Build Agents, Not Apps.
AI automation for SMEs that goes beyond chatbots. We design AI agents that live inside the tool you already pay for, ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or Gemini, so you stop paying to build internal web applications you only use a few times a week.
AI Automation for New Zealand SMEs, Done Properly
Most small and medium businesses do not need another internal web application. They need work to get done. A custom app costs tens of thousands of dollars to build, more to maintain, and often gets used by a handful of people for a handful of tasks.
Agents are different. They use the AI tool your team has already adopted, follow the same processes a person would, and connect to the systems you already use such as Xero, MYOB, Excel, and your inbox. You get the outcome of an internal app, without the engineering bill that comes with one.
HighFlyer combines engineers with subject matter experts, qualified accountants, supply chain practitioners, and academics, so the agents we build do the work the way an experienced operator would.
Custom internal web app vs. agent
Build cost
Time to first value
Where it runs
Ongoing cost
What We Build
We start with the work that takes up the most time in your finance and operations function, and design agents that handle it end to end.
Bookkeeping Agents
Agents that triage receipts and invoices from your inbox, code transactions in Xero or MYOB, chase missing information, and flag anything that needs a human eye.
- Receipt and invoice extraction
- Account coding and reconciliation prep
- Supplier follow-ups for missing data
Accounting Agents
Month-end and reporting agents that prepare draft financials, surface variances against budget, and answer questions in plain English using your live ledger.
- Month-end checklist automation
- Variance analysis and commentary
- Conversational queries on the GL
Financial Forecasting Agents
Cash flow and scenario agents that pull from your ledger, payroll, and pipeline to build rolling forecasts you can interrogate and adjust on the fly.
- 13-week cash flow forecasts
- Scenario and what-if modelling
- Board-ready summaries on demand
Beyond finance: we also build agents for supply chain, operations, customer support, and back-office admin, drawing on the same expert network.
Works With the AI Tool You Already Use
If your team already pays for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or Gemini, we deploy agents into that environment. The right tool depends on your budget, your data residency requirements, and the skills you need.
ChatGPT
Custom GPTs and Projects with skills tailored to your workflows.
Claude
Claude Skills and MCP-connected agents for deeper reasoning tasks.
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot Studio agents that live inside Teams, Outlook, and Excel.
Gemini
Gemini agents and Workspace integrations for Google-native businesses.
We will recommend the tool that fits your budget and environment, not the one with the highest licence fee.
Engineers Plus Subject Matter Experts
A finance agent designed only by engineers will get the syntax right and the substance wrong. Our agents are co-designed with the people who actually do the work.
Every engagement pairs HighFlyer engineers with practising experts from our network so the agent reflects the way a senior operator would handle the task, including the edge cases.
Qualified Accountants
Qualified practitioners who have run finance functions for SMEs.
Supply Chain Experts
Operators with hands-on experience across procurement, logistics, and stock.
Academics
Researchers who keep our methods grounded in the current state of the field.
AI Engineers
A delivery team that has shipped production agents and integrations.
We Practise What We Preach
Our team builds and open-sources agent-style applications so the wider community can see how we think about this work. GovChat is one example: a multilingual assistant that surfaces New Zealand government information to anyone who needs it.
open./GovChat
A multilingual AI assistant that answers questions about New Zealand government services and entitlements. Built by HighFlyer and released as an open-source project so anyone can self-host, contribute, or learn from how the agent is wired up.
- Multilingual input and output across Asian, Pacific, and European languages
- New Zealand-grounded answers using Perplexity and Anthropic Claude
- A reference architecture for the kind of agent we build for clients
Disclaimer: open./GovChat is an experimental project. It is not affiliated with any New Zealand government agency or service, and only uses publicly available information.
How We Engage
A fixed-scope build to get you the agent, then a light retainer to keep it sharp as your business and the underlying AI tools evolve. Still meaningfully cheaper than commissioning a custom internal web application.
Discovery
We map the work, the data sources, and the people involved. You get a clear written scope, a recommended AI platform, and a fixed price before any build starts.
Fixed-Scope Build
Our engineers and subject matter experts build, test, and tune the agent against real cases from your business. You sign off when it performs to the agreed standard.
Rollout
We hand the agent to your team with training, guardrails, and a clear escalation path. Most clients are live within weeks, not quarters.
Maintenance Retainer
A modest monthly retainer keeps the agent aligned with model updates, new edge cases, and changes in your processes, without the cost of a full engineering team.
AI Automation Across New Zealand
We work with finance and operations teams across the country. Discovery and rollout are run remotely, with on-site time available where it makes a difference.
AI Automation Auckland
Headquartered in Auckland, we work with SMEs across the wider region from the North Shore to South Auckland.
AI Automation Wellington
Wellington-based finance and operations teams use our agents alongside Xero, MYOB, and Microsoft 365.
AI Automation Christchurch
From Canterbury manufacturers to professional services firms, we ship agents that fit how the South Island works.
Australia & Remote
We deliver the same AI automation service to Australian SMEs and to teams anywhere in NZ that prefer fully remote engagement.
Related Services
If your needs go beyond what an agent can do, we can take you the rest of the way.
Digital Transformation
Comprehensive strategies and implementations to modernise your business processes and technology stack.
Enterprise Solutions
ERPNext implementation, system integration, and the data backbone your agents will plug into.
Software Development
For the cases where a custom application really is the right answer, we build those too.
Stop Building Apps. Start Shipping Agents.
Tell us about a workflow that is eating your team's time. We will tell you whether an agent can take it on, what it would cost, and how long it would take.