Buying Tools, Short on People: Deloitte's 2026 Warning on AI and Skills in New Zealand

News · 2026-09-16 · 4 min read

Access to artificial intelligence is not what is holding New Zealand businesses back. What many lack is a clear plan for the people expected to use it. That is the central message of Deloitte's recently published Tech Trends 2026 report for New Zealand, and it deserves attention from anyone shaping a workforce rather than simply assembling software.

For experienced professionals in Dubai, Doha or Riyadh considering New Zealand as their next move, the findings also hint at where skilled people may be most valued.

An Investment Split That Says It All

One statistic captures the issue: New Zealand organisations direct 93% of their AI spending to technology and just 7% to people and skills. In a country already under strain from an ageing workforce and ongoing labour shortages in the regions, that balance is more than lopsided. It suggests companies are acquiring capability far faster than they are developing it.

Rethinking the Work Itself

Speaking for the firm, Deloitte's Matt Dalton was direct: the experimental phase of AI has ended, and the edge now goes to organisations prepared to rebuild how work is done, not those that simply attach a chatbot to a process that already exists.

That point is critical for HR leaders, workforce planners and mobility teams alike. Placing a copilot inside an old workflow does not make a team more capable. It only adds another tool to a role that has not changed. The report labels this "shallow adoption" and suggests it is widespread. Worldwide, only about one in eight organisations has taken agentic AI into real production, while the rest remain caught in pilot projects that create activity but little value.

Those set to lead in 2026 will not be the businesses holding the most licences. They will be the ones redesigning roles, retraining staff for higher-value work and bringing in the specialist skills required to run mixed teams of people and automation effectively.

People and Machines, Side by Side

Deloitte describes 2026 as the year of the "hybrid human and silicon workforce". In this picture, AI systems and robots increasingly take over routine, repetitive or dangerous work, which frees people, or pushes them, toward roles that call for judgement, creativity and deep technical knowledge.

This has clear implications for recruitment and mobility. Automation is spreading through agriculture, utilities, infrastructure inspection and transport, all sectors where New Zealand's geography and scattered population already make staffing difficult. Demand for people is not expected to drop. Instead, the kind of people needed will change. Employers will be looking for:

Hands-on technical operators able to run and maintain autonomous systems, rather than only office users of AI
Specialists for regional and infrastructure-intensive industries, where physical AI such as drones, autonomous inspection and remote robotics is growing fastest
Local workers upskilled into more valuable roles, supported by focused recruitment from overseas wherever domestic skills gaps cannot be filled quickly enough

When Dalton speaks of young people developing "capabilities", it is more than a familiar line about training. It indicates that the skills pipeline, rather than the software subscription, will decide which companies genuinely benefit from AI.

Security Threats Add Urgency

The report further notes that AI is making cyberattacks faster and more sophisticated. Automated tools now help attackers launch phishing campaigns and search for vulnerabilities more quickly than human security staff can react. As aviation, healthcare, transport and other physical infrastructure become more reliant on digital systems, the risks created by understaffed teams and insufficiently skilled operators rise with them.

Once again the lesson is the same: technology without capable people to manage it becomes a liability instead of a strength.

Why This Is an Economic Story

Deloitte's analysis reads less like a tech prediction and more like an economic one. In a small market with limited resources such as New Zealand, a poor approach to workforce and AI strategy is not a small misstep but a disadvantage that grows over time. Handled well, it becomes a real advantage, largely because so few rivals are putting in the effort to redesign roles and rebuild their skills pipelines rather than simply purchasing more software.

For any business working out where its next intake of technical, specialist or hard-to-find talent will come from, the 93/7 split is the figure to remember. The tools have already been bought. Skilled people who can run them well are the genuine shortage.

Takeaway for Gulf-based professionals: if you have hands-on technical, operational or specialist experience, the trends in this report point toward the kinds of skills New Zealand employers are likely to value. Keep building practical expertise and evidence of results as you plan your next career step.

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