The Government’s plan to cut 8,700 public sector jobs and save $2.4 billion has been framed largely as a brutal cost‑cutting exercise.

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast, Hamilton‑based technologist Brandon Hutcheson argues it could instead be the catalyst for a once‑in‑a‑generation redesign of how government works – if we get the AI strategy right. He admits, that's a big "if".

Hutcheson, head of quantum at Netherlands-based IT services firm HSO and co‑founder of AI specialist Aware Group, has published a detailed catalogue of 160 ways artificial intelligence could transform the public sector. The ideas range from obvious efficiency wins – such as shared AI‑enabled contact centres and common cloud HR and payroll platforms – through to more ambitious proposals like synthetic populations for policy testing and real‑time legislation impact simulators.

Rather than starting with “who can we cut?”, Hutcheson wants agencies to map their processes into four buckets: fully automatable, automatable with a transition plan, partially automatable with permanent human oversight, and human‑only functions. That discipline, he argues, is missing today, with agencies scrambling to bolt on AI tools in isolation, baking in the next wave of technical debt and eroding public trust.

The next wave of computing

He’s particularly critical of the way the cuts have been communicated – telling public servants their jobs are on the line while expecting them to lead the automation of their own roles. In his view, the smarter play is to frame AI as a way to improve citizen experience, reduce low‑value manual work, and spin out new export‑focused ventures built on New Zealand’s deep public‑sector expertise.

The episode also looks ahead to the next wave of computing that will sit behind many of these changes. Hutcheson has just returned from Microsoft’s quantum labs in Redmond, where the company is racing to build fault‑tolerant quantum machines. He explains what he saw on the ground, why quantum should already be on the radar of boards and CIOs, and how it could combine with AI to reshape industries that rely on complex simulations – from materials and manufacturing to agriculture and finance.

For business leaders, technologists and policy makers, this conversation is a roadmap to what’s possible – and a warning about the architectural decisions we make now.

Listen to The Business of Tech, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser Mark Richardson weighs in as anticipation grows for the biggest IPO in history.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better Taxes for a Better Future spokesperson Kate Stone talks about Facebook's ability to send NZ income to low-tax Ireland.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BusinessDesk's Riley Kennedy talks to Herald NOW Business from the first day of the sold out Fieldays in Mystery Creek.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are warning investors to brace for a 'choppy' market in the tech sector.

Some of the US's leading chip companies have been getting some extra attention on them, as the market looks set to change.

Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The High Court has ordered ASB Bank to pay $6.731 million for breaching anti-money laundering laws.

The penalty is the largest ever imposed by a New Zealand court under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained the case further - and whether it sets a precedent.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tough economic conditions over the past six years have taken a toll on the survival rate of small and medium-sized businesses, but franchises appear to have fared better.

International data supplied by the Franchise Association of New Zealand (FANZ) indicates about 75 to 85 percent of franchises were still operating after five years, compared with about half of independent small businesses.

Franchise Association of New Zealand CEO Katrina King says business is tough for everyone in this climate, but some sectors have been able to hold on.

"I think with franchising, because of the breadth of industry and because it is in every part of New Zealand - there's going to be resilience."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB's Claire Sherwood joins Herald NOW with the latest headlines from the South Island.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.