council

As one of the early adopters in New Zealand local government, the council has had to navigate without established playbooks. With AI capabilities changing daily, many judgment calls have required experimentation and agility. While these decisions have served the organization well, forging the path ahead has naturally brought complexity.

AI-Volution is designed to evolve. The AI Strategy has already undergone one full review and is now scheduled for updates every one to two years—or sooner if needed. Remaining agile is essential in an environment where new possibilities appear almost weekly.

With strong foundations in place, the council is exploring more advanced opportunities. A new initiative called Agentic AI, which includes tools that can autonomously take action,  is on the horizon. Future scenarios include AI handling simple customer service calls, managing basic requests end-to-end, or drawing directly from council databases to deliver accurate, personalized answers instantly.

While these capabilities will transform service delivery, governance and human oversight will remain central to ensuring safe, trusted use.

For councils considering similar initiatives, the advice is clear: AI cannot be ignored, and it cannot be treated as a conventional technology rollout. Staff are often experimenting already, so organizations must provide guidance, structure, and training. Most crucially, AI is about people and how their jobs evolve, what skills they need, and how organizations support them through change. Approaching AI strategically and holistically leads to far stronger, more sustainable outcomes.

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