The Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association has released the third edition of Aotearoa New Zealand Artificial Intelligence – A Strategic Approach, providing an updated view of what New Zealand needs to do to strengthen its national AI capability.
The new edition comes at an important point in New Zealand’s AI journey. Since the previous whitepaper, the Government has released the country’s first national AI Strategy, the science and innovation system has undergone significant change, and new investment is being made in AI research and infrastructure. At the same time, AI itself is evolving rapidly, moving beyond generative systems that primarily respond to prompts towards increasingly agentic systems capable of planning, using tools and taking action.
Against this backdrop, the whitepaper proposes a clear national ambition: New Zealand should aim to move from 35th in the Global AI Index today to the top 25 by 2030 and the top 15 by 2035.
To help achieve this, the paper sets out five recommendations focused on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te ao Māori; building a connected academia, industry and government ecosystem; concentrating investment around areas of national strength; accelerating safe AI adoption; and establishing a durable social licence for AI. Each recommendation is accompanied by proposed owners, deadlines and measures so that progress can be publicly assessed.
A central argument of the third edition is that adopting overseas AI technologies alone will not create enduring national capability. New Zealand also needs researchers and engineers able to build, adapt, fine-tune, evaluate and assure AI systems for local conditions, alongside the infrastructure, data and partnerships that enable that work. The paper argues that research, adoption and international partnership should therefore be treated as complementary parts of New Zealand’s AI strategy.
Importantly, the whitepaper also argues that success cannot be measured through economic and technological capability alone. AI development in Aotearoa should reflect priorities including sustainability, community wellbeing, Māori data sovereignty, Te Tiriti obligations and the impact of AI infrastructure on areas such as energy, water and te taiao.
The third edition is intended not simply as a statement of ambition, but as a practical contribution to the national conversation about what New Zealand should build, where it should focus, who should be accountable and how progress should be measured.
Watch the whitepaper launch webinar recording